Futsal feminino escolar no município de Rio Largo-AL: uma análise interseccional

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze, from an intersectional perspective, how female student-athletes playing futsal at a state public school in Rio Largo, Alagoas, experience their participation and athletic development, considering both their subjective experiences and how the institution records, organizes, and acknowledges this activity. The study adopted a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach and involved 10 female student-athletes from the school futsal team, aged between 15 and 18 years. Data production was carried out through semi-structured interviews, a small focus group, documentary analysis of state-level institutional materials, including curriculum guidelines, reports and pedagogical directives, as well as media records related to girls’ school futsal. The data were analyzed through analytical categories that emerged from the participants’ narratives, guided by an intersectional perspective. The results show that entry into futsal is largely mediated by male figures, reflecting gender hierarchies that persist within school and community contexts. The students’ narratives indicate that the local territory, characterized by social vulnerability, violence and restrictions on female mobility, imposes additional barriers to accessing and remaining in the sport. Simultaneously, gender and sexuality stereotypes emerge that seek to delegitimize the girls’ presence in the sport, even as the futsal court itself serves as a space for resistance, belonging and identity affirmation. The analysis of institutional documents revealed a discourse that acknowledges the importance of sport but says little about girls’ futsal, highlighting processes of silencing. In contrast, media records grant visibility to the students when they are associated with competitions and results, pointing to a tension between institutional invisibility and public recognition. As an educational product, an Analytical-Propositive Guide was developed to support the strengthening and retention of girls in school futsal, based on the research findings. The study concludes that, while girls’ school futsal is marked by inequalities related to gender, race, class and territory, it also serves as a space for belonging, resistance and the creation of new possibilities for the students. Ensuring girls’ presence in sports requires more than simply allowing them to participate; it calls for intentional pedagogical and institutional actions capable of acknowledging their journeys, addressing silencing and strengthening their continued involvement in school futsal.