Adolescents and Soccer: Where Masculinity is at Play

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Adolescents and Soccer Where Masculinity is at
Play
Rodrigo Aguirre , Francisco Aguayo, Juan José
Perez September 2003
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(In) This Presentation

• Theoretical Basis
• Global PAHO Project
• CIDE Project
• Intervention Model
• Coachs Guide

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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)

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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 buildthem as men

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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

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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 its manly characteristics
  (agressiveness and defensiveness, speed,
  resistance, shrewdness and others)

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Basis for Intervention through Soccer

• The Soccer field and Club the community has
  legitimated soccer in its capacity for educating
  and evaluating masculinity
• The soccer club promotes the transmission of
  manly identities through generations (my father
  and uncles 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.

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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.

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Global PAHO Project 3 Phases

• Development of a manual and validation
• Adaptation in five selected countries of the
  Region
• Scale-up

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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 Certifica
te Monitoring
1. Concentration and psychosocial issues
2. Playing in the field
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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
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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

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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

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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

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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?)

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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!