Iran’s Zohreh Jafari named AFC Youth Coach of the Year
Iran’s Zohreh Jafari won the Youth Coach of the Year (Female) prize at the AFC Special Grassroots Awards 2025 in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
This was the second major award for Iranian female coaches in less than a month, after Iran and Bam Khatoon manager Marziyeh Jafari was named the Asian Women’s Coach of the Year at the AFC Awards in October.
The award was a fitting recognition of Jafari’s hard work, having dedicated 15 years of her career to cultivating female footballers in Iran.
The head coach of Sepahan U17 side for the past four years, Jafari is also the founder of a football academy, which has produced numerous players for national teams and top-tier clubs in the country.
Coming from a family deeply rooted in football, Jafari led Sepahan to the national youth title last season, cementing her status as one of Iran’s most prominent grassroots coaches.
The 4th AFC Grassroots Football Conference commenced in the Malaysian capital on Tuesday, uniting leaders from across Asia to discuss the next phase of football development in the continent.
Taking place under the theme “Grassroots Football in Asia: The Next Chapter,” the conference opened with the AFC Special Awards, which honored the unsung heroes who have made exceptional contributions to the development of grassroots as well as elite youth football in Asia.