ZURICH, 10 December 2021 – ASEAN and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) joined forces to discuss how women’s football can act as a catalyst for social development and healthy lifestyles in the region, through an online Women’s Football Development Workshop.
“Policy coherence and programmes to strengthen women’s leadership in a traditionally male-dominated sports federations and organisations are worth exploring as a strategic way for ASEAN’s efforts in gender mainstreaming,” said Rodora T. Babaran, Director of Human Development, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Department in her remarks.
The workshop was a result of the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and FIFA signed in 2019 which is geared towards increasing the number of women and girls playing sports in the ASEAN region; encouraging women’s leadership in sports; and providing them more access to sports in safe environments.
During the online workshop held on 7 December, ASEAN and FIFA were joined by the ASEAN Member States through the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports and FIFA Member of Associations to discuss how women’s football can be a driver to change the narrative in the region.
Topics such as leadership, communication and FIFA’s Women’s Development Programmes were presented by FIFA staff, along with a presentation by Jessica Hutting from Kampus Diakoneia Modern Foundation in Indonesia, who works on rescuing street children and community empowerment through football.
In her opening remarks, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman spoke about the unmatched opportunity offered by women’s football to advance women and girls positions in our society. “This is a really important occasion for women’s football in the region, which will not only bring the nations of ASEAN closer together, but also bring FIFA closer to you,” Bareman said. “We all share the same objectives for the women’s game and is up to us, to make these objectives a reality.
“As we look ahead to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, the importance of this workshop cannot be understated. Hosting the biggest women’s sporting event in the world in your backyard will have a profound effect on women’s football in your region, for decades to come,” Bareman concluded.
Five ASEAN Member States – Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam – will participate in the AFC Asian Women’s Cup in India between 20 January to 6 February 2022, which will serve as the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Five teams will qualify directly via the knockout stage (including play-offs for fifth place or possibly sixth place), and two more teams will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
