Message from the President of the East Asian Football Federation

Dear Friends of the EAFF,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to Round 1 of the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2017. The competition has been renamed this year, and we are excited to be in Guam where the hospitality and environment are outstanding. All the teams have no doubt been training hard, anxiously awaiting the start of the competition.

Founded in 2003, the EAFF East Asian Championship has been contributing to the development and reinforcement of football in the East Asian region as well as to the promotion of international goodwill and friendship. Many of the world’s top women’s teams reside in East Asia, and the women’s tournament launched in 2005 has been an important, contributing factor in maintaining their competitive level.

Round 1 of this year’s preliminary competition will take place for six days from June 29 to July 4. Teams taking part in the men’s and women’s competition will play a round-robin tournament, and the top team will qualify for Round 2. All the EAFF member associations have shown steady growth throughout the years, which is proof that the competition plays an enormous role in nurturing the potential of rising football powers.

I express my best wishes for the success of this competition and hope the teams will play to their fullest potential to capture a place in the final competition. Their passionate performance will give hope and courage to their supporters back home.

Last but not least, I offer my sincere gratitude to the Guam Football Association for hosting this competition for five consecutive editions. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our official partners and Dentsu Inc. for their support and contribution.

Kohzo Tashima
President, East Asian Football Federation

Message from the President Guam Football Association

Hafa Adai from Guam!

On behalf of Guam Football Association, I am proud to present both the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2017 Round 1 Guam, made possible through the collaboration of EAFF, EAFF member nations and the Guam FA Local Organizing Committee.

As Round 1 hosts now for four consecutive tournaments since 2009, the Guam FA is very much excited to again welcome all teams, officials, VIPS, and special guests to the beautiful island paradise of Guam. Of course, we also look forward to each participating team’s matches, all which promise to display a very high level of football in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

Notably different in this edition of the tournament is the exclusion of the Matao, Guam men’s national team, from the preliminary round, as the team has automatically qualified for Round 2 in November this year. One objective of the EAFF tournament has always been to raise the level of football in the region and I am proud to say that our past investments are now paying dividends. In recent years, we’ve witnessed more East Asian countries work to close the gap in football development with consequent results on the pitch, highlighting Guam as the most recent example.

I would like to thank this year’s participating nations in Round 1 – Chinese Taipei, Macau, Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands from the men’s side and Guam, Macau and the Northern Mariana Islands from the women’s side – for competing in this prestigious three-tiered tournament, the culmination of all the preparation put in by players, their coaches, staff and families.

I also would like to graciously thank all fans and sponsors for continuing to support the development of football in East Asian region. The unwavering support helps tremendously to realize invaluable opportunities like this tournament for the success of our region’s footballers.

In closing, I wish all teams good luck in the competition and encourage the spirit of fair play in all matches. For our many fans and supporters, I hope you all enjoy the tournament matches in Guam. For those nations advancing to Round 2 after this tournament, congratulations on your accomplishment, and I wish you the best in the next round.

Warm Regards,

Richard K. Lai
President, Guam Football Association