Due to the growing popularity of soccer at the grassroots level and in an attempt to catch up with international standards, new rule changes will result in games in the Taiwan Youth League (TYL) featuring teams of eight rather than seven players this autumn.
Organized by the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA), TYL is the national youth soccer program with five age categories — under-18, under-15, under-12, under-10 and under-8.
“The change from seven to eight players for youth soccer will help better develop the game in Taiwan. We found in the past that players had trouble adapting to the 11-a-side format, which is the standard for advanced age categories,” CTFA secretary-general Wang Sheau-shiun (王筱薰) said. “We have consulted on this with South Korea and Japan. They implemented eight-a-side some years ago and have reaped the rewards.”
Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Football Association
Wang was speaking following the conclusion of a CTFA review meeting held on Wednesday at Chang Jung Christian University in Greater Tainan, which was attended by youth soccer coaches and managers.
The TYL is divided into two halves, a Spring League and an Autumn League. The teams are either from schools or local amateur soccer organizations and they play regular TYL games in their home city or county. There is also a national championship for each age category at the end of the spring and autumn leagues.
Another change will be the introduction of relegation and promotion due to increasing number of teams wishing to join the TYL.
Wang said starting this autumn, when there will be more than 10 teams signed up in each region in the different age categories, each league will be divided into two groups.
At the end of Autumn League, the bottom-placed team in Group A will be relegated to Group B, while the top team in Group B will be promoted, he said.
“This way the teams will be closer with regard to the players’ skills and the overall skill level, and it will provide more competitive games within both Group A and Group B, enhancing our youth soccer development,” Wang said.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who