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.
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