Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: Participants of an AFC Grassroots Workshop in the Malaysian capital have tackled some of the challenges that inhibit the growth of grassroots football.
Lack of a grassroots policy and playing opportunities, insufficient financial resources and poor infrastructure and equipment have been identified as some of the factors that prevent the kid’s game growth.
Participants of the three-day workshop were broken into three groups to discuss several matters regarding grassroots football which receives special focus this year which is AFC Grassroots Year.
They discussed barriers between regions and MAs that inhibit the growth of the grassroots game and what actions required to promote its growth and retention.
Training opportunities and required actions for MA grassroots coach education and instructors were also discussed. They then presented their findings.
Kurbanov Charymurat (Turkmenistan), Chokey Nima (Bhutan) and Johann Thomas Noetzel (Northern Mariana Islands) presented the findings of Group C.
Group A’s discovery was put forward by Aguilino Pastoral (Philippines) while Dr. Mazen Mroueh (Lebanon) and Roby de Guzman (Guam) were the representatives of Group A.
AFC's Technical Director Jim Selby, Head of Youth Development John Whittle and Head of Coach Education Mohamed Basir were the facilitators of the presentation sessions.
The groups found other factors inhibiting grassroots football such as poor political commitment from the MA, governments and clubs, poor advocacy as well as communication and social mobilisation/society involvement,
Lack of proper human resources, specific problems (medical support), gender-related barriers, mentality and cultural factors, low government-MA cooperation and insufficient instructors were also challenges faced by grassroots football.
The groups also outlined actions to promote growth and retention such as having specific grassroots education, training opportunities, boosting instructor base and establishing a grassroots structure at the MA and province levels.
Fostering good relationship with the government and community, using online technology to gather and manage information and providing a pathway for continued growth and retention also needed to be done, they said.