What Will We Do? The Action Plan From a Brazilian Professional Football Club Youth Academy Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In 2020, the world was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which remains a major challenge for most countries today. In Brazil, football clubs' youth academies have faced a disruption of their regular activities. In order to study how the learning cultures of a Brazilian professional football club youth academy have been changed, and the alternatives created by the club's staff within this context, this perspective article aims to analyze how they have structured the Under-15 (U15) team learning culture during social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through document and thematic analysis on a Brazilian professional football club's youth academy program, we promoted a dialogue between the process of adaptation to remote theoretical-tactical teaching with the learning theory proposed by Hodkinson and collaborators. The main theme of analysis of this study was the remote structure of the theoretical-tactical learning and physical training. Challenged with the need to transpose face-to-face activities into a learning culture based on remote communication, the U15 team coaching staff created a process to prescribe physical training, and to teach and discuss football tactical issues with young players during the period of social isolation. This perspective article shows that it is possible for sports institutions to create programs for the development of young athletes within the social isolation/distancing context, considering both theoretical-tactical learning and physical training processes. The adaptation to remote environments as structures for the learning culture seems a challenge, but is also a good alternative for young players to develop their interpretation and perception of football theoretical-tactical issues.

Moving Away: Intra-National Migration Experiences of Brazilian Men Elite Futsal Players During Youth

“…Considering that the more capitals migrants have access to, the higher are their chances of a successful performance (Križaj et al, 2016), and that the lack of capitals is one of the main reasons for the forced and early return of migrants to their hometown (Meyer, 2001), the impact of the absence of support can be even critical and determinant over athletes' careers within a country with high social inequality, and cultural diversity such as Brazil (Knijnik, 2013). Because of this, sport clubs have even more responsibility over the care of young players within this particular socioeconomic context (Morbi et al, 2021).…”