Impression of Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country located in the northern part of East Asia, neighbouring Russia to the north and China PR to the south. The total land area of Mongolia is about 1,560,000 square kilometres, which is nearly four times the size of Japan. Mongolia's total population is about 3,230,000, and nearly half of the total population (1,500,000 people) lives in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian people have spent their lives in this vast extent of land for generations which explains their easy-going nature. Contrary to popular belief, one of the staff members of the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF), who was born and raised in Ulaanbaatar, still in his 20s, mentioned to me, “Coach, I am a city boy. Not all Mongolian men can ride horses," as he shared his story of riding a horse and using a bow for the first time in his life this summer. This episode gives us an idea of what it is like to live in Ulaanbaatar, and how different it is compared to the stereotypes, where we envision a nomadic lifestyle of Mongolia.

The summer season in Mongolia ranges from June to August, and the average temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius. While the temperature can reach over 30 degrees Celsius at times, the temperature can also drop dramatically once the rain falls, so you will still need a coat during the summertime. In contrast, the climate is extremely cold in the winter, as the temperature drops below 20 degrees Celsius in many days during December to February. I have arrived in this country this March, so I am yet to experience this harsh winter season, but I am looking forward to spending time here during the winter. It has been five months since I started working here in Mongolia, and I am getting the impression that the people of Mongolia are very kind to others. Even if you do not speak their language, the people here are willing to help you. I am being supported by the staffs of the MFF, and I go about my daily operations by communicating with my peers in English.

The current status of Women's Football in Mongolia

There are about 10 women's football clubs in Ulaanbaatar, but they do not hold training sessions at a regular basis. The teams will train just before they play in tournaments. An indoor futsal tournament for U-12/U-16/Over17 categories takes place in March, while the outdoor football tournaments and leagues are held between May and August for the U-12/U-14/U-16/Over16 categories.

At these futsal and football tournaments, one or two teams from the suburbs will join the tournaments in each category. The players coming from those areas are typically very athletic, but they are not able to join the training sessions held in Ulaanbaatar at a regular basis. In order to keep these players motivated, we have been working closely with the coaches of the suburban teams to have their players join our training sessions as frequently as possible such as during the summer vacation.

Daily activities

The technical director is a Tunisian coach dispatched by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and he has started the academy in May. At the academy, U-16/U-19 men's and U-15/U-17 women's categories conduct two training sessions per week. With the extremely harsh winter season, the outdoor trainings can only be held between May and October. During this period, we try to hold more than two training sessions per week, as long as there is availability at the training field within MFF. During the summer vacation, we were able to hold training sessions for 10 straight days at the training field of the National Stadium located next to our federation. We sometimes utilise the weekends to hold mini-camps at the MFF's new facility located about an hour away from Ulaanbaatar.

Our daily trainings are held in English. In order to conduct the training sessions smoothly, I will explain the training menu to my assistant coach ahead of each session. Many of our players understand English and sometimes one of them will step up to translate English to Mongolian for me. I too have been learning the Mongolian football terminologies, and I have been trying to use them in the training sessions. When I am not coaching the women's team, I will help out the training sessions of the U-16/U-19 teams and support the coaching refresher courses. The training of U-16/U-19 teams are led by a coach from Slovakia, and there are many things I can learn from him. The technical director has also given me a lot of advice, such as how to construct training schedules ahead of each tournament.

Notable Events during April to August

Ahead of the AFC U-19 Women's Championship

The AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualifiers will take place next year. Our U-19 women's players, who were coached by my predecessor Mr. IKI Yoji, are highly motivated and they are very serious about football. They are a very mature group who can act respectively off the pitch as well. Also, the U-16 Mongolia Women's National Team will play in the AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualifiers in 2021. For this age category, it would be their first time to have an activity as the national team, so there are many aspects to cover outside of football, from building their awareness that they are representing their country, to their behaviours off the pitch, and ensuring them to comply with the team rules.

The current goal for the U-16/U-19 Mongolia Women's National Teams is to advance through the first round of their next AFC Championships. With each country spending more time and efforts to strengthen their women's football team, advancing through the first round is not an easy task for any country. However, I will do my best to convey the importance to work together as a team and utilise the physical strengths of the Mongolian players to construct a strong team that can earn positive results at the qualifiers.