Three MAs were presented with the AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football as the United Arab Emirates Football Association claimed the Gold honour, whilst the Football Association of Malaysia and Bangladesh Football Federation clinched the Silver and Bronze accolades respectively.

 

 

The UAE FA made significant progress in expanding the grassroots movement through the introduction of several large-scale football competitions, new initiatives and festivals designed to strengthen its engagement with all age groups across the Emirates.

 

Two new grassroots programmes – the community leagues in Abu Dhabi and festivals in all states for players at the U7, U8 and U9 levels were added to enhance the existing roster of events, which include the DOFA Dubai Open for Football Academies – winter and summer leagues, as well as the UAE Open Abu Dhabi – winter and summer leagues.

 

A total of 28,595 players from 83 nationalities were engaged across 65 venues as several partnerships with the UAE Pro League, Delta, the Dubai Sports Council and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council were forged to elevate the delivery standards of grassroots football.

 

An AFC Grassroots Charter Gold member, the Association introduced a series of social responsibility initiatives to create a safer, more inclusive environment for young players whilst significant resources were also allocated to improve and expand grassroots infrastructure across the UAE.

 

Designed to provide a structured and inclusive environment for young players aged between five and 16, Malaysia’s Liga Suparimau, which clinched the AFC Best Grassroots Competition in November 2024, is a nationwide platform that is continuously growing and evolving to meet the needs of grassroots football across the country.

 

Adopting a partnerships approach, the FAM has also been successful in driving greater investment towards growing the game through strategic collaborations with Nestle-Milo, the J8 Autism Athletics Company as well as the Malaysian Association of Recreational Sports.

 

A firm believer in the power of football to improve lives, the Association has delivered more social responsibility activities including the milestone FAM – Milo Ultimate Experience initiative as well as the Football for All Leadership Programme in Asia and Oceania as part of efforts to expand the positive impact of the beautiful game.

 

The Association has also showcased a strong desire to uplift the capabilities of its stakeholders with the FAM Grassroots Course & Grassroots Coaching Clinic and the Scouting Platform Workshop serving as pivotal platforms towards ensuring the adoption of the industry’s best practices.

 

The BFF was rewarded with the Bronze award after showcasing its commitment to organising more local tournaments and working in close partnership with youth academies to develop educational programmes whilst fostering a passion for the sport.

 

The Federation was able to demonstrate a substantial rise in both competitions as well as participation with its number of events nearly doubling from 13 in the previous year to 24 from June 2024 to May 2025. At the same time, more than 30,000 participants were actively engaged in its events, surging nearly fivefold from the year before.

 

The BFF’s efforts have been delivered with a strong emphasis on education, child safeguarding and social inclusion with the Empowering Hill Women to Pursue Football Careers programme, the Amputee Football Asian Championship, the Veterans Football Festivals and Street Children Festival amongst the diverse and dynamic activities aimed at ensuring greater accessibility for people of all backgrounds and abilities.