Riyadh, October 17 (QNA) - The 2025 AFC Member Associations and Regional Associations Presidents' and General Secretaries' Conference

kicked off Friday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, coinciding with the AFC's annual awards ceremony, which took place Thursday, at the King Fahd Cultural Center.

The conference, hosted by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and running until October 19, is attended by a select group of football leaders and experts from across the continent and around the world.

The conference aims to raise standards of governance and technical management and exchange expertise among member associations.

In his opening remarks, AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said that the AFC is continuing to implement fundamental reforms aimed at consolidating excellence and strengthening the position of Asian football on the global stage.

He stressed that sustainable success can only be achieved by empowering national and regional associations and placing them at the heart of the AFC's work.

He added: "The AFC has made significant strides in developing its competitions and operating structure, laying the foundation for a brighter new era. We reaffirm our commitment to continuing this journey through initiatives that enhance governance and support the capabilities of our member association partners, because the development of Asian football begins at its grassroots."

The opening session featured a presentation by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh on "The AFC's Mission to Become the World's Leading Confederation," followed by a presentation by Abdulaziz Al Afaleq, President of the Saudi Professional League, on the league's vision and development approach.

Michele Uva, UEFA's Executive Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability, also presented on the societal impact of football, while AFC Advisor Darlene Harrison spoke about the importance of culture in embedding sustainability principles within the Asian football ecosystem.

The first day concluded with a panel discussion on building high-performance national associations, moderated by Antar Ishaq, President of Football Federation Australia, with the participation of a group of association leaders from Japan, the Philippines, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and the Oceania Football Confederation.

The conference will continue tomorrow, Saturday, with the participation of Dato' Windsor John, Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Professor Simon Chadwick, and Ilhan Mammadov from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in addition to a discussion session moderated by Vahid Kurdani, Deputy Secretary General of the AFC for Member Associations. (QNA)