Accompanied by a rustling sound of running on the grass, a short and sharp impact sounded on the Taoyuan Qingpu Stadium; in less than a second, the ball that was originally close to the ground had become a small dot on the edge of the skyline.
Anyone who has seen the Taoyuan International men's and women's soccer teams (Inter Taoyuan Soccer Club) practicing will not agree that Taiwan is a "soccer desert". A quick glance at the team reveals a unique composition of students and socialites, blondes with blue eyes, some with dark skin and deep profiles; listen carefully and you can also hear a mixture of different accents in Chinese and English, shouting at each other from all sides of the field.
What makes Taoyuan International special is not only that. In this interview and filming, we will dig out more unique and touching stories from this frontline Taiwanese soccer team.
Taoyuan International was founded on the passion of 3 boys for soccer. in 2003, soccer was not a popular sport in Taiwan and there was a shortage of related educational resources in the country. These soccer-obsessed boys from the American School tried to find professional coaches, and with the addition of coaches, they realized that there were actually more kids in Taiwan who were passionate about soccer.
Oliver Lazarus Harley, a coach from Jamaica, ran the International Football Club, the predecessor of Taoyuan International, with three coaches from Holland and England in order to organize more players. With the dedication and efforts of the three coaches to education, the number of club members gradually grew to 200, and the Taoyuan International soccer team was finally established in 2019 in cooperation with Taoyuan City.
"Many of the players joined the team at U10 and have grown up until now. Even after they leave the team, they continue to play in university soccer teams and professional soccer leagues," said Oliver, who has watched the team evolve. Oliver, who has watched the evolution of the team, said with relief that many of the players on the team who have played for 6 or 7 years have grown up with Taoyuan International since their club days, and soccer has long been an inseparable part of their lives.
The team name "Inter", which stands for "international" in English, is also the keyword of the whole team. The team consists of players from all over the world, including Israel, France, Japan, and players of different ages from more than 20 different countries, plus three coaches from different countries, which makes the team different from the usual campus-based university teams in terms of training mode, player thinking, and field strategy. "We have our own unique cooperation model, which we call "Inter System". We draw different ideas and strategies from players and coaches from different countries and ages, and then exchange and integrate them into a common team understanding."
For example, Roxy, a player from Vietnam, had no formal training before joining Inter. With his passion for soccer, he worked in a factory during the day and practiced at night; after five years of hard work, he finally made it to the senior level (Taiwan's second division soccer league) this year. "He has a broad mind and practices diligently. The team is inspired by his hard work and he connects the whole team." Oliver knows the players well, big and small. As the experienced captain of the team, Xu Hongjian, an international footballer who played in the Asian Games, often discusses tactics and exchanges tips one-on-one with the team members," he says. "He is a great leader and has one of the best experience in the game among the current line players.
Oliver emphasized that recognizing a good player is not just about specific skills or how well he can score. Taoyuan International focuses on different players' personalities, attitudes and even their stages of life, blending them into a team that gathers all their strengths to realize the effect of "the whole being greater than the sum of its parts".
This philosophy of diversity and openness is also reflected in the way Taoyuan International trains. "I will give advice, but I never teach specific strategies. The game is like life, we need many different ideas to cope with it. I believe that every player has the ability to think about the situation." Taoyuan International breaks away from the traditional fill-in-the-blanks training and cultivates the players' ability to think independently, giving them room to express their opinions. Through every sharing, the coaches and players learn from each other's strengths, which will help them to get better individually and as a team. Although in the early days of the team, some Taiwanese players left because they had difficulty adapting to independent training or could not get used to the team's philosophy, Taoyuan International has gradually gathered a group of players who are suitable for each other and have a team consensus as of this year, and their performance in the game has become even more eye-catching as a result.
Taoyuan International's two most important battles for 2020 are the domestic one that kicks off in April this year
women's soccer
The highest hall of fame, the "2020 Taiwan Magnolia Football League", and the
men's soccer
of the Taiwan Second Division soccer league (T1).
women's soccer
This year, three Chinese international players were recruited, including captain Ding Qi, striker Chen Yanping and defender Pan Yanxin, together with foreign aid Puyi, who is a World Cup international player from Thailand, to form a powerful force in this Mulan League, Taoyuan International.
women's soccer
The goal differential improved significantly and the season record jumped to the middle of the class, which is substantial growth compared to 2019.
