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The first time Gillespie saw the team play, he said, “I knew we had some difficulties. But you can’t argue with the passion, how intense and how happy they were to be out there playing.”

The players have improved in leaps and bounds since then, growth that Gillespie attributes to their full-time coaches in Taiwan and the dogged determination of the players.

The story of how the game came to Taiwan is one of persistence, luck, and generosity from lacrosse fans in high places. It begins with Chris Wei and Sarah Lin, two parents who decided to start a team after their sons returned from boarding school in the U.S., eager to keep playing their favourite sport.

Lin bought enough equipment for an entire team, and the pair tried to drum up interest in Taiwan’s largest city, Taipei, but the idea failed to gain momentum, according to Wei.

“It turns out, most of the kids in the city are reluctant to do outdoor sports,” he said.

But a month later, the headmaster of Kung Tung High School put up his hand and said he would like to bring the exotic sport to Taitung. His students responded with enthusiasm, practising for long hours in the tropical heat.

Photo by Jason Payne / PNG

Players Wu and Liang have been with the team since the beginning.

“The physicality of lacrosse is one thing I like. And lacrosse gave us the opportunity to travel, and share our culture with other countries,” Wu said.

That opportunity comes thanks to people like Joe Tsai, the Taiwanese-Canadian vice-chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. Tsai played field lacrosse at Yale University, and his love of the sport led him to donate generously to budding programs in both Hong Kong and Taiwan. Taiwanese manufacturers of sports equipment have also chipped in.