This is after four years of the local group’s hard work in bringing up football in the CNMI.
Tan said NMIFA’s membership was formally relayed to them last week following the unanimous adoption of the resolution during the executive committee meeting last July 15.
“We are very excited about this associate membership with AFC. It opens new opportunity for our youth and adult players to join more international competition with more Asian countries,” Tan said.
“We acknowledge the support and commitment of our many NMIFA dedicated volunteers—parents, players, sponsors, and Executive Committee members—who have worked hard and given a lot of time, energy, and resources to bring us to this new level,” he added.
Besides entering the gate to more competitions, the AFC associate membership, Tan said also means the sport of football in the NMI will get access to the umbrella organization’s resources in coaching, coaching clinics and referee development
The decision came after AFC’s fact-finding mission in the NMI in 2006 in response to NMIFA’s application for membership.
Then, AFC membership was granted pending the submission of updated documents, including sporting infrastructure and reports on players, club, coaches, instructors, and referees.
“We owe much of our growth over the last four years to the support given us by other key football organizations,” Tan said.
“In East Asian Football Federation, President Junji Ogura, General Secretary Takeo Okada and Assistant General Secretary Alexandre Rego have all helped provide tremendous resources for our development. President Richard Lai of Guam Football Association has also been beside NMIFA from the very beginning as well as numerous individuals from Japan Football Association, and we thank them for helping bring NMIFA into the AFC fold,” he added.
AFC is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederations of FIFA. It has 46 member associations that represent more than half of the world’s population.
NMIFA is also currently working as the 13th nation to follow the AFC Vision Asia program. Membership with AFC is the next step to FIFA acceptance for the NMIFA.
