Kabul: Afghanistan Football Federation has set its sight on some lofty goals this year and in the many

 years to come with the launching of its new Grassroots Development Project.

Producing more than 200 coaches and 800 grassroots players for its long-term 2022 World Cup national team plan and a shorter-term goal of winning the new award this year, the AFC Grassroots Best MA of the Year Award, are in the pipeline for the high aspiring federation. 

“In 2013 the Afghanistan Football Federation is strongly working on grassroots football in the nation and we are going to start the biggest Grassroots Development Project in Afghanistan under the name of ‘Open Fun Football School’ across the country,” AFF General Secretary Sayed Ali Reza Aghazada Sadat says in a media release.

“This means we aim to produce more than 200 educated coaches and 800 players per year. This initiative is based on a contract with the Cross Culture Project Association for four years with the collaboration of FIFA and the Jordan-based Asian Football Development Project.

“Ideally this programme is designed for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar, where Afghanistan aims to present a powerful national team. We have already started the machine of football in our beloved country and try to work in parallel with the FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil’s slogan ‘All In One Rhythm’.

“Therefore the programme will be conducted even in the Southern Provinces such Helmand, Kandahar and so on, where there is no clear security but hopefully the football activities there will go forward unhindered.  

“According to our plans for Grassroots 2013, I expect Afghanistan could be one of the candidates for the 2013 AFC Grassroots Best MA of the Year Award.”

The move by the AFF under its new Grassroots Development Project augurs well with the AFC Grassroots Year that is being observed throughout the continent this year.

AFC has designated this year as the AFC Grassroots Year, aptly themed ‘Let’s Play!’, and is encouraging Member Associations to organise activities to promote and emphasise that football is accessible and socially beneficial to everyone and that a strong foundation will allow players to progress to the elite level.