Pakistan, Islamabad, Thursday, July 12, 2012
“Since 2004 Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), under the dynamic leadership of Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, had been carrying out all football activities centrally based upon PFF Annual Calendar. Resultantly, PFF was able to carry out 30 times more activities in last 8 years as compared to the corresponding eight years of the old PFF set up”. This was stated by General Secretary PFF, Lt. Col. ® Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi TI (M) in a seminar on “Football activity at Regional and District level for Regional football associations” at dreamland Hotel, Murree Road, Islamabad.
According to the press release issued here by PFF, the main purpose of this seminar is to help representative regional football association i.e Islamabad FA, Azad Jammu & Kashmir FA, Gilgit Baltistan FA and FATA FA to carry out their own football activities including districts leagues, women leagues and youth football development activities, PFF has decided to hold subject seminar in all the four provinces and this is the fifth seminar for Islamabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and FATA convened at Dream Hotel, Islamabad attended by all the presidents and general secretaries of all regional football associations.
Mr. Lodhi said that in order to further accelerate football activities, PFF congress decided in its meeting held on 17th September, 2011, that in next 4 years, Provincial, District and Regional Football Associations must carry out their activities by generating financial resources themselves.
To address the problems at district level, participants put forward a series of recommendations regarding the long-term development of football at regional level, which focused on improving the governance of the sport; raising the standard at grassroots, youth and female teams; improving training for young players; upgrading football facilities and establishing football training centers. The participants of the seminar determine that regional football associations should take a leading role in local football development, with the District Government providing appropriate support in a well-coordinated manner, including the allocation of resources and the development of football venues.