With a rustle running through the grass, a short, clear impact sounded on the Taoyuan Qingpu Stadium; in less than a second, the sphere that had been close to the ground became a small dot on the edge of the skyline.
Anyone who has seen the Taoyuan International Men's and Women's Soccer Teams (English team name Inter Taoyuan Football Club) practicing will not be able to agree with the statement that Taiwan is a 'soccer desert'. At first glance, you'll notice the unique composition of the team, which includes students and members of the community, some blonde, some dark-skinned with deep profiles; and if you listen closely, you'll also hear different accents of Chinese and English and shouting at each other from all sides of the stadium.
Taoyuan International is more than that. In this interview and filming, we will dig out more unique and moving stories from this first-tier 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 boys from an American school were obsessed with soccer and tried to find professional coaches. With the addition of coaches, they also discovered that there were 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. Taoyuan International Head Coach Oliver Lazarus Harley Town Zhao.
"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 have been playing for 6 or 7 years and 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 for the entire team. The team consists of players from all over the world and from different parts of the community, including Israel, France, Japan and more than 20 different countries in different age groups. Together with the three coaches from different countries, the team's training model, player's mindset, and sports strategy are different from that of a typical university team in the campus system. "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 an experienced captain, international player Xu Hongmiao, who has played in the Asian Games, often discusses tactics and exchanges tips one-on-one with the team. "He's a great leader and has one of the most experience of any line player in the game today," he says.
Captain Xu Hongjian communicates with his teammates about the game.
Oliver emphasizes that recognizing a good player is not just about specific skills or how well he can shoot and score. Taoyuan International focuses on the personalities, attitudes and even stages of life of different players, integrating them into teams with a variety of strengths to play their roles. The effect of "the whole is 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. This game is as fluid as life, and we need a lot of different ideas to deal 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 and gives them room to express their opinions. Through every sharing, the coaches and players learn from each other's strengths, which helps them to get better individually and as a team. Although some Taiwanese players still left the team when it was first established because they were unable to adapt to independent training or rub team concepts together, Taoyuan International has gradually gathered a group of players who are suitable for each other and have a team consensus by this year, and their performance in the game has become more and more outstanding.
Taoyuan International's two most important campaigns for 2020 are the 2020 Taiwan Mulan Football League, the highest hall of fame for women's soccer in the country, which kicked off in April this year, and the Taiwan B Football League (T1) for men's soccer. This year, the women's soccer team has attracted three Chinese international players, including captain Ding Qi, striker Chen Yanping and defender Pan Yanshin. In addition, foreign aid from Thailand's World Cup international player Puyi formed a strong helping hand. In this Mulan League, the difference between goals scored and goals conceded by Taoyuan International Women's Soccer has significantly improved, and the season has jumped to the middle class. It is a big increase compared to 2019.
