The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially launched its foundation which will use the game to provide aid and social development to communities across the region. The AFC is already working on social responsibility projects in across Asia, including typhoon-hit Tacloban in the Philippines, in the earthquake-hit mountains of Nepal and also the Southern prefecture of Japan which has suffered from floods. This work, along with new partnerships with UN and other NGOs will come under the umbrella of the new AFC Dream Asia Foundation. The AFC Dream Asia Foundation has been kick-started with two $100,000 donations from AFC Senior Vice-President Praful Patel of India and Sultan Bin Fahad Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

The AFC will make an annual contribution to the Dream Asia Foundation by donating a percentage of the AFC Champions League prize money pool to its budget. AFC President and patron of the Foundation, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, said: “Football has the unique ability to unite people across borders. It is a powerful force and we working in football have the responsibility to channel that power to positive causes. “The AFC Dream Asia Foundation will pool resources, through partnerships, using the power of football to help people in need across the continent.”

The foundation has identified core areas of work as: Children and Young People, Health, Education and Integrity. Social Inclusion and Diversity, and Humanitarian Aid. Operating as a trust with a board of trustees, aid will be distributed across the AFC Member Associations on a case-by-case basis.