Girls soccer in Brazil, changing gender norms

Coach Luana* started her activities with ACER Brasil at the beginning of this year and points out that there is a very perceptible difference between the alternatives that the girls are having with the project today and in the past. “During my childhood I did not have access to futsal classes. At most, I played with my cousins when we saw each other, but playing with girls of the same age only happened when I was eleven years old and in a paid school. I currently have students from seven to eleven years old, so I see that this is very important for them, not only in terms of developing coordination and social interaction, but as an opportunity to experience this much younger and, mainly, within schools”.

Suellen*, another coach hired in 2023, shares an experience that, while different, is also similar to Luana's story, with relation to the lack of classes just for girls. “Since I was a little girl I had access to sports, I always participated in physical education classes, either with the girls or among the boys. I was basically the only girl who trained there, and due to the lack of girls, there was no group, so I trained with the boys”, she says.

When we opened the topic about the importance of women's futsal for their lives, many girls during classes wanted to talk about their experiences with the sport. “Now I'm breathing a lot better and my mom said I have to do a lot more sports,” says 9-year-old Letícia*. Other girls take the opportunity to reaffirm their place in women's futsal, like 9-year-old Ana Beatriz*. According to her, “futsal has been teaching me a lot of things I didn't know. Some boys have told me that girls shouldn't play football, but I think that's wrong."

Bianca* is 10 years old and believes that today women's futsal is better seen by her family and people. "They didn't like it (girl’s futsal) so much before because it wasn't as shown as the male", she says. Another student who was very excited to speak, Juliana*, only 8 years old, reveals that practicing futsal with ACER Brasil has been a dream come true since a very early age. “Futsal is my favorite sport and this is a unique opportunity. I am in favor of futsal for girls because everyone has the same rights. (...) I wanted to play since I was 4 years old, but the coach of the city team didn't want to put me to train because I was the only girl. I feel good playing and I wouldn't leave”, confesses the child.

Coach Luana also emphasizes that there are two major gains that are more visible in terms of access to and professionalization of sport among girls. “The increase in the number women (PE) teachers is phenomenal as it is a development of the profession which was previously completely dominated by men. Now with all the investment in soccer and women's futsal in Brazil, not only athletes are being trained, but also many qualified coaches”, she points out. Next, Suellen adds that this increase in the number of participating schools is very significant for members of the community as a whole. “It is an excellent project, and I believe that the more expansion, the better, both for professionals in the field and for school children.”

Dear reader, thank you for reaching this far. We hope to be able to share more news about the day to day of our project with girl's futsal in the Eldorado neighborhood, in Diadema, reporting on our daily life in the community and the achievements in this modality that we believe in so much.

*We only use people's first names in order to protect their privacy whilst allowing them to own their own stories.