A record-equalling 41 Member Associations (MAs) joined the celebrations on the milestone 10th edition of the AFC Women’s Football Day, which aims to promote and honour the progress of women’s football across the Continent.

Australia

The next generation of Matildas could not have asked for a better form of inspiration than Julie Dolan – the Matildas Cap #1, who became Australia’s inaugural captain at just 18 when she led the team out against New Zealand in 1979.

A pioneering figure in Australian football, Dolan made a surprise guest appearance at the CommBank Junior Matildas training camp in Canberra on March 8 as they geared up for the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Indonesia 2024. This was part of Football Australia’s efforts to connect the players with the legacy and heritage of their senior counterparts, while also allowing them to gain insights, tips and advice from someone who has been through it all.

A day earlier, 22 female staff of Football Australia attended a Women in Football Administration event to build deeper connections and gain valuable leadership insights. Through engaging panel discussions that featured Mel Mallam, General Counsel (Legal Department), Brooke Reid, Senior Partnerships Account Manager (Commercial Department) and Kenya Fahey, National Program Coordinator (Participation/Community Department), attendees across different departments were able to come together to network and also celebrate women in football.

Former Matilda Sarah Walsh, Head of Women’s Football at Football Australia, also shared her journey in the sport as part of the AFC’s latest It’s My Game episode, including the historic success of the Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

Bangladesh

Over 250 young girls took part in a special afternoon at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) House in Dhaka on March 8, where they were divided into different groups to participate in small-sided games.

Hailing from various schools and academies across the Dhaka division, participants first underwent a series of training exercises at the artificial turf pitch before playing the games.

BFF General Secretary Emran Hossain Tushar and AFC Executive Committee and BFF Council Member, Chairperson (Women’s Wing) Mahfuza Akhter Kiron both gave motivational speeches, as the day concluded with a certificate presentation ceremony that involved the duo, along with BFF Executive Committee Member Md. Nurul Islam.

Photos courtesy of BFF

Brunei Darussalam

For the first time ever, the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (FABD) hosted its Women’s Football Festival Day at the FABD Turf Field. Organised by its Women’s Football Unit on March 10, an overwhelming response resulted in over 120 participants comprising female administrative staff, medics, coaches, referees, teachers, and U12 and U17 players.

The day began in the early morning with warm-ups exercises before the participants splits into three groups: U12, U17 and seniors. Fun games, technical skill sessions and 3-v-3 small-sided games were on the menu for the U12s, while the U17s formed four teams to engage in five-a-side matches in a round-robin format. The seniors, comprising teachers and various members of the women’s football community, also contested a round-robin format tournament that featured seven-a-side games.

The FABD’s stated objectives were to increase the number of female players, to foster the interest of young players in the sport, allow more access for the female players to play football as well as to socialise, have fun and form a healthy lifestyle.