10 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONS

MONGOLIAN FF

President, Mongolian Football Association:R. Amarjargal
Football constitutes a significant part of cultural life in our contemporary society. The positive image of football attracts millions of people and brings to them important educative values such as team work, fair play and mutual respect. Football helps people in our region come closer, speak in one language, make friends and live in peace. We are proud of belonging to a big family of East Asian Football that embraces great diversity of our world and in which everyone is cherishing a good relationship. Football is making a history of globalization. Mongolia is one of the world's least densely populated lands and least traveled routes with centuries-old nomadic traditions. However, football in Mongolia is becoming one of the most beloved sports alongside with traditional games as wresting, archery and horse racing. Boys and girls even in remote areas of the country will tell you with enthusiasm about Pele, Maradona, Beckham, Roberto Carlos and other famous football players. Mongolian football is young as its country. Almost half of the Mongolian population is under 16 years of age. That is why the Mongolian Football Federation gives a high priority to youth football. Today, around 50 secondary schools are running football classes as a special course and this number is expected to grow. Football tournaments among various age groups of school children have become one of the best traditions of Mongolian football. The courage of Mongolia's players to participate in international tournaments and their desire to learn from others has been greeted with warm welcome by our friends from East Asian region. Therefore, we would like to express our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to all our football friends in this region for their valuable support and cooperation rendered to the Mongolian Football Federation from the very beginning of its affiliation to the East Asian Football Federation. Today EAFF is one of the young football communities. However, we are very proud to mark the progress and successful achievements which it has gained in a short period of time. To prove this we could name numbers of diverse programs and projects being implemented at all levels of football development including A teams and covering grassroots levels and even women football. All these programs are very concrete and practical contributions to assist EAFF member associations, to provide them with equal opportunities in gaining high professional standard of football in their respective countries and to bring them together in the spirit of peace and cooperation for the benefit of people in our region. The Mongolian Football Federation believes that football could be the best and most accessible sports in our region. It is our common responsibility and together we could make it true.


Association Established :1959
FIFA Member Since :1998
Number of players :14,000
(as of 2006, May)
In 1959 the Mongolia Football Association was started and in 1988 FIFA welcomed them as a member which demonstrates their exciting and brief history. It can reach 40 degrees in summer and minus 40 in winter. Snow covers the ground for 6 months of the year meaning the domestic league can only run between July and September. However this short period is when the local players play for everything. The league is known for rough play every year and the giant clubs such as ERCHIM and KHOROMKHON are among the 8 clubs who challenge for the league title. This is understandable in such rough conditions. The players travel between schools trying to spread football up to twice a week. In the capital of Ulan Bator, an indoor dome is under construction (scheduled to be completed in 2015) that will allow sports in any weather which will surely have a large impact on sports in the future. Mongolia national team MF Zorigt Battulga confirmed that by saying “If we can play all year round, the players can definitely improve their level”. The progress of football now depends on the passion of those who love football in Mongolia.

As of July 2009