The programme engaged 25 participants, which included coaches, managers and staff from football academies and clubs. The sessions covered relevant topics such as ways to recognise signs of abuse, reporting mechanisms, and how to respond when children reach out and disclose abuse.

The first-of-its-kind webinar will engage more than 100 participants from 46 AFC Member Associations (MA) as well as the five AFC Regional Associations (RA), with the aim of widening the essential understanding on the importance, application, and delivery of safeguarding in football, while increasing awareness of the pivotal role of MAs in ensuring a safe and secure environment for children and young people.

The virtual webinar was staged in a four-part series where key speakers Kathryn Leslie, FIFA's Head of Safeguarding and Child Protection and Gloria Viseras, FIFA Senior Event Safeguarding Manager, shared their insights into the FIFA Guardians™ programme and toolkit launched by the world governing body in July last year.

The UAE Pro League is the first governing body in the Middle East to launch a Child Safeguarding programme in May which focuses on preventing any risk of harm to children in football and increasing awareness of children safety and protection within clubs.

The virtual workshop featured guest speakers from leading organisations including Head of Safeguarding at FIFA, Kathryn Leslie and a representative from the recently-formed AFC Safeguarding Unit.

Major Abdulrahman Al Tamimi of the UAE Ministry of Interior Child Protection Centre, the UAE Football Association Technical Director Michel Sablon and Callum Irving, a leading youth development Consultant, also joined the discussions.

The first-of-its-kind project in West Asia, which aims to ensure children can enjoy their right to play football in a safe and inclusive environment, and prevent any risk of harm to children involved in the game, will allocate professional Child Safeguarding Officers (CSO) to 14 clubs to lead and expand their child protection efforts.

UAE Pro League Chairman Abdulla Naser Al Junaibi said: “We have been overwhelmed with the level of support that we have received from leading organisations such as FIFA, the AFC and UAE Ministry of Interior.”

Held in conjunction with the ongoing AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019, the objective of the seminar was to expand the reach of the new FIFA Child Safeguarding Programme and Toolkit – FIFA Guardians - a major initiative launched by the world governing body in July this year aimed at assisting Member Associations and Confederations around the world to introduce stronger child safeguarding measures in football.

More than 40 coaches, social and community workers as well as teachers participated in the one-day course in the country’s capital in Male, which covered basic first aid training topics comprising practical demonstrations of child and adult life saving techniques, emergency response and injury management.