Soccer is the most influential sport in the world, yet Taiwanese people are still very unfamiliar with it. In 2002, when Japan and South Korea hosted the World Cup, the soccer craze in Asia also drove Taiwan into the "First Year of Soccer Fever.” But after 20 years of development, although more children have joined the sport, soccer is still confined as a "hobby" due to the lack of accessible professional pitches and qualified coaches. Soccer players in Taiwan see no promising career development in their future in soccer. After children enter junior and senior high school, most players give up soccer due to pressure from schoolwork, denying themselves and Taiwan of any chance of long-term development within the sport.

 

 

Hello! We are Michael and Dan, two British coaches who hold life-long dreams and passion for soccer. When we arrived in Taiwan about 20 years ago, we realized that soccer was not at all popular here. There was no professional soccer training organization nor regular games, but we were still eager to help Taiwanese people understand the beauty of soccer and the joy it can bring. This led us to the foundation of MFA Taiwan.

It has been more than 18 years since MFA’s foundation in 2004. During this period, more than 10,000 students have been instructed, with decent moral values instilled in the children’s hearts. In addition to cultivating the ability for teamwork, children also learned to keep their heads up even when facing defeats and frustrations.

 

Apart from constructing an environment for Taiwanese soccer education, we also offer a Talent Development Program (TDP) for players with potential, helping them to enter trials for international teams and apply for soccer scholarships from colleges in the US. Since 2019, we have been collaborating with the globally renowned European professional soccer club, Glasgow Rangers FC, bringing over their top coaches to Taiwan to run camps, as well as instructing the players remotely during COVID restrictions. This is all aimed at  supporting Taiwanese players become the best that they can become and hopefully will enable them to advance to an elite level of soccer.

 

 

 

We founded a community soccer league (the Victory League) that has now been running for more than 8 years. The league has more than 50 teams participating, and it provides kids with more chances to compete and put into practice what they have learnt. It also allows parents to cheer their child on and be invested in their growth as players and little people, hopefully deepening the parent-child relationship.

 

When MFA was founded, it was very difficult to find a training pitch, and we often had no choice but to travel long distances through the city to find a suitable location. After being ordered to leave pitches on several occasions, we realized how crucial it is to have an “exclusive field” in order to cultivate junior and youth players to a high level.

 

After searching for more than 6 years, we finally managed to secure land and raise the funds needed to construct our own pitch in Taipei City. During the summer of 2019, we opened with a Glasgow Rangers FC camp.

 

The next step is to turn the field into a soccer park with artificial turf and open it to the public. This project will give the kids a safer and more comfortable place to practice, and when there’s no ongoing training session or competition, the field can also be provided to the wider community. This includes charities, worthwhile organizations, community centers and social groups. We want the park to be a place where people can come and enjoy all kinds of exercise in a relaxed and friendly environment.

 

 

 

Being our permanent home, our team of professional coaches are always on hand to discuss and guide young players and their families. Whether it’s individual techniques, tactical positioning or advice on a footballing pathway we are here every step of the way!

 

This knowledge must extend into our community offering seminars & tips on subject matters such as soccer parenting, nutrition, mindset and so forth, thus engaging more players and their families. It is this hard work that will help drive Taiwanese football to the next level!

 

Once created, we are committed to;

• Providing free structured coaching for disadvantaged children
• Coaches on hand to provide informal tips and advice to players wanting guidance.
• Allowing the park to be used for free by children when there are no activities taking place on it.
• Opening the park to worthwhile organizations and social groups to use during the day time. Examples of this include Tai Chi, Croquet, senior citizen social groups, yoga and many more.....
   

 

To ensure that the turf field we lay is safe, we are using one of the highest eco-friendly grade turf materials that is infill-free, and being installed by the market leader in Taiwan.

 

 

As rain often occurs in Northern Taiwan, and winters are chilly, cloudy, and humid, the current natural turf has been gradually deteriorating under difficult conditions. Children often need to run in the mud, bearing the risk of slipping and falling.

 

With artificial turf, children will be able to practice on a safer and more professional field. In addition, the pitch will be available for a longer time frame each year, offering school teams, soccer enthusiasts, nearby neighbors, or worthwhile organizations a field without any charge. It will become the gathering spot of our communities, hopefully attracting even more people to fall in love with soccer.

 

 

With more training hours available, we can plan a more comprehensive curriculum for player development, extending the age groups from U13 through to U23 and then eventually to adult soccer.

While the children continue their progress in the local educational system, they can still enhance and sharpen their soccer ability through a proven coaching syllabus while also developing the abilities of time management and taking responsibility for themselves.

For those that show the required level of ability and understanding, we can also arrange trials for renowned professional soccer teams or support them to apply for scholarships from foreign colleges, making theirs and their parents soccer dreams closer to reality.

 

 

At this moment, the cost of laying an artificial turf field is estimated to be at least 10 million NTD. We are far from getting close to this amount on our own and with government subsidies being endlessly bureaucratic and complex, we need help.

 

 

 

 

We also offer long-term collaboration plans for business partners. Please click on the button for further information so that we can make the kids’ dream come true together.