From Favela To World Cup Winners
Ana Clara Ferreira, Brazil
Ana Clara Ferreira, 18, is a footballer from the Complexo de Penha favela in Rio de Janeiro and works with the Street Child United Brazil (SCUB) project. SCUB helps to support youth in the community by providing training sessions away from the common violence on the streets in Complexo da Penha, which is classified as one of the most violent communities in Rio. Playing on the streets since she was seven years old, she represented Brazil with SCUB and won the 2018 Street Child World Cup in Moscow. She plays for Bangu – a club in Rio State’s first division. Ana Clara’s story reveals the role of SCUB in her life and her dreams of becoming a successful football player.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
My name is Ana Clara Ferreira, I'm 18 years old. I am a footballer and I'm part of the Street Child United Brazil (SCUB) project as a communication intern. I started playing football at about 7 years old, so I already had an understanding of the game and I had the opportunity to travel twice to Russia with SCUB. I have always dreamt of being a great soccer player and I'm now on that path. In pursuit of my dream, I'm training with the football club Bangu in order to play in the adult state championship.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
The photos were taken at the SCUB Campinho in Caracol in Complexo da Penha. I tried to show the beauty of our field and community, and the way that children help to take care of the field.
After the Street Child World Cup in 2014, SCUB partnered with GM Chevrolet to build a multipurpose soccer field, inaugurated by Arsenal Invincible and 2015 World Cup winner Gilberto Silva. Since then, it has been visited by coaches from Manchester United along with legends Dwight Yorke and Quinton Fortune. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as it is the community's only recreational area. Because of this, repairs are frequent and will need to be renovated again soon. Last time, the turf was donated by Maracana stadium.
Organized training sessions for boys and girls are delivered by SCUB youth trainers, all of whom are residents of the site. In a very hostile part of town, it's a safe place for children to play. Since I joined SCUB, I have seen this as a form of hope, of opportunity. That's what SCUB means to kids, it means giving them a better way when no one else can.
Are there any good stories connected with the people or teams you photographed?
The photos show children from Penha and some girls who travelled to Moscow for the Street Child World Cup in 2018, where we won the tournament.
My experiences in Moscow were the best possible, I managed to make friends, learn new cultures and even practice some English. We also won the competition representing Brazil. On top of leaving with the tournament victory, knowing different things that I could not even imagine knowing was amazing.
What is your favourite photo?
It's the photo that shows the little field and the whole community, with the Penha church in the background.
I always say to everyone that growing up in the Penha complex was necessary for me. I was able to learn what is needed very early, but I also learned that there are always people willing to help. I learned humility. I learned that although there is always a bad way, good always prevails. I learned a lot living in the community. I think what I am today is because I live in that community.
What are the opportunities for female footballers in Brazil?
Honestly, there are still few opportunities to become a player. In Brazil, women's football is still on the way to becoming a valued sport with less prejudice. My message to those who think football is just for boys is to support women's football more. We are not fighting or saying who is better or who is bigger, we just ask you to support this love that we feel and want to play the same way.
Why is football so important for Brazil and its people? What role does it play?
In Brazil, we have made football much more than a sport, we turned it into union, opportunities and even therapy, a way to bring together people of all different ethnicities and cultures. We can see this in World Cups, all cheering together for the same thing and with the same feelings.
What does football mean to you?
Football for me is a mixture of refuge and love, I have learned and still learn a lot from football that I will carry for the rest of my life. What I like most about football is what it can give me, in addition to football, things like creating a bond of friendship and unity with each person. I have always had support from my family to play football, even when I didn't take it so seriously - they encouraged me a lot.
What role has SCUB played in your life?
SCUB played a very important role for me both with the travel opportunities and the opportunity to do the communication internship. SCUB played a role in shaping my life choices.
What are your ambitions for the future?
My ambitions for the future are for my football to be successful, and for me to be able to help tell as many stories as possible from the children in the SCUB project. Since I came to the conclusion that I wanted football in my life, the aim has always been to become a great football professional. My focus is to travel and improve in another country.
What is the future for Brazilian men's and women's football?
Men’s football in Brazil has a lot of future prospects and investment, it is targeted by teams and people from other countries. Despite Brazil being the home of football, there is still a lot of inequality and discrimination in women's football, I think this also ends up discouraging many athletes. Women's football is still in the process of becoming big, so it's still a sport that suffers a lot of inequality.
Series edited by Emma Walley.
