Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
The work of AFC Vision Asia has obviously made a deeper reaching impact than the intended effect of the project, a special football development programme of the AFC that helps not just the member associations but reaches deep into their provinces and cities.
While football is the obvious target game as the AFC is the game’s governing authority in the continent, the special project is also making its ‘Midas touch’ on other types of sport and participating member associatons' own football projects.
Vision Asia, the brainchild of AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam under the guardianship of the AFC Vision Asia Department, has a complete framework to develop football just about anywhere in the continent.
Be it in the touristy beach province of Phuket in Thailand or the City of Colleges of Yongchuan in China or the Iranian province of Khouzestan a.k.a. the Brazil of Iran, Vision Asia has the proven-time-and-again framework that is adaptable to any situation or level of football in the target recipient of the project.
There are currently nine member associations - Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam – which are taking part in Vision Asia.
Some of the Vision Asia projects in these countries are national projects while others are operating at the city, district or provincial level.
When normal Vision Asia work is going on in these countries between the Vision Asia Department and the national, city or provincial FAs, its framework is fast getting the attention of other parties who capitalise on it to benefit their sports or their own football projects.
In an interview with the-afc.com, AFC Vision Asia Director Michelle Chai, who is also AFC Assistant General Secretary, has explained in detail the story behind the phenomenon:
The-AFC.com: How do you see the phenomenon of the framework of Vision Asia being used by parties to develop their own football or to develop other sports?
Chai: I think it is great. Yes, definitely it can happen and does happen. The principles of Vision Asia reflect the logical progression and phases of any sporting development. For example, in Phase 1 of Vision Asia, we ensure that a governing body with proper statutes is established. In any sport, you need a governing body as your base. If you don't have one, all the activities related to that sport will be on an ad-hoc basis and will be organised randomly.
Once we form this base, we look at developing the other elements of the sport such as players, clubs, competitions, coaches, referees, match officials - all of which are elements relevant in all sports.
The-AFC.com: What’s unique about Vision Asia?
Chai: The unique development point of Vision Asia is that none of these elements are developed in isolation. All the elements are developed in an integrated plan which will boost and accelerate the development process.
For an example, if we only conduct courses to qualify coaches, we may end up producing a lot of coaches but there will be no clubs or schools for the coaches to train. Or if we have coaches, clubs, and players but don't have enough good-quality competitions, then the coaches, referees, etc, don't have a place to develop because the competitions are the platform to hone their skills.
The-AFC.com: Looking at Vision Asia in all the provincial/city and national projects, how would you sum up the level of cooperation among all the stakeholders? Any particular example of a Project / Vision?
Chai: I think cooperation is very good particularly among the football association, city government / council and the Ministry of Sport or Education.
Particularly in terms of providing free or very cheap facilities for the clubs to use, the city government and council have been very cooperative. As you know, the amateur clubs often don't have the resources to have their own stadium to play or even to train in. In projects in China, Iran (with the assistance of the Physical Education Organisation), Thailand and Vietnam, the city governments offer a lot of assistance.
In the Thai province of Chonburi and China, there is cooperation with the universities to train Class 3 Referees. In Iran and China where our projects have embarked on the grassroots phase of Vision Asia, cooperation with their Ministries of Education has been very good whereby the latter give support in the organisation of inter-school leagues.
The-AFC.com: We heard that some people in Iran were so excited with the Vision Asia idea. Can you tell us more?
Chai: In Iran, when we organised workshops or other activities with the provinces that were under our Vision Asia project, other provinces which were not Vision Asia projects would come over to learn about the Vision Asia framework so that they could copy it back in their FAs.
In fact, IR Iran Football Federation (IRIFF) organised a seminar recently for the AFC Vision Asia projects in the country and their (IRIFF) own “Vision” projects which have copied our methodology. We learned that there were more than 10 such projects. It is really heartening to see how pro-active, passionate and independent people can get to develop their football, with our without our help.
There was also excitement with the Vision Asia idea in China, where we started in Qingdao and Wuhan with the inter-school leagues. Thereafter, their governments came to know about it and recently, in 2009 or 2010, they launched a nationwide grassroots programme based on the Vision Asia inter-school league principles. The nationwide programme is in 44 cities with a budget of over RMB 40 million.
This is how serious the various parties lend their hand in making Vision Asia a success in their areas or in working independent of us but with our blueprint as a guide.
- Zam Yusa