China's Wu Haiyan has called for more women to be appointed to top jobs in Asian football, coinciding with an all-male lineup of head coaches at the upcoming women's East Asian Football Championship. As four male head coaches prepare to lead their respective teams in the women's East Asian Football Championship, China captain Wu Haiyan stated it would be a "very good improvement for football” if more women filled top Asian positions.
Wu's statement comes as Ante Milicic coaches her international team. Milicic was appointed in May of last year after Shui Qingxia was fired following China's unsuccessful Olympic qualifying campaign. Before Shui, who was in charge for two years until November 2023, the six China bosses were all men. China is set to begin their East Asian campaign against a South Korea team led by Shin Sang-woo.
Wu Haiyan, a defender, made her debut for the national team, the Steel Roses, in 2012 and has since played in 124 matches for her country. She has also captained the China team at two FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments. In the Women's Super League, China's top national competition for female football players, Wu has played for four teams since 2012, including her current team Wuhan Jianghan University, league champions in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Tang Jiali and Wu Haiyan were among the 10 candidates for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Best Women's Player in 2020.
The AFC has several programs for leadership development. The AFC Leaders Program focuses on themes like emotional intelligence, compassionate leadership, resilience, embracing a growth mindset, and inclusion. The Arts Leadership Program is designed to support arts industry workers across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, who see themselves as future leaders, gain the tools to take their career to the next leadership level. The AFC also launched the third edition of its AFC Certificate in Football Leadership (ACFL), an online initiative that aims to further advance the abilities of Asian football's emerging and established leaders. The six-month program equips participants with fundamental knowledge and skills to help them understand the global football ecosystem and promote gender equity and inclusion. Additionally, the American Federation for Children's Future Leaders Fellowship identifies and develops leaders in the educational choice movement.
