"This is a big injection," Wang said. "The success of the AFC Women's Championship that we have just hosted has woken us all up.
"Mayor Ma, President Chen, they have all spoken about encouraging soccer next year. This is a great opportunity, because without the government's support we can do nothing."
Wang said the timing of the move to support soccer was perfect.
The World Cup will be held in South Korea and Japan next June, which is the first time that a World Cup has been hosted in Asia.
Wang said he hoped that European teams in particular could be enticed to stop over in Taiwan next year and take part in training camps or friendly fixtures.
Soccer power
He said that 30 years ago Taiwan used to be the premier Asian soccer power and there was no reason it could not be competitive internationally again, particularly in the women's game.
It was due to Japan's influence in the first half of the last century that baseball became the country's No. 1 game, Wang said.
The arrival of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正) and the US' involvement in Taiwan was responsible for basketball being the No. 2 game, he said.
"Now, today, we have a president who wants to promote soccer and this is good news for us."
The future of soccer in Taiwan appears bright and Wang said it was not inconceivable that soccer might eventually replace baseball as Taiwan's most popular sport.
"Ten or 20 years ago baseball was the most popular game in Japan, but look now at how football has taken over."
RSS