Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13.
Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City.
The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council.
Photo: CNA
Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two groups at the Sinjhuang Sports Fields for the preliminary rounds of the tournament, which was its third edition.
Cheered on by family members and friends, the Kaohsiung & HK Football Club prevailed over New Taipei City-based Linkou HK Club 1-0 to win the cup.
Taipei HK and Hsinchu-based Zhubei United were third and fourth respectively.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Games started in the morning. After a lunch break, the Formosa Kickerz freestyle juggling group performed, followed by a symbolic kickoff ceremony and speeches by officials, including from the MAC.
Organizer Roy Hung in an interview yesterday said that he and his friends created the annual tournament because “football is more than a sport for Hong Kong and Macau people — it has been ingrained culture for many years, especially in Hong Kong, which was a colony of Great Britain, where they have crazy passion for football.”
Hung, a soccer commentator and chief executive officer of AIM Creative Sports Group, is from Hong Kong and now lives in Taiwan.
“Football has become a lifestyle for many Hong Kong and Macau people,” he said. “We watch the English professional matches and local games, and we play football when get off work.”
“Most importantly, football is the most popular sport worldwide and it is a must for those who engage in global business,” he said.
“Knowing football means knowing the world and keeping up with the international trend,” Hung said.
Taiwan’s government and society welcome the people of Hong Kong and Macau as “new immigrants” to start a new life, and their soccer culture taking root in this country, said Lu Chang-shui, who heads the MAC’s Hong Kong, Macau, Inner Mongolia and Tibet Affairs Division.
“The MAC has sponsored this tournament from its humble start three years ago with only four teams to the 12 teams it has now, with participants totaling more than 250 people originally from Hong Kong or Macau now living and working across Taiwan,” Lu said.
“This competition will continue to grow, because soccer is a beloved game in Hong Kong and Macau, and is getting more popular in Taiwan,” he said. “By playing soccer and stoking enthusiasm for the game, they are helping to build bridges and make new friends in Taiwan.”
The MAC and the Taiwan-HK council offer programs and services for transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese to help them settle in Taiwan, Lu said.
Charles Ting, who played in the tournament for Northern HK-Macau, said that he was a semi-professional player in Hong Kong’s second division for 15 years.
“I still love to play after retiring from my job as a firefighter, though it’s a pity football is not that popular in Taiwan,” Ting said.
“By joining a team here, I can enjoy my love for the game with those who also share the same passion and can socialize in Taiwan,” he said.
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