Adolescents and Soccer: Where Masculinity is at Play

1. Adolescents and Soccer: Where Masculinity is at Play Rodrigo Aguirre , Francisco Aguayo, Juan José Perez September 2003

2. (In) This Presentation: • Theoretical Basis • Global PAHO Project • CIDE Project • Intervention Model • Coach´s Guide

3. Health and Developmental challenges in adolescents • Understanding masculinity as a social construct. • It is necesary to go beyond risky behavior and intervene in the process of identity building • It is necesary to go where adolescents are and become men (i.e: the soccer field)

4. Masculinity: a social construct • Men ¨built¨ themselves in relation with and as opposite to women and present themselves as ¨men¨ in front of other men • They confront mandates, transitions and behavior patterns that ¨build¨them as men

5. Basis for Intervention though Soccer: • In LA there is still a ¨traditional¨ and hegemonic model of masculinity and it has some fissures that allow psycho-social intervention • Most of these mandates, transitions and behaviors associated with masculinity building are present in the soccer field

6. Basis for Intervention through Soccer: • Belonging to the ¨Soccer world¨ is seen as a transition from the mother to the father • The ¨fissures¨ in the traditional masculinity concept are easily expressed and allow direct intervention • Sports are particularly relevant for the young, specially Soccer (in LA). It allows for the development of the body and the building of the character with it’s manly characteristics (agressiveness and defensiveness, speed, resistance, shrewdness and others)

7. Basis for Intervention through Soccer: • The Soccer field and Club: the community has legitimated soccer in it’s capacity for educating and evaluating masculinity • The soccer club promotes the transmission of manly identities through generations (¨my father and uncle¨s also belonged to the club¨) • The key person is the COACH. He is the one who defines and regulates the activation and mandates of masculinity in the soccer field.

8. Global PAHO Project The project “Adolescents and Soccer: where masculinity is at play¨ is part of the WHO initiative to promote health and development in male adolescents and to promote gender equity.

9. Global PAHO Project: 3 Phases • Development of a manual and validation • Adaptation in five selected countries of the Region • Scale-up

10. PAHO – CIDE Project General Objectives To develop an educational and psycho-social intervention program about masculinity with pre-adolescents, using the context of popular soccer clubs, to promote alternative models to the hegemonic mandates of masculinity that enable young men to prevent disease and have improved health and human development.

11. Specific Objectives • To identify the educational and psycho-social needs of pre-adolescents members of popular soccer clubs • To identify the group management abilities and deficits of the coaches • To define a strategy and develop an educational and psycho-social intervention model on masculinity issues in pre-adolescent members of popular soccer clubs • To develop an educational program that includes the writing of a manual and a training program for soccer coaches and workshops for pre-adolescent members of popular soccer clubs

12. Study Elements • Recommendations for the development of an educational program appropriate to the age of the participants. • The coach-coachee relationship (Mutual respect, responsibility,...) • Thoughts and beliefs of the coaches about the children • Thoughts and beliefs of the coaches about themselves

13. Soccer Suited to the Pre-Adolescent Style • Focused on the fun side of the game • Coach must be sensitive to the players rights. More of a guide than a teacher • Promoting a gender-equitable masculinity • Situational Leadership • Knowledge and abilities related to psycho-social issues

14. Intervention Model Educational Program Soccer school “Playing for health” Educational Program for Pre-Adolescents SOCCER SCHOOL 9 sessions Educational Material : MANUAL FOR THE COACH/MONITOR Educational Program for Coaches TRAINING Certificate Monitoring 1. Concentration and psychosocial issues 2. Playing in the field

15. The Sessions of the Manual Session 1: My rights as a player Session 2: My record as a player Session 3: The field of Life Session 4: Team play Session 5: Soccer: Passions and feelings Session 6: Healthier Soccer without drugs Session 7: Soccer ¿Fair or unfair play? Session 8: My affections and desires Session 9: The celebration of soccer Vertical text goes here

16. Validation • A validation study was done with a group of coaches • The educational material was tested with a group of pre-adolescents • Revisions were made to the educational material

17. Findings • It is important to keep the psycho-social intervention within the limits allowed by the soccer game • Tension between biological and cultural explanation of behaviors • Participants found the issues motivating and provocative but sometimes very distant from the soccer game • The coaches in the pilot study showed a type of masculinity of the classic hegemonic model - we think it possible to change that • Coach R made changes as a monitor after his participation in the study • The facilitators were redeined as part of the technical body

18. Facilitating Factors • The coach is seen as a leader and guide and is admired by the young. He transfers them experiences and is not seen as a teacher • When the coaches are motivated and inquisitive • When the issues are closely related to soccer • When facilitators and therapists work in the field coordinated by the coach • Having the chance of formal training certified by an educational institution

19. Obstacles • Soccer and the soccer field can be a closed space and resistant to new issues and players • The masculinity model of the coaches (hegemonic) • Tha date (wheather, vacations, timing?)

20. Recommendations • Adequate selection of the participants by: motivation, interest in psycho-social issues, flexibility, commitment and teaching skills • Clearly define the objective group and adapt the program to their skill level • Training has an experiential and biographic dimension • The contents must be simple and not too much • NEVER forget that this is a soccer school that we joined voluntarily and invited ourselves into the team. We should not be dismissed!