Goal Programme - Mongolian Football Federation - 2001

Contrary to wrestling or archery, football is not a traditional sport in Mongolia and has had a hard struggle to make its presence felt. Having joined FIFA only recently (in 1999), the Mongolian Football Federation took part in the East Asian Football Championship qualifying round in February 2003 in Hong Kong and promptly celebrated their first victory at an international competition by beating Guam 2-0. In April, the national team took part in the qualifying round of the Asian Cup in Bhutan, following up with yet another victory (5-0) over the same opponents.

The artificial turf pitch, built with the help of Goal, was inaugurated in - for Mongolia - above-average temperatures of minus 5° in Ulaan Baatar on 24 October 2002. The President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, and Prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar attended the ceremony to present the new ground to the Mongolian association. Mongolia had been unable to compete internationally owing to a lack of football pitches complying with international standards. Now, thanks to Goal, this unfortunate handicap has been removed. Many projects are now in the pipeline waiting to be realised. Offices were installed in four regions to coordinate football activities throughout the country. In the meantime, the turf will be used for national league matches and school competitions at every age level.