The Central Asian Football Association (CAFA), with backing from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), successfully hosted the CAFA Child Safeguarding Seminar 2025 recently in Tashkent, Uzbekistan — a key step in strengthening regional efforts to protect children involved in football.
The two-day event brought together safeguarding officers and youth competition managers from all six CAFA Member Associations (MAs), offering a valuable chance for participants to engage with the latest best-practice approaches to protecting children from harm, abuse, and exploitation within the game.
The seminar was led by AFC consultant Morgan Lander, who brought extensive experience and practical insights to the sessions. Structured to encourage meaningful discussion and active participation, the seminar covered a wide range of topics — from identifying signs of abuse and understanding children’s rights, to implementing strong safeguarding policies and creating safe, supportive environments for young players.
The seminar also served as a platform for Member Associations to highlight their own progress and initiatives, including integrating safeguarding principles into coaching accreditation programs, plans to launch digital safeguarding tools, and the rollout of large-scale national awareness campaigns and workshops.
Coinciding with the CAFA U-17 Championship 2025, the seminar included a practical session held at Do’stlik Stadium. This hands-on component gave participants real-world insight into competition-specific safeguarding protocols and improved understanding of risk management during youth tournaments.
At the conclusion of the seminar, certificates were presented by CAFA General Secretary Mr Ulugbek Karimov, who praised participants for their commitment and encouraged them to continue fostering a culture of safeguarding within their respective communities.
With representatives from across the Central Asian region in attendance, the seminar not only reinforced a shared regional commitment to safer football environments, but also reaffirmed the AFC’s broader pledge to ensure football is inclusive, positive, and secure for children and young people at every level of the game.
