Taiwan Soccer Challenges New Heights - GOAL INN!!

April 18, 2015

Since March, the visiting Chinese Taipei soccer team defeated the Brunei team and advanced to the second round of the Asia Division’s preliminaries. Their world ranking in April also bounced back from its lowest ranking in team history: 188 place up to 179 place. On April 18, the yearly Christian Gospel Mission Global Soccer Tournament was held at Taichung’s Chaoma Soccer Field. The three hundred fifty participating soccer players cheered especially for Taiwanese soccer. Through joyous dance and song, the players looked forward to the challenging advancements of Taiwanese soccer.

For the past 14 years since 2002, CGM has devoted itself to the active promotion of grassroots soccer. During these 14 years, some CGM players who used to be audience members became players themselves, and even Asia C Level coaches. Also, some players became fathers and even formed soccer teams with their children. The current CGM players come from all parts of Taiwan and the majority of them are CGM fellowship students or recent graduates. Most of the players do not come from professional soccer backgrounds. However, their passion towards soccer does not pale in comparison to the professionals; they often hold free soccer lessons in various districts to further promote grassroots soccer.

This year, twelve men's teams and fifteen women’s teams, a total of nearly three hundred fifty people, participated in the Global Soccer Tournament. The enormity of it was second only to Taiwan’s locally organized T2 match. For a grassroots soccer event, it has already become a force to be reckoned with. While victory is the goal of any competition, it is not the only goal. The students ran across the field, exhibiting their individualities and also learning the intricacies of teamwork. Rain or shine, they ran passionately for a better self and a better world. In this way, the players, who are usually people of few words, shouted through their actions saying, “Life should be like this!”