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>View discussions about this entry Country: Brazil
Organization: Team Chicago Brazil / Rio de Janeiro Women’s Soccer
Sport: Soccer
Year the initative began (yyyy) 2002
YouTube Upload: http://www.teamchicagobrasil.com
Project URL: http://www.teamchicagobrasil.blogger.com.br
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? “Brazil is the Country of Soccer.” is an old and common phrase. Now we create: “Brazil is the Country of Women’s Soccer" From Dream to reality!
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? We have to think of Soccer as an instrument of social integration, bringing together girls from diverse social classes.
On our team we can see at the practices girls that arrive with their own driver and girls that only go to the practice because we give them financial support given that they come from deprived communities (some of them). We are still not able to provide financial support to all of them. With the cultural incentive, through the creation of grant opportunities for study abroad and the technical preparation that allows them to participate in the Brazilian Selection (National level for soccer in Brazil), we will be creating a new world, a new expectation, making it possible for their dreams to become reality. If they do not become high level players, they will have formed new friendships and elevated their cultural understanding. We provide complimentary activities that entertain, educate, socialize and professionalize the athletes. What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? I do not see any obstacles. If a young boy can dream about being happy playing soccer, why can’t a girl?
Without financial investment, we are already able to provide for 10 athletes to get to know other countries and cultures. Thus far, we have had 4 of our players invited to play for the Brazilian Selection. This has occurred in only 5 years of existence. With investment, we intend to give more work to the Foreign Consulates and the Language Schools in Rio de Janeiro. We have not had more girl Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? the creation of the Training Center (we already have a plan developed by an architect who is also an athlete). we will implement the Work Plan that will include:
- daily practices – soccer theory classes – language classes – short term courses – social recreation activities – ecological hikes – workshops – visits to cultural centers – social actions The Training Center foresees the participation of athletes from all social classes, which will be an important factor for the interaction of all the participants. Within each category, there will be a competition within the periods previously established by the program during which there will be games, cultural games, social games and complementary sports activities. Recently, we gathered at a Professional Soccer Club of Rio de Janeiro. The club has a training facility and stadium that facilitates our activities and will be another motivation for our athletes and citizens of Angra dos Reis to come together around our project How do you plan to grow your innovation? Through growth of the project to other States. We will be able to promote events among the leagues, initially among the regions and later at the national level. We will be able to have the girls get to know other regions of the country, other cultures and other customs.
The idea is to create 4 large Training Centers and various other subcenters, like franchises, where the girls that stand out in the technical and cultural areas will be selected for other phases. Then, at the end, we will award those girls that stand out with something that they most long for today – to play and study abroad. There will be oversight over their school performance and over their performance in the parallel activities of our project. We will also create a link with the athletes from other countries through discussion forums where it will be necessary for the athlete to speak a language, which will be yet another motivator for them to learn a foreign language and will form new friendships through sport. Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. provides atheltes and families a better world, more health, peace, friends and, most of all, the achievement of their dreams
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? Even without outside financial resources (we only receive material donations), we already provide for the athletes to go abroad or enter the Brazilian Selection. Each month the number of athletes that seek us out increases, but many do not stay due to a lack of basic financial resources. I believe that society, primarily Rio de Janeiro, knows our work well given that we often appear in the media (Globo Esporte (Globo Sport Channel), Jornal Nacional (National News program), Sportv, Radio Programs, and newspapers). Benefits? The achievement of dreams. To create peace, health, culture and friendship through the sport.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? We use examples of past success to motivate the girls today. For example, I refer to two former athletes: Sheila Rocha, a very poor girl from Realengo, that today is a record goal scorer in England. She has a salary, house, food and her studies paid by the club. Marina Lima, daughter of a mason from Itaipu, that participated in an English course and today studies and plays at a U.S. university. Our girls today are motivated independently to study English.
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? I do not have obstacles. Desire, Work, Friendship, Health and God are our allies.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? We have a small Women’s Soccer School. With the income, we rent a practice field and with the remaining we invest in supporting the athletes and complementary activities.
We hope to have our Training Center in order to achieve all of the activities mentioned earlier. We need investment in order to pay for professionals, complementary activities, to participate in events, trips, to rent facilities, to promote events, and to pay for a series of activities to provide the girls with a social class “promotion.” We intend to create sustainability through the school, event promotion, the renting of the Training Center space and the commercialization of products. If known, provide information on your finances and organization. • Receita anual: (approximately R$ 3,000 – close to R$ 250 monthly, which is the income of the school.)
(We do not have salaried employees. We have 4 trainers, 1 supervisor (psychologist), 1 administrative coordinator, 1 physical therapist, 1 doctor.) What is the potential demand for your innovation? A Training Center, with the facilities that we intend to construct, will allow us two work shifts, leaving the 3rd shift for the renting of the facilities. For every 2 hours of work, we will be able to serve 50 girls. We imagine that monthly we will be able to directly serve 200 girls. Indirectly, with the franchises, this number could reach 500 girls in a State like Rio de Janeiro.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? With a Training Center, we will not have barriers. We will even have facilities to rent for games and events. We need to make our own clothing, or if it is not too much to ask, have Nike produce sports products for resale with the logo of the Project and with products made exclusively for Women’s Soccer (shirts, shorts, cleats, sports bras with greater protection than those in the past.)
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. I worked on the Aeronautical Sports Committee, and I put to use sports materials that would have been thrown away. Through this I participated in many social recreation activities with the children from the neighborhood where I lived, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. I entertained them during a time when there was no internet and the children, when they weren’t in school, were in the street.
One time, a group of girls came to me and the leader says, “Alexandre, the girls want you to put together a Women’s Soccer team!” That for me was a great challenge. From that group, one girl made it to the Brazilian Selection and is majoring in Physical Education. Another girl already graduated with a major in Physical Education. Four of them played for Flamengo at the height of Women’s Soccer in Rio. Great friendships were formed and the parents were happy in knowing that the girls had as the best thing in their life their participation in Soccer. Years later, I met a leader in Soccer in the United States that opened doors for me for opportunities for the girls and through this we were able to provide opportunities abroad for the girls (USA, England, Spain). What I am looking to do is make these girls that achieved success into idols for the younger girls and that these younger girls dedicate themselves to soccer and to their studies, in sum to their improvement, in search of a better world for themselves and for their families, away from the problems that set them back from a good life Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. Instructor of PE from the Aeronautical School and Soccer Trainer since 1996. In the US, I received the License B from the Brazilian Institute of Soccer based in Miami and I have many years of experience in sports organization. I was the Coach Coordinator of 3 national competitions of the Brazilian Confederation of Soccer. I coordinate the coming of teams from the US, including the Olympic Development Program for 8 years, and in December the National Under-17 team will come from the US.
Contact Information:
Alexandre Mathias
This field has not been completed Team Chicago Brazil / Rio de Janeiro Women’s Soccer (women's soccer) Discussions about this entry |
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Hi Alex,
I think the work you are doing is great, not only because it shows that women can play beautiful and professional football, but also because it gives a great model to girls and women in Brazil and around the world. Sport is a great tool to empower women. Have you thought of connecting your players with NGOs in the Latin American region using soccer as a medium to empower women? There are 2 organizations here at Changemakers doing work in Argentina and Colombia. They are: Goles para las Chicas (lead by Patricia Scolari in Argentina) and Futbol con Corazon (in Colombia). I would encourage you to contact them. Best of luck with your work.
Astrid Aafjes
Women Win
www.women.win.org
Kevin Carroll
Changemakers Featured Commentator
Sport for a Better World Competition
Alexandre, the success of Brazil’s women’s soccer team at the recent World Cup is a testament that the beautiful game is equally beautiful at the feet of women. Your program seems like a great opportunity for young women to use their gifts for the beautiful game as well as social integration.
I wondered if you goal is only to get professional contracts and national team invitations for the players? Could a broader goal be to help the young women get college educations and broaden their opportunities in many ways? I encourage you to look at ways of doing both.
Hi Kevin,
I agree with you completely. Sport is a way for women, particularly for those who come from underprivileged sectors of society, to access better education, build self esteem and much more. Those who make it as professional players also have a great role model power for other women and girls. I represent Women Win, a new foundation based in the Netherlands which aims to empower underprivileged women and girls through financial support to self-initiated sports activities. Do you know of any professional sport organizationsto which include overall empowerment of women to their activities?
Warmly,
Astrid Aafjes
Women Win
www.womenwin.org
Hey Alex,
Did you know that the US State department funds exchanges (travel) for projects aimed at building connections between nations through sport. Brazil is one of the target countries - you would need a US organization to apply, but you could get your Chicago counterpart.http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps/jan25rfgp.htm
Might be of interest - probably good to pass along to the rest of hte network too!
Best,
Ziba
Hi Alexandre,
have you heard about the Berlin girl´s soccer team from Al-Demirspor? It brings together young women with and without a migrant background. They went to Iran to play against an Iranian selection of female players, which was a huge media event both in Germany and Iran. Unfortunately, the Iranian´s visit to Germany was canceled shortly before an already-scheduled re-match in Berlin. See here:
http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog/?p=275
I can put you in touch if you´d like.
Good luck with your initiative,
Jasper Nicolaisen
Free University Berlin
Hi, Jasper !
Thanks for your contact and the informations !
How the soccer is great in the world ... I think the people don´t know how much ....
I´d like to have this contact, of course !
Thanks again for your kindly words and attention !
All the best,
Alexandre Mathias
Women Soccer
Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
www.teamchicagobrasil.com
www.teamchicagobrasil.blogger.com.br
(55 21) 8119-7010
Hey,
I´ll pass on your contact info to Frieda Schmidt of Demispor in Berlin so that she can get back to you. Another girls´program from Berlin here on Changemakers you might find interesting is Boxgirls Roadwork:
http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/2279
Jasper Nicolaisen
Free University Berlin
University Challenge