It is a well-worn adage of local sports fans that Taiwan is a soccer desert, only coming alive once every four years to catch the excitement of the World Cup. Nevertheless, one can find some die-hard soccer enthusiasts in various corners of the nation.
Wu Ying (伍英) is one such man. Wu has been actively promoting the “beautiful game” even though Taiwan is placed among the minnows, at No. 176 in FIFA’s world rankings.
Recently, he has joined fans watching the matches from Brazil where foreign stars dribble past defenders to score amazing goals, and, while watching, he pondered if someday Taiwan can become a powerhouse in international soccer.
Photo: Lin Tsung-wei, Taipei Times
The transplanted Hong Konger is sowing the seeds for this dream.
Wu came to Taiwan 30 years ago and opened a restaurant near National Chengchi University in Taipei’s Muzha District (木柵) to help his younger brother, who was studying at the university.
After finishing his studies, Wu’s brother returned to Hong Kong, but Wu stayed in his adopted country.
“I made friends by playing soccer and met many friendly people here, so I chose to stay in Taiwan,” he said. “During my spare time, I would sneak into the university to play soccer on the school’s fields.”
“I made friends with other players due to our passion for soccer. They would come into my shop and I would let them have an all-you-can-eat meal for only NT$50 [US$1.67],” Wu said. “During this time, I got into collecting soccer merchandise and souvenirs.”
His collection of soccer posters, which he began accumulating in 2000, exceeds 1,000, along with more than 100 soccer balls of various sizes.
“I also have many soccer shirts, figurines and other souvenir items. When something catches my fancy, I buy it. I have maybe spent more than NT$5 million in total. I still have credit card debts to pay off,” Wu said.
With a few friends, Wu established a soccer association for the area’s Shengkeng District (深坑), which conducts soccer instruction classes for local elementary-school and kindergarten students.
“My collection is the best teaching resource for the soccer classes,” the 63-year-old said. “The posters of soccer stars in action make useful teaching materials.”
“When I go abroad, I try to bring back new soccer equipment for the kids,” he said.
Having finished with the restaurant business, these days Wu manages a bookstore steeped in soccer themes, while teaching the game to youngsters in his spare time.
Wu’s friends said he has given generous support to cultivate the game, as some of the children might grow up to play for the national soccer team.
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