The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) was honoured with the AFC Developing Member Associations of the Year award at the AFC Annual Awards 2017 ceremony held in Bangkok, Thailand on November 29.

VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan receives the Developing Member Associations of the Year award from the AFC. 

2017 could be considered a great year for Vietnamese football, as the VFF has six teams through to the final rounds of AFC competitions, including the men’s national team, the women’s national team, the national futsal team, and the national U23, U19 and U16 teams.

In addition, the VFF had actively and successfully hosted different AFC competitions throughout the year, including the 2017 AFC Futsal Club Championship, the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification and the 2018 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers.

Furthermore, proactive involvement in various AFC Development programmes, and their constant promotion of women’s, youth and grassroots football, has earned Vietnam the recognition from the AFC.

Addressing the ceremony, Vice President of the VFF, Tran Quoc Tuan, hailed the AFC award as recognition over the active transformations of Vietnamese football, and a driving force for Vietnamese football to further develop in the years ahead.

The prestigious award is given to a Member Association (MA) in recognition of its professional administration and governance as well its exceptional contribution to the development and promotion of the game at all levels within the country.

Recognising the diversity of MAs in terms of facilities and resources and looking to ensure that more nations will receive recognition for their efforts and achievements in developing football in their country, the AFC in 2013 introduced three winners for the Member Association of the Year award rather than just one.

The AFC’s Member Associations are divided into three categories namely ‘Inspiring’, ‘Developing’ and ‘Aspiring’ based on their overall footballing prowess.

Member Associations are assessed and awarded points on various areas encompassing the association’s activities such as the organisation of courses and seminars, competitions, grassroots and youth development, women’s programmes, social responsibility and special projects.

Points are also given for an MA’s hosting of AFC qualifying and finals tournaments as well as their national and club teams’ placing in AFC and FIFA competitions throughout the year.

Nhan Dan