Two upcoming youth soccer programs in Taipei and Greater Kaohsiung are set to kick off the New Year on the right foot for young soccer aficionados, with the events being organized in association with FIFA and Adidas, the sportswear giant.
The FIFA Soccer Festival for Girls takes place on Sunday at Jhongjheng Stadium in Greater Kaohsiung, from 8:30am to 11am.
Girls in grades one to six, between the ages of six and 12, will be put through their paces in a training session organized by the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) in association with FIFA.
Sunday’s soccer camp in the south is the final leg of the program. Two earlier camps were held in Taipei on Nov. 30 and in Hsinchu County on Dec. 8.
“We are organizing this program to give Taiwan’s girls the opportunity to pick up the game and learn about soccer skills, and to enjoy the happiness of kicking a soccer ball. The girls will receive instruction from qualified youth coaches ... and a game will wrap up the program,” CTFA official Liu Han-min said.
Although the deadline to sign up has already passed, it should be worthwhile for parents and children in Greater Kaohsiung to check out how to conduct drills and ways to practice ball skills.
Participating girls will each receive an official FIFA T-shirt.
Those who missed out this year can sign up for the program next year, as the CTFA said the FIFA program would continue on an annual basis.
Children in the Greater Taipei area can register for the Adidas Soccer Festival, which will be a whole-day affair on Jan. 5 at Luzhou Junior High School in New Taipei City.
ALL-DAY EVENT
The event starts at 9am and runs until 4:30pm and features exhibition games, soccer skill shows, fun games for parents and children, and a children’s soccer championship in the afternoon.
The event is sponsored by Adidas and organized by the Taipei Football Association (TFA). The registration fee is NT$200 for school-age children and an accompanying parent.
Along with this event, TFA and Adidas are also jointly organizing winter soccer camps for children in Taipei and Taoyuan.
The camps, in age categories under-3 to under-6 and under-6 to under-12, take place on Jan. 21 to Jan. 24 and Jan. 27.
Visit the TFA Web site at www.tfa-soccer.org.tw for more details.
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