As mulheres no futebol do Rio Grande/RS nas décadas de 1970 e 1980: entre subversões, pioneirismos e invisibilidades

Abstract

The city of Rio Grande/RS constitutes an important part of Brazilian soccer historiography. In addition to being the home of the oldest active soccer club in the country – Sport Club Rio Grande (established on 19/07/1900) – Rio Grande was also the stage for other soccer events, including women's soccer. Some of these events were the subject of this thesis. The research consists of two final products, two articles aimed at giving visibility to women who were part of the soccer context in Rio Grande and Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. The studies employed Oral History as a methodology, combining oral and written sources (photos, magazines, newspapers, and official documents). The first article focuses on Physical Education teacher Cleusa Maia, who served as a fitness coach for Sport Club São Paulo in the 1975 Gaúcho Championship. The second article discusses the formation of the women's team of Sport Club Rio Grande in 1980 – a period before the regulation of women's soccer in the country. The so-called Loucurinhas do Vovô were protagonists in the first official women's soccer match authorized by a Federation in Brazil, held in Porto Alegre in 1983. Also included in this thesis is the research project that supported the study and the development of the mentioned articles. The project includes a synthesis of the main studies addressing Brazilian women's soccer and a survey of written records of women's soccer resistance practices in Brazil, from its emergence (first decade of the 20th century) to its regulation (1983). Additionally, the research highlights some cases of women who played leading roles – in coaching, management, and refereeing. Following this research, it was concluded that despite its prohibition, women's soccer never ceased to exist and developed resistance practices in various locations across the national territory. These movements of resistance and women's participation in leadership roles in men's soccer led to footballing, sporting, and sociocultural ruptures.