# Regional football association
A regional football association is a sub-national governing body for association football, sitting below a country's national federation and responsible for organizing, sanctioning, and developing the game within a defined territory such as a state, prefecture, oblast, or province.[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position in governance | Sub-national body under a national football federation, organizing football in one region[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/) |
| Japan | The Japan Football Association recognizes 47 prefectural football associations, one for each of Japan's 47 prefectures[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/) |
| Formal status in Japan | The 47 prefectural associations appear as a formal layer in the JFA's published organization chart[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/) |
| Ukraine membership | Ukraine has 24 active regional association members; membership of 3 associations in occupied territories is suspended[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/) |
| Ukraine, 2025 | As of 2025, due to open hostilities, only 20 Ukrainian regions carry out their own competitions[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/) |
## What a regional football association is
The prefectural model in Japan shows the principle in its cleanest form: the Japan Football Association's organization chart lists 47 prefectural football associations as a formal layer of its structure, with one association for each of Japan's 47 prefectures[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/). Japan's sub-national structure includes football associations in all 47 prefectures, such as the Hokkaido Football Association[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/).
## Suspension, occupation and conflict: the Ukrainian case
Ukraine illustrates what happens to a regional association system under military occupation.
Crimea is the clearest example of a regional federation caught in a territorial dispute. After the annexation of Crimea, UEFA designated the region a special zone for football purposes until further notice and prohibited Crimean clubs from participating in Russian Football Union competitions from 1 January 2015; the Crimean Football Union with Special Status was under direct UEFA monitoring[2](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0253-0d7fc7c2817e-5938d745b7d6-1000--uefa-nations-league-format-and-schedule-confirmed/).
The consequences are visible in current membership figures. Of Ukraine's regional associations, 24 are active members, while the membership of 3 associations in occupied territories is suspended due to the 2014 [Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://www.edgepedia.org/russian-invasion-of-ukraine). As of 2025, due to open hostilities by the Russian Federation, only 20 regions carry out their own competitions[1](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/). In other words, the formal structure retains 27 associations of which 24 are recognized as active, but armed conflict has reduced the number actually running football to 20.
## References
1. 47 Prefectural Football Associations | Organisation | JFA | Japan Football Association — https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/organization/47fa/
2. 0253 0d7fc7c2817e 5938d745b7d6 1000 Uefa Nations League Format and Schedule Confirmed, uefa.com, https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0253-0d7fc7c2817e-5938d745b7d6-1000--uefa-nations-league-format-and-schedule-confirmed/
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Regional and local football governing bodies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license