Few things are as universal as football; enjoyed around the world by professionals and amateurs alike.
Johnni Nielsen has lived with his family in Taiwan since 2009. He has worked for 15 years to bring a bit of Danish team spirit to a more strict Taiwanese sports culture.
Today, he runs the football club FC Vikings in Taipei.
Father and son
Football has always been a part of Johnni Nielsen’s life. It is something he shared with his son. The two of them would go to the local park in Sanchong to play. Here the father-son duo started drawing attention from the local kids in the park.
On the first day, it was just Johnni and his son. On day two, 4–5 other boys had asked to join them. Within a month, Johnni had 20 boys playing football in the public park.
The boys in the park went to the local school, where the options for playing football on teams were limited. So Johnni got the idea to start his own club.
“I also had the idea of playing matches against other teams, so I went to my son’s school to see if they could help us make that happen,” he says.
However, Johnni soon realized that the Taiwanese school system plays by different rules when it comes to sports and education.
A different culture
In Taiwan, students interested in sports are placed in a special program that focuses on training and becoming professional athletes. That often means that traditional subjects and education become secondary to sports practice.
“They are basically asking the kids to choose between education and becoming good at a sport. It’s a completely different mindset,” Johnni explains. “And the biggest problem is that when they graduate from school, they are left with a sports degree that doesn’t grant them many job opportunities apart from becoming professional athletes.”
Further pressure is placed on the kids, because most schools receive prize money from the government if their students win matches or medals. This can incentivise trainers and coaches to push the children even harder to perform well.
“It’s crazy. I have seen small kids who go to the gym in hopes of getting bigger and stronger so they can win more games. It is all about winning. To me, that completely sucks the fun out of sports,” Johnni says.
Luckily for Johnni, his son’s school had a PE teacher, a former professional rugby player, who, like Johnni, agreed that kids should have fun playing. So Johnni was allowed to start a football club at his son’s elementary school.
Vikings through the years
Originally the team was made up of Johnni’s son and his friends. But, when his son and the other boys aged up into middle school, so did FC Vikings. When they got to high school, so did FC Vikings, and when the boys decided to go to college, FC Vikings went with them.
Today FC Vikings is a club for all ages.
Unlike most other clubs in Taiwanese schools, FC Vikings relies on sponsors for funding rather than the Taiwanese government.
“That makes us freer. We don’t need to win to afford to keep playing. We can afford to encourage our players to focus on school and grades as well as on football,” Johnni explains.
But that freedom has come at a cost.
Playing against the system
Johnni has met his fair share of scrutiny and disapproving looks since starting FC Vikings.
“I think some trainers are jealous of us. Maybe they don’t think we play by the rules. But if you ask me, the rules should be changed,” Johnni says.
Johnni and FC Vikings has felt the brunt of the jealousy.
“We tried playing in a more professional league for a season, but we didn’t feel welcomed by the other teams, so we didn’t go back for the next season. I know the boys have felt judgement too, because they play on my team”, Johnni says.
Over the years, Johnni has lobbied for changes to the system that divides schools into normal classes and sports programs.
“The people in the different ministries know my name and know what I stand for. And over the years, we have seen some change for the better,” Johnni says.
The fun of playing
FC Vikings is now more than 15 years old, and Johnni has coached around 500 young boys and girls who have passed through the club.
FC Vikings have changed the lives of many children. Children from poorer or broken families have had the opportunity to play football without giving up on an education that could bring future opportunities.
The first group of boys from the local park back in 2010 are now young men. Most have moved on. Some have become football coaches themselves. All have fond memories of their time at FC Vikings.
“It has been incredible to watch them all grow up. I am incredibly proud of all of them. It has not been easy for them to stand against the system with me, but it means so much to me that they have,” Johnni says.
“I love football – not winning. I want kids to have fun playing. Playing with a smile is always better.”
