Kuala Lumpur, March 8 : Asian Football Confederation and its member associations (MAs) on Tuesday will celebrate the 8th AFC Women’s Football Day as competitions and activities continue to make a return in the continent. Coinciding with the International Women’s Day, 39 MAs will join the annual celebrations with fun-filled football activities focused on promoting the sport across Asia in a safe and conducive environment. This year’s event will see regular MAs – Bhutan, Guam, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Northern Mariana Islands, Palestine, Singapore and Vietnam – joining the festivities for the eighth straight year while Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, DPR Korea, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand and the ted Arab Emirates (UAE) will make a return. The rapid rise of women’s football in Asia was further underlined at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 that concluded last month with China winning the showpiece for an unprecedented ninth time. Asia’s female stars made history with the Philippines and Vietnam qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 for the first time, while the largest cast of women match officials and delegation contributed significantly to the organisation of the tournament. Building on the success of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022, the AFC Women’s Football Day is expected to reach and empower more girls through various activities aimed at promoting football and the numerous roles associated with the sport. The AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) remains resolute in our commitment to advocate and champion the contributions of women towards our beautiful game and never has there been a time in our proud history when the results have been so overwhelming. “The AFC has underlined its Vision to ensure football remains the most popular sport in the Continent and ensuring the promotion and development of women’s football plays a critical role in enabling us to achieve our ambitions. “Our women’s teams continue to prove that they are already among the best in world football, but credit must go to all our Member Associations for cultivating the best possible environment to nurture the passion for the game and the diverse roles of women across the Continent.” More than 29,000 participants, including women’s national team players, children, parents, referees and coaches are expected to be involved in the AFC Women’s Football Day, with the AFC MAs working towards ensuring the highest health and safety standards during physical events.