Brazilian women elite futsal players’ career development: diversified experiences and late sport specialization

Abstract Aims: To investigate elite women sports career development can be a way to better understand how gender issues and specific women sport practice conditions have influenced athletes’ life and personal experiences, also subside reflections on policies and pedagogic intervention on the sport. The aims of this study were to investigate and describe the process of sports career development lived by Brazilian women elite futsal players, based on their own sport experiences and perspectives on futsal. Methods: Data of this qualitative study were produced by semi-structured retrospective interviews with 13 Brazilian elite women futsal players. Data gathering and data analysis were based on the Grounded Theory method. Results: This section is organized in four axes, with their main categories in parenthesis: 1.Diversified experiences in childhood and youth (enjoyment related to diversified sport practices); 2.Initiation on ‘kicking ball games’ practices (experiences with football and futsal informal practices and suffering of prejudice related to gender issues); 3.Systematic participation in futsal practices (experiences in systematic futsal practices within older age groups); 4.The investment on elite futsal career (moving from football to futsal career). Conclusion: Interviewed players had their first sports experiences on a variety of practices during sport initiation in childhood. The beginning on systematic practice of futsal occurred later than men athletes. The lack of competitions for young girls, and the fact that futsal and other ‘ball kicking games’ are considered as men preserve practices contributed to the late sport specialization process. The athletes’ career presented strong thresholds related to gender issues on futsal.