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President, Guam Football Association：Richard K. Lai

Congratulations and good luck on the launching of the East Asian Football Federation’s new and improved home on the Internet. It is with great honor and pride that we can be a part of one of the most active and growing federations of its kind in the world. We are confident the information found on this site will not only enhance the popularity and growth of the EAFF and its members but will also ensure that the fans of East Asian football will enjoy a new source to follow all their favorite teams and players.

We have learned many lessons in our quest to improve on previous competitions as a newborn amongst our EAFF counterparts. As humbling as many of the competitions have become, it is most assuring that we see the largest improvement within our youth as we have seen many firsts for Guam in recent international competitions. These accomplishments are the fruit of programs reliant upon the commitment and assistance of the EAFF, its members and generous sponsors. From providing technical assistance through the donation of professional coaches, referee instructors and equipment to the annual invitations to train at the state-of-the-art facilities, it is clear we must recognize any improvement is not only a result of the hard work and dedication by of our players, parents and coaches but also a direct result of the many contributions by the EAFF.

Although Guam has one of the smallest populations (175,000) of the EAFF members, second only to the Northern Marianas Islands, our northern sister island, we easily make up this deficit with heart, determination and desire that the island and region is known for. Our commitment to produce skilled athletes on the pitch is equally matched with our goal of having these same athletes develop into true ambassadors of Guam and the region, representative of the island culture and modern melting pot evident in the players, parents, coaches, referees and all who make up GFA. It is in this dual approach we can hope to achieve not only a better understanding of the game through competition but also a better understanding of the different cultures we each represent, which can only help create a better future for all football associations but more importantly for all our youth and the future generations to follow.

As of September 2008

Guam is an unincorporated territory of the USA with limited self-governing authority. Naturally, the influence of American culture has made baseball, basketball and American football the most popular sports on this island. Football is played occasionally as one of the seasonal sports, but not many children play competition football on a continuous basis. Guam being a paradise in the middle of the Pacific, it seems that the peaceful island life had little concern about developing football.
However, the situation is changing. The Guam national team, who had previously never won an A class match, were crowned champions of the East Asian Football Championship 2010 Preliminary Competition. After the tournament head coach TSUKITATE Norio had the following to say “If we give 100% when we play, the spectators help you. Currently more and more people are giving their support to the team. The landscape has changed compared to 5 or 10 years ago. And that is why we were able to win.” Thanks to this big support Guam football is currently riding a big wave.

As of July 2009