SÃO PAOLO – The summer has officially started in Brazil. The schools have closed, those who can have left the city and recreational activities have become increasingly limited. However, Inter Campus does not stop, providing a service for the many children who are looking to fill what would be empty days for them. As a result, there is a need to come up with innovative ideas, seeking to create a euphoric atmosphere without losing educational focus.
The children understandably turn up their noses when we tell them that we will be going to a museum. Nobody wants to spend their holidays visiting an exhibition. However, little do they know that it is Brazil’s Football Museum, the most visited cultural establishment in São Paolo and is a place of worship for all lovers of this sport.
The two coaches leave late on Saturday morning from just outside the parish and counting both children and mentors, there are more than 90 of us! After about an hour we arrive at the Stadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho, having travelled right through the city and seen its many skyscrapers. Splitting up into groups, we soon begin our tour of the museum. We see holograms of past champions, historic photos and also videos of Brazil’s triumphs. Even the smallest children take it all in, despite not having seen the great Green and Yellow sides from the past. The final rooms include one entitled the rules of the Game and then others consisting of virtual pitches and also walls to measure the speed of penalties.
The afternoon was one filled with questions and joy, as we discovered a new way to enjoy sport. Today we may not have headed out on to the pitch, but it was perhaps our best training session yet.
12.01.2018