I've travelled extensively in Asia over the past decade or so and I've seen the work being done, first hand, in a great many countries.

The programs implemented in Cambodia to help girls being sexually trafficked across the border into Thailand; the 'Magic Bus' in India reaching out to a quarter of a million underprivileged children; the assistance in Palestine to establish a national youth league for women, training coaches in the sprawling Syrian refugee camp at Zaatari and the laying of new artificial pitches in Kyrgyzstan.

The list goes on.

This is the work of the non-profit foundation established by Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein - the Asian Football Development Project - and it's not something you often read about because that's how the man prefers it.

Going quietly about making changes at grassroots, championing the rights of girls and women to play the game through his campaign to overturn the ban on the Islamic headdress and constantly probing on ways to increase the professionalisation of football in Asia.

It's always been about the game, not about the individual, yet now as the 39-year-old steps boldly into the spotlight by announcing he'll challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA Presidency, it's becoming about the man.

I've covered Asian football for more than a decade and met the whole range of characters during that time: the small-time crooks from small-time nations trying to further their own political careers; the rich and wealthy who feel a sense of privilege; the Machiavellian types hiding behind the curtains and those from every corner of the continent with their snouts in whatever trough can be found.

Have a conversation about football with many of them and they'll struggle to describe the shape of the ball.

With Prince Ali it's different – he genuinely loves the game and the transformative power it offers to those at all levels.

In many senses he's closer to being a fan of the game than an administrator – and this is precisely the type of change FIFA needs.

He's a man who, despite being a member of the Jordanian royal family, leads a far simpler life than many of the ladder-climbers in Asian and world football.

Outside of the most formal of functions he avoids the sharp-dressing suit world and the first time I had lunch with him, in Amman, he ordered McDonalds.

He is simply, a football fan, a football advocate and a man who believes deeply in the transformative power of the game and who understands that these are vital times for the sport's governing body.

He's also brave.

To run against the establishment at FIFA is to summon the heretics to the cross.

He also stands to lose a hell of a lot; with the AFC elections falling a month before the FIFA's he will almost certainly need to relinquish the posts he currently holds and either defeat Blatter or exit quietly from both the AFC and FIFA.

Despite the constant focus on World Cup votes and associated issues there are actually a handful of 'reformists' sneaking into key positions within FIFA and Prince Ali is, in many ways, the lightning rod for many of them.

So why challenge the established order?

With Michel Platini deciding not to run against Blatter and the crescendo of dissent around the Garcia report rising many were looking for a candidate – and it's logical they settled upon Prince Ali.

A key group within Europe and several influential figures from other confederations encouraged him to run and despite what I sense was a slight reluctance, and a period of wavering, he has decided to take the plunge.

He's spent the past month canvassing support from across the planet and I don't believe he would have taken the decision he has unless there was a sense that he at least has a chance of toppling Blatter.

He can expect backing from a large chunk of UEFA, possibly a sizeable percentage of votes from both CONCACAF and CONMEBOL and presumably Oceania could also be convinced to jump on board.

The main problems may well be large swathes of Africa and, bizarrely, his own confederation in Asia.

I interviewed the AFC President, Sheikh Salman, in Manila less than a month ago and he was unequivocal that Asia would back Sepp Blatter. The FIFA President himself made some pointed comments about the Kuwaiti powerbrokers who control much of the Asian vote.

All of these permutations must be causing great angst to Prince Ali, an avowed opponent of such processes – but if it's change you want then you have to do the numbers.

What the working of phones and meetings does though is allow him to push the message and, as he said, it's a simple one.

I am seeking the presidency of FIFA because I believe it is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport. — Ali Bin Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) January 6, 2015

The world’s game deserves a world-class governing body — a service organisation and a model of ethics, transparency and good governance. — Ali Bin Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) January 6, 2015

The headlines should be about football, the beautiful sport, not about FIFA. — Ali Bin Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) January 6, 2015

"FIFA exists to serve a sport which unites billions of people from all over the world, people of differing and divergent political, religious and social affiliations, who come together in their enjoyment of 'the world's game'," Prince Ali said.

For a man who grew up as an Arsenal fan he'll know just how hard the road that lies ahead is, but for the good of the game it's time Australia and others came out and publicly backed a new-look, modern FIFA.