This past December 16, the "Third Women's World Invitational Soccer Tournament" was held at Taipei's Municipal Stadium. Attracting the finest teams from abroad, the two national teams, Mulan and Liangyu turned in outstanding showings, finishing second and third respectively. Mulan, in fact, finished second to the champion West German squad on a count back of goals scored after posting identical seven point records in the round-robin play.

The embryonic stages in women's soccer can be traced back to the early 1960's. By 1968 the Wanshou Cup Tournament included a women's competition. At that time, outside of the Republic of China, only Hong Kong in Asia and England in the West had any sort of women's soccer teams. In retrospect then, the Republic of China was actually one of the early pioneers in organizing and developing soccer for women.

The expansive playing field, length of playing time (90 minutes for men, 70 minutes for women) and the relatively rough nature of the game were enough to discourage women's participation. Coupled with the fact that physiologists in Japan say that one soccer match expends as much energy as running a marathon, it is understandable why the game remained initially the domain of men. Interestingly though, the men's record in recent years has paled in comparison to the stunning success of the women's teams.

After enjoying the appellation "Asian Soccer Kings" during the prewar years, men's soccer lost its momentum after the arrival of the government on Taiwan. The past 10 years, however, has seen a revival in the men's game. Recent showings in smaller international tournaments have been encouraging.

In 1974, a team from Ta Teh Junior High School under the dedicated coaching of Liu Jun-tse surprised everyone and emerged as the dark horse victor in the Wanshou Cup Tournament. Up until that year, the powerful Hong Kong squads had been perennial champions. As the girls continued on to the I-Ning Junior School (which included high school) they continued their winning ways on the soccer field. After repeated Wanshou championships this period was fondly dubbed, "the I-Ning Age."

Liu Jun-tse, often credited with unearthing this talented pool of young soccer stars helped build I-Ning into the nucleus of the powerful Mulan squad. Training and competing in a busy schedule of tournaments, Mulan has posted an incredible match record of 52 victories, eight draws and one loss in 61 games. Even more impressive is their offensive record of 213 goals scored, against just 14 by the opposition.

Set against the conservative nature of traditional Chinese society that holds the feminine ideal to be demure and fragile, this success in athletics seems slightly incongruous. Ch'en Ting-hsiung, assistant professor at the Taiwan College of Physical Education in Taichung cites the following reasons for the successful development of women's soccer in the Republic of China. First, women's soccer had an earlier start in the country so a base of talent could be developed. Unlike other ball sports such as basketball and volleyball, soccer is less limited by body structure restrictions. It is a game of speed, endurance and foot skills. It doesn't depend on overall height and strength to be played well. Chinese girls are agile and quick, displaying deft ball control. Most of the first players on the top squads were aborigines, renowned for their great endurance and speed. On a related note, many of these players have stayed with the team since its start and thus a strong group of seasoned veterans provides a solid backbone for play. Consonant with this, a well-trained group of coaches, often sent abroad for clinics and study have added immeasurably to the growth of the women's soccer movement. Two outstanding coaches are Kao Yung and Ch'en Ting-hsiung. Kao studied at a physical education college in Malaysia and in 1973 earned his International Class-A coaching certification from the renowned Cologne Physical Education Institute. Ch'en received a Master's in Physical Education Administration from the Tokyo Education University and has travelled abroad extensively.

The team system throughout the nation can be divided into three levels: the A-Group of teams which is represented by such powerhouses as I-Ning in Taichung, Taipei's Ching Wen High School and Tainan's Ch'ang Jung. These teams provide the main source of player talent for the two national-caliber teams Mulan and Liangyu. The second level, the Junior School System of teams is represented by such outstanding squads as Tainan's Ch'ang Jung, Fenghsi in Kaohsiung, I-Ning in Tai-chung and the Taipei areas of Mingchih in Sanch'ung and Peit'ou. The lowest level is the network of elementary school teams. There are presently 40 to 50 such teams which teach young players the fundamental skills of the game. The Hsiu Teh Elementary School team from Sanch'ung has proven unbeatable after capturing 5 consecutive Chung Cheng Age-Group Soccer Tournament championships.

In order to play soccer well, a complete player should be able to master the basic movements crucial to building a playing unit. These include kicking, stopping and controlling the ball, ball handling, knee control and heading the ball. The biggest fear among the female players when training is mastering the head shot. Ideally, the forehead offers the widest, flattest area from which to deflect the ball, but most of the girls tend to worry about being hit in the face. Constant encouragement and persuasion from coaches has helped to dispel this in some cases. Endurance and speed are also key factors that coaches emphasize in workouts. The 12-minute run is a drill that is effective in building these two skills. Players run around the soccer field non-stop for 12 minutes. Top players can cover as much as 2800 meters in that period.

The evident strength of the national teams, combined with the growing amount of public support seems to suggest a bright picture for women's soccer in the Republic of China. Problems, however, do exist and when overcome can only lead to even greater success in the future. Paramount among these are the lack of playing fields and the problem of some schools not sponsoring teams. In this case the problem is two-fold as good players will then seek out a school with a team, thus denying a team position to a potential player from that school. The current domestic competitive schedule of three yearly cup-style tournaments is taxing emotionally and physically for players. The cost of staging such large events is also high. It has therefore been suggested that the soccer-season style of match play as held in the West should be studied. Playing games during one seasonal period according to a set schedule is beneficial in many ways including promoting friendships among players. Playing in different cities helps to promote soccer on a much wider scale.

The future augurs well for women's soccer. Enough interest has generated support for a 1987 "Women's World Championship", styled on the men's World Cup.

Mulan and Liangyu, the two national teams are named after two brave heroines of ancient Chinese history. Carrying this heroic tradition onto the soccer field, the loyal fans at home hope that these spirited warriors of the soccer field can continue the glorious tradition of their namesakes.

(Gerald Hatherly)

[Picture Caption]

1. Women's soccer is one of the most exciting of sports. Its rules allow for some limited body contact. 2. Since 1978, the Republic of China has sponsored three large-scale international invitational soccer tournaments. Pictured is a scene from this year's opening ceremonies. 3. The exciting action of the women's soccer tournament was played under the lights of Taipei's Municipal Stadium.

Despite the "feminine mystique", the matches were full of top-notch soccer action.

1. Hung P'ao-luan, one of Liangyu's star players turned in a strong performance in the game against Australia. 2. Despite possessing feet blest with soccer talent, the pink lacey socks reveal the feminine grace of this player. 3. This shot of two players attacking the ball fully captures the action of the moment.

1. Mastering "heading the ball" is a painful process but players must grit their teeth and practice. 2. Since kicking the ball can often lead to knee injuries, most players don kneepads in practice. 3. During a soccer match only the goalie is allowed to use her hands to catch the ball.

1. Coach Chang Tau-P'in of the Liangyu squad goes over team strategy before a match. 2. Members of the powerful Mulan team stretch before a game. 3. Despite being injured, this player faithfully shouts encouragement from the sidelines.

3. The exciting action of the women's soccer tournament was played under the lights of Taipei's Municipal Stadium.

2. Since 1978, the Republic of China has sponsored three large-scale international invitational soccer tournaments. Pictured is a scene from this year's opening ceremonies.

Despite the "feminine mystique", the matches were full of top-notch soccer action.

1. Hung P'ao-luan, one of Liangyu's star players turned in a strong performance in the game against Australia.

2. Despite possessing feet blest with soccer talent, the pink lacey socks reveal the feminine grace of this playe.

3. This shot of two players attacking the ball fully captures the action of the moment.

1. Mastering "heading the ball" is a painful process but players must grit their teeth and practice.

2. Since kicking the ball can often lead to knee injuries, most players don kneepads in practice.

3. During a soccer match only the goalie is allowed to use her hands to catch the ball.

1. Coach Chang Tau-P'in of the Liangyu squad goes over team strategy before a match.

2. Members of the powerful Mulan team stretch before a game.

3. Despite being injured, this player faithfully shouts encouragement from the sidelines.