On June 25, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) collaborated with FIFA to conduct a workshop that analyzed the amateur football environment in Vietnam. The objective was to evaluate the current state and outline strategies for the development of grassroots football in the country.

During the workshop, VFF Secretary General Nguyen Van Phu emphasized that grassroots football plays a foundational role in the national football ecosystem. He noted that national teams are built from resources originating in community football centers and grassroots play areas. Therefore, developing grassroots football is crucial for the sustainable growth of Vietnamese football in the future.

Nguyen Van Phu also acknowledged the efforts of member federations and community football centers in maintaining and promoting grassroots football. FIFA representative, expert Aris Caslib, mentioned that FIFA is working with VFF to conduct in-depth research on amateur football across member federations. The data collected will serve as a vital basis for formulating development strategies tailored to the realities of Vietnamese football.

In his presentation, expert Chokey Nima introduced FIFA's research reporting system, which includes global reports and specific reports for each member federation. According to FIFA statistics, grassroots football currently accounts for 99% of all football activities worldwide, while professional football comprises less than 1%. This data was derived from surveys conducted in 185 out of 211 FIFA member federations, involving nearly 3,000 survey forms, over 800 interviews, and thousands of data samples collected and analyzed.

FIFA experts emphasized that effective grassroots football development requires a focus on four core factors: participant engagement, organizational activities, implementation forces, and suitable development methods. FIFA's model of the 'amateur football universe' indicates that there are approximately 28 million officially registered players globally, while around 300 million people participate in grassroots football.

Additionally, the average density of football fields reaches 59 fields per one million people. At the workshop, Aris Caslib presented initial assessments of the state of grassroots football in Vietnam, noting that it is still developing in a fragmented manner, lacking cohesive connections between tournaments, schools, and related organizations. This could lead to the risk of missing out on young talents during the detection and training process.

Moreover, the number of certified coaches remains limited and significantly lower than the global average. Based on these analyses, FIFA recommended that VFF continue to build a centralized database system, enhance connections among stakeholders in the grassroots football ecosystem, and expand long-term training programs for coaches and management personnel.

Furthermore, developing school football and promoting female participation in community football activities were identified as crucial tasks for the upcoming period. Through this workshop, FIFA hopes that VFF and localities will gain additional insights to establish appropriate development directions for amateur football, thereby creating a solid foundation for the growth of professional football and national teams in Vietnam in the future. FIFA reaffirmed its commitment to accompany and support the Vietnam Football Federation in building, refining, and implementing strategies for the development of amateur grassroots football, contributing to the sustainable advancement of Vietnamese football in the coming years.