Youth soccer has seen an upsurge in popularity all across the nation, from parents signing up their children for fun kick-about games to improved academy programs, while Taipei has the inclusive Victory League in which boys and girls engage in a season-long competition with the chance of winning trophies.
A well-run youth soccer program could be key for the future of Taiwanese soccer, so the Taipei Times on Saturday last week visited Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to speak with Michael Chandler, an Englishman from Sheerness, Kent.
Coaches shouted encouraging words in English to players taking part in 7v7 and 4v4 games, instructing on positioning and passing skills at Volkswagen Football Park operated by Master Football Academy (MFA), which was cofounded by Chandler and other foreign nationals who settled in Taipei.
Photo: Wayne Lee, Master Football Academy
On a warm sunny afternoon, it is easy to contemplate that due to good training and structured competition, some of these youngsters could see action in Taiwan’s top soccer league, and even get called up to the national squad for international duty.
Who knows, they could even turn professional across Asia and eventually Europe.
“We host games in the main cities across the nation, with divisions in Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung and Kaohsiung,” Chandler said.
Photo: Wayne Lee, Master Football Academy
“Tainan City, through DMC, will join the Victory League family next season,” he said, adding that the organizers of the league include MFA, Fitness Factory (Kaohsiung), BeU Sports and Entertainment (Hsinchu) and Kickstart Football Club in Taichung.
“For the first time, we have organized a Taiwan National Finals in Kaohsiung in May, featuring the top three teams from each city division in four age categories, with championship trophies for U8, U10, U12 and U14 teams,” he said.
There is also the opportunity to represent Taiwan at a big summer tournament aptly named the “World Youth Cup.”
Photo: Wayne Lee, Master Football Academy
“Twelve ‘All-Star’ U12 players will be selected for a Victory League Taiwan team to compete at the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, from July 14 to 20, with teams from 80 nations competing,” Chandler said.
Training and travel to the Gothia Cup is being sponsored by Cathay Life Insurance Co.
“Trials for those born in 2012 or 2013 are to take place in Kaohsiung from March 16 to 18,” he said.
Photo: Wayne Lee, Master Football Academy
The selected 12 players are to undergo an intensive one-week training camp in July under a youth academy coach from professional Scottish soccer club Rangers.
“This team will compete against youth players from top local academies, then they will head to Gothenburg for an enriching international experience,” Chandler said.
With its expansion this season, the Victory League and its partners collectively host 198 teams with 2,700 registered players.
Photo: Wayne Lee, Master Football Academy
Next season it plans to further expand, offering a soccer system from preschool to high school, with U6 teams playing 4v4 matches; U8, U10 and U12 playing 7v7; and U14, U16 and U18 playing 11v11 games.
When MFA was founded in 2004, it was difficult to find soccer pitches for training and games. Pitches at public schools, riverside parks and the Taipei European School were hired by the academy.
“We recognized the necessity for a private facility and it took MFA nearly six years to secure suitable land within Taipei. It needed personal investments and private partnerships to pay for construction of the proper facilities at the football park in Beitou,” Chandler said.
Volkswagen Football Park, sponsored by the German automaker, was inaugurated in the summer of 2019. Near Beitou MRT Station, the park boasts 3,600m2 of natural grass pitches and a 2,000m2 fan zone.
MFA has plans to invest in all-weather artificial pitches, as overuse of the pitches and inclement weather result in matches having to be canceled, delaying the completion of the Victory League season, Chandler said.
With all of these grassroots efforts, the future of Taiwanese soccer is looking promising.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
RSS