Survey and Development Orientation for Women’s Football in Son La

At the working session, delegates discussed the current state of women’s football, youth football and school football, while reaching consensus on a number of orientations and solutions to harness Son La’s potential and tradition in women’s football and lay a foundation for its long-term development.

Speaking at the working session, Mr. Do The Cong, Deputy Director of the Son La Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the development of physical education and sports in Son La has always received close attention and direction from the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People’s Council and Provincial People’s Committee. Women’s football, in particular, has been identified as a sport with strong development potential, contributing not only to sporting achievements but also to improving the physical well-being and quality of life of young people, especially female students from ethnic minority communities.

Son La’s women’s football has favorable conditions for further development. The province currently has a U13–U16 youth women’s football team and 11 women’s football clubs in communes and wards, involving approximately 260 players. Notably, the Son La U16 team won a bronze medal at the National U16 Women’s Football Championship, providing encouraging signs for the province’s youth development and talent training efforts.

However, according to Mr. Do The Cong, women’s football in Son La still faces a number of challenges. The player pool remains limited, creating a potential shortage of successors across age groups, while training facilities, infrastructure and sports medicine services are still inadequate. Socialization efforts have yet to generate significant resources, and expanding talent identification and recruitment in remote and mountainous areas remains challenging. In addition, providing career pathways and post-playing opportunities for female footballers is another issue that requires continued attention.

Speaking at the working session, VFF General Secretary Nguyen Van Phu said that Son La is one of six provinces with a strong women’s football movement and a tradition of developing the women’s game, while also possessing considerable potential to continue building its women’s youth talent pool.

General Secretary Nguyen Van Phu said: “Based on the Vietnam Sports Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, approved by the Prime Minister, and the Vietnam Football Development Scheme to 2030, with orientations to 2045, issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, women’s football and youth football have been identified as priority areas. The bronze medal won by the Son La U16 team at the National U16 Women’s Football Championship provides a valuable foundation for the province to continue investing in and developing its next generation of players.”

In light of this, VFF encouraged Son La Province to consider developing a dedicated Football Development Scheme tailored to the local conditions and characteristics, with clearly defined objectives, roadmaps and solutions for each stage. Having a dedicated scheme would help the province develop football in a systematic and coordinated manner, effectively mobilize resources, and work towards stable, long-term and sustainable development.

At the programme, VFF Deputy General Secretary Nguyen Thanh Ha, Head of the UEFA/AFC Women’s Football Development Project in Vietnam, shared orientations for the development of women’s football in Vietnam, with a focus on expanding school football, developing youth football and improving the quality of the coaching workforce.

Concluding the working session, VFF General Secretary Nguyen Van Phu said that VFF would coordinate with and support Son La in organizing Community Football, coaching and introductory refereeing courses. VFF would also consider appropriate forms of support based on the local situation and actual conditions, with a particular focus on developing girls’ football for children aged 6–9, thereby laying a strong foundation for the sustainable development of women’s football in Son La.

VFF will also work closely with the local authorities to expand school football, develop youth women’s teams, strengthen grassroots talent identification, build a pipeline of young players and connect Son La with domestic and international women’s football development programmes.

The working session marked an important first step in strengthening cooperation between VFF and Son La Province, building on the locality’s existing traditions and foundations to gradually establish a grassroots women’s football development system, with the goal of developing football in Son La in a systematic, stable and sustainable manner.