Taiwan Immigrants Football League attracts pros and amateurs alike, nabs endorsement from FIFA subsidiary

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/08
By: Tim Rinaldi, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Immigrant's Football League (TIFL) is an impressive organizational feat recently launched by the nation's blue-collar foreign workers, and it looks off to a promising start.

On a recent weekend, while much of the foreign population of Taipei remained under the covers, hundreds of worker-athletes made use of what for many would be the week's sole day off, holding five successive matches at the Jinhe Sports Park in Zhonghe.

Most of the elements of a classic Taipei setup were in place: the motorcycles chugging below the overpass, the terrace houses receding up the hill, and, of course, the gratuitous heat.

Taiwan's blue-collar foreign workers, who number over 700,000, generally come from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Many perform their jobs under unenviable work conditions, typically as fishermen, factory hands, and domestic helpers.    [FULL STORY]