Building the feminist futsal project: ‘where is feminism?’

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article aims to present the construction of a project called Feminist Futsal. Based on the experiences of female futsal coaches, this study aimed to analyze and reflect on some of the situations in which feminism was present throughout futsal seasons. For that, five specific moments were selected from field diaries: ‘The construction of the Feminist Futsal Project’; ‘The first season’; ‘Where is “Feminism”?’; ‘The second season: The uncertain path persists’ and ‘Seeds that have already been planted’. Many questions and challenges were encountered, such as how can we address important social issues and connect them to the planning of a futsal training session that does not directly deal with these topics? Do you need to link critical issues directly to the theme of the futsal training session? Where is Feminism? As a result, it was identified that feminism in the project gave women the opportunity to practice a sport, as well as the presence of a female coach; feminism was, also: in the reflections shared in the initial training sessions; in the learning community established with the research group; in the athletes sharing of knowledge with the project. In addition, feminism was at the heart of the project’s belief that men and women should have equal opportunities to participate in sports, paving the way for a fairer world. Feminism was there, facing the risks. Feminism is in the courage to put that name to a sports project. I do not know what the future holds for Feminist Futsal, nor do I have all the answers for other sports projects that might look to us. What I do know is that love and the courage to change how we view the world are the driving forces behind this project. And yes, we are already revolutionizing it.