Day 10: No to Soccer, Yes to... Cricket?

If you have been following the blog since the start of my trip, not only are you a glutton for punishment, you will have also be aware of my views about how young players in Brazil are developed. For new readers, I'll recap: Young kids from the favelas play futsal until the most technically proficient are picked up by clubs aged 11.  

But you know what I have not seen in the Curitiba yet? Kids playing any football. That's right... 10 days in Brazil, in a city that is a World Cup venue, and no kids playing football. 

OK, so I haven't been to a favela yet. But I've seen loads of (empty) outdoor futsal fields. At first I thought it was because I am staying in the city centre and the kids are in school during the day (and no-one goes out after 6pm when it gets dark due to safety concerns). But on Sunday I took a 3hr bus tour around the city. We went through most of the major 'suburbs.' I passed more than 10 futsal fields, plus at least 10 other grassy or dirt areas with goalposts, and did not see one kid playing any type of soccer. I see more kids playing soccer in Canada (and I'm not talking organized soccer here - I mean pick-up games).

I did see kids playing another sport. And you wouldn't believe me if I had not managed to take this photo:

It's CRICKET. In Brasil. Yes, CRICKET IN BRAZIL. 

According to the always impeccably accurate and trustworthy internet (specifically, wikipedia):

In Curitiba the focus has been on teaching children aged 8–12. The Associaçao Brasileira de Cricket employed a local junior development officer/coach for three years, and the success of the programme, which works with about 300 kids at four schools, was recognized by the ICC through the Volunteer of the Year Award presented to Norman Baldwin and to the programme itself for Best Junior Development Programme. This ongoing programme provided the platform for a very successful U13s tournament held in July 2009 in Curitiba, played between Argentina, the eventual winners, Chile and Brazil.

So no to soccer, but yes to cricket... what is happening?

Well, the obvious answer is social class. I've heard "it's only the kids in the favelas who play football." Parents' concerns about their children's safety also play into it, because they do not want their children to spend time outdoors unsupervised. 

This is probably a good time to mention that, according to a 2014 study, about 20% of Brazilian children are overweight or obese. This is an increasing problem as urbanization accelerates and and socioeconomic conditions improve across several Latin American countries. Interestingly, one of our guest speakers (Alessandro Brita from CAP) said that he finds it increasingly difficult to scout young players because of problems with sedentary behavior and increasing levels of overweight/obesity.

And for the football nerds, it's time for you to go on the internet and figure out how Kaka became a footballer.