Opinion – Renata Mendonça: The base comes strong when there is investment

The Brazilian women’s under-17 team won the South American title in the category last weekend. An impeccable campaign with 33 goals scored and none conceded with seven games and seven wins.

Numbers that show the disparity of the basic categories of women’s football in South America. But they also give us a little hope that their future is already very promising.

This was the fourth title of the women’s team in the competition, which has existed since 2008 and takes place every two years. It was Brazil’s best campaign in the tournament’s history and also the first time that the Brazilians played a South American base since the CBF started to organize under-18 and under-16 tournaments.

And the difference it makes is remarkable. Among the under-17 squads that were in Uruguay, all are in club activities, playing in youth competitions. As basic as this sounds, it is something absolutely recent – ​​and unheard of. The first grassroots competition created by the CBF at the national level took place only in 2019, with the Brazilian under-18. It’s been “only” three years since Brazil has been doing something to develop the countless talents that have always emerged here in women’s football.

Before that, there was the Paulista sub-17 created six years ago, in addition to the Gaúcho sub-17 and the Carioca sub-17 that started to be held recently.

This means that, until recently, a girl who wanted to be a soccer player in Brazil would not have the chance to do so in a club, playing in federated competitions, until she was at least 15 or 16 years old and played in an adult team, skipping all training steps.

Even today, for girls of eight, nine, ten years old, it is still very rare to find a female base category to play, a female competition to compete in. The most common is to see these girls entering football in boys’ schools and clubs – and often being banned from playing competitions because the regulation “does not accept girls”.

It is true that there was a ban by law that prevented women from playing football for 40 years (from 1941 to 1979). But the ban continued, only informally. Girls could play, but where? They could be players if they wanted to, but how would they develop? They were simply never given what has long been seen among boys: opportunity and encouragement.

Glad that’s starting to change. Still at a slow pace, but at least we started to walk. With the Brazilian sub-18, the sub-16, the Conmebol Sub-14 and Sub-16 Development Tournament, the girls now have the chance to train in football. Basic stages of technical and tactical development, fundamentals, etc., which were never fulfilled with them.

It was evident on the field how much activity in clubs makes a difference to what a base team can present. The tactical organization, physically stronger athletes (even at 15 or 16 years old), more aware of their movements during the game and with a collective behavior that drew attention. Talent has always existed, but it needed to be honed.

We are still far behind the top teams in the world in women’s football. In the United States, girls play from the age of four or five, there are competitions of all categories at the most different levels. In France, the same thing. In fact, France and Spain are some of the teams that have evolved the most in recent years (the French are still at a higher level), and the key to that was the investment in the base.

But the light at the end of the tunnel for us has never been so bright. We finally seem to be walking towards her.