The story of those who "carry the trumpet"...

(Baonghean) - About 10 years ago, when Nghe An had four football clubs including SLNA, QK4, VST, and Sara Thanh Vinh, the sports leaders conceived the idea of ​​establishing a provincial football federation to help the clubs have a unified voice and support the teams to operate more effectively.

In the last 5 years or so, following the general trend nationwide, professional football in Nghe An has been somewhat subdued, but amateur football has developed very rapidly. Currently, in Vinh City alone, there are over 200 amateur football clubs. Due to their spontaneous nature, many problems have arisen. There is a lack of playing fields, no regular tournaments, many teams challenge each other, and some even spend their own money to travel to play friendly matches with clubs in other provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City…

The Nghe An Amateur Football Association is holding an auction of Cong Phuong's jersey to support the "1,000 Candles in Gratitude to Heroic Martyrs" program.

Against this backdrop, several dedicated individuals such as Nguyen Dam Van (owner of FC Van Minh), Trinh Quoc Bao (FC BB), Ho Le Duc (FC Chuong Duong), Nguyen Hong Phong (former Chairman of the SLNA Supporters' Club), Nguyen Hoang Trung (FC Free), etc., spearheaded the establishment of the Nghe An Amateur Football Association to bring together teams and organize truly meaningful tournaments in the spirit of fair play and solidarity. In a short time, dozens of football clubs across the province responded enthusiastically, contributing ideas to draft a proposal for the establishment of the Association. Through this, they aimed to organize regular tournaments, create a healthy and beneficial playing field, contribute to the further development of "the king of sports," and facilitate the management and direction of the movement by the Department of Culture and Sports.

With that noble purpose and meaning, on November 20, 2014, the Provincial People's Committee signed Decision No. 6498/QD-UBND allowing the establishment of the Nghe An Amateur Football Association. Thus, for the first time nationwide, an official amateur football association was established, possessing legal personality, its own headquarters, bank account, and seal, operating in accordance with the law and the Association's Charter approved by the competent state authority. On January 17, the Nghe An Amateur Football Association held its First Congress (2015-2020 term), attended by dozens of members representing 16 of the strongest amateur football clubs in Vinh City.

Notably, as a completely voluntary association, all funding for its activities comes from voluntary contributions from members and sponsorships from benefactors and businesses through tournaments. From the beginning of 2015 to the present, the Nghe An Amateur Football Association has organized three tournaments: the "Football for the Poor" tournament for the LG An Thinh Cup, the "Vinh League 2015" tournament, etc. All three tournaments attracted the participation of dozens of the strongest amateur football clubs in Vinh City, including many famous players such as Van Quyen, Huy Hoang, Lam Tan, Hai Nam, Minh Ngoc, and even some stars currently playing for SLNA's first team like Hoang Thinh, Khac Ngoc, etc., who took advantage of their days off to participate in amateur football to socialize and make meaningful contributions to the province's amateur football scene.

Through tournaments and various social activities, members of the Nghe An Amateur Football Association have raised tens of millions of VND in a short period to support the poor. During the match between SLNA and HAGL on April 12th, with the permission of Cong Phuong, members of the Nghe An Amateur Football Association organized an auction of the star's jersey via Facebook to raise funds for the "1,000 Candles in Gratitude to Heroic Martyrs" program. Someone agreed to buy the jersey for 20 million VND. Furthermore, upon learning that farmers in Quang Nam were facing difficulties selling watermelons due to price manipulation by Chinese traders, the Nghe An Amateur Football Association has been providing support by acting as a sales agent in Vinh City, mobilizing numerous volunteers to sell the watermelons at various locations. The sight of players and many beautiful female football fans selling watermelons on the streets has attracted many customers. According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong, in just a short time, tens of tons of watermelons were sold out, helping many farmers in Quang Nam avoid a fruitless watermelon season.

The Nghe An Amateur Football Association, though newly established, has already organized many meaningful activities. This model, the first of its kind in the country, is attracting many passionate amateur football enthusiasts from other provinces to learn from. Mr. Nguyen Dam Van – President of the Nghe An Amateur Football Association – stated: “From 16 member clubs, in just three months since its establishment, the Association has attracted over 30 participating clubs. After the Vinh League 2015, the Association will continue to organize a First Division tournament to compete for a spot in next year's Vinh League. To date, over 50 amateur football clubs have submitted applications to participate. However, the Association's activities are currently mainly limited to Vinh City. We hope to expand to all 21 districts and cities throughout the province so that the Association's scale truly reflects its name, the Nghe An Amateur Football Association, thereby promoting the development of football in the province.”

Hoang Hao