Featuring a line-up of experienced speakers such as UEFA Technical Advisor Frank Ludolph, FIFA experts Jess Ibrom and Oscar Gonzales, the Football Association of Ireland’s Niall O’Regan, and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Nasser Larguet, the conference will provide participants with an excellent opportunity to hear perspectives on a range of topics, including the demands of membership re-evaluation, the importance of tutor development, and licensing procedures.

“As tutors, we are not preparing coaches for the game of 20 years ago, but equipping them to anticipate and deal with the challenges of football in the next couple of decades. We must look back in order to march forward,” said AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh in his keynote address.

“And to do so successfully, it is the responsibility of tutors to aid coaches to be able to think laterally, understand the present, and shape the future. They must also understand the influence of emotions on firstly, their own behaviour and attitude, and then the actions of their players,” he added.

The opening day focused on the many facets of a coach’s development pathway, set against the backdrop of the evolving landscape of the modern game, with discussions centred around coaches’ understanding of the shifting role of strikers, navigating the demands of leadership in professional football, and sharpening soft skills such as media and crisis management, and adapting to changes that may shape the future of coach education.

Among the highlights of the next two days are sessions covering the UEFA Coaching Convention membership requirements and the increasingly important role of emotions in football, as well as an exploration of the ongoing AFC–Japan Football Association Women’s Pro Diploma course, which completed its third module last month.

Additionally, with the first half of the year marked by a number of AFC competitions, the spotlight will also be on the findings from some of the Confederation’s key tournaments, such as the AFC Champions League Elite™, inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League™ and the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ China 2025.