Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network-Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan

Danish football player Johnni Nielsen began playing when he was four years old. At sixteen, he started coaching football, taking the local team to second place in Denmark. He wed Taiwanese musician Tsai Hsin-ying in Denmark when he was twenty-three years old. Originally from Denmark, Johnni Nielsen was a well-known DJ and engineer. He is also a highly regarded star football coach throughout Europe. In 2010, the couple chose to leave Denmark and relocate to Taiwan in order to provide their Down syndrome daughter with a healthier upbringing in a better medical care setting.

Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan – Johnni Nielsen.Photo/ file photo

Johnni Nielsen was in the park with his kid, playing football, after he had returned to Taiwan. Kids from the park approached Johnni and his kid to ask if they could play football with them. The Viking Football Team was the first football team ever founded by the kids who played football together in the park.

Johnni Nielsen also looked for support from schools to allow these children who enjoy football to participate in competitions. He led these children to compete everywhere, and even went to Japan, Cambodia, and Denmark to participate in international competitions, allowing the international football community to be impressed by the players from Taiwan.

Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan – Johnni Nielsen.Photo/ file photo

But Johnni Nielsen also had a lot of challenges when it came to football promotion in Taiwan. Johnni Nielsen did not think twice to sell his Danish home, mortgage his Taiwanese property, and earn money to supports kids to the competition in order to realize these kids' ambitions.

Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan – Johnni Nielsen.Photo/ file photo

Johnni Nielsen has been training thousands of football-interested children in Taiwan for the past 13 years as a volunteer football coach. Johnni Nielsen and his wife actively visited relevant government agencies, wrote proposals to introduce the European elite football youth training system to Taiwan, and planned a five-level training system for the kids in order to prevent them from skipping school in favor of football practice.

Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan – Johnni Nielsen.Photo/ file photo

Danish Brøndby Cup youth football competition, official press release for the Viking football team.Photo/ file photo

The whole video is accessible in topic video "Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan - Johnni Nielsen"; it tells the story of Johnni Nielsen, a Danish football coach returns to Taiwan for his daughter and spends tens of millions to cultivate Taiwanese football players for 13 years.