The Cricket Brasil project encourages the growth of sport in the country along with the National Federation, and implements programs to support British sport in the mining town of Poços de Caldas.
The event featured athletes from the project who pursued their careers in the national team and gave a showcase for the sport that had risen into world centers, as well as creating a generation of athletes who began to gain international fame in a way that is not widespread in Brazil. The presentation took place on Friday morning (27), at the SPAC Club (Southern District of São Paulo), where the inhabitants of São Paulo in the early twentieth century practiced British sports.
Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world and it has gained more and more space among men and women in Brazil through the Cricket Brasil project, of the ICC (International Cricket Council, the federation that regulates the sport of the world), which aims to promote popular sport in a country where Football has its great roots.
The city of Poços de Caldas, in Minas Gerais, is the main center for the promotion of English sports, which is becoming increasingly popular and helps children and young people to acquire sporting habits in the city, making the city a place where children play. Of football which is the national passion.
Currently, approximately 2,400 girls and 2,700 boys are participating in the project, spread over eight cities in Brazil (Poços de Caldas / MG, Águas da Prata / SP, São João da Boa Vista / SP, Botelhos / MG, Aguaí / SP, Palmeiral / MG, Gonçalo / MG and Brasília / DF) where children in need most of the time learn the rules of the game and do recreational sports activities.
The main objective of Cricket Brasil is to have 30,000 children and teens be part of the project in the coming years, increasing the visibility of the sport in Brazil, getting kids out of a sedentary lifestyle and, who knows, new emerging athletes who can serve the Brazilian national team.
We want the values of sport, such as discipline, respect and working together, to make a difference in the lives of these children/teens. You don’t have to be the best in this sport, the important thing is to learn the game and be part of a team. Our sport is inclusive and we know everyone counts on everyone to make up our group – said England’s Matt Featherstone, former UK professional athlete and Head of Project Cricket Brazil.
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Thanks to Projeto Cricket Brasil’s partnership with the city of Poços de Caldas, sports have been included in the activity of 52 public schools in the city, to promote sports practice in the city where the Brazilian team trains.
In the ICC world rankings, the Brazilian men’s team appeared at 67th place, while the women’s team, the most prominent in the international scenario, ranked 28th out of 104 associates. Players for the women’s national team are professional, and receive a salary from the Brazilian Cricket Confederation.
The project has already begun to reveal athletes who have achieved international fame. One of these is the athlete Laura Cardoso, who got acquainted with the sport in 2017 through the pioneering project and has already made an appearance at the international level after being featured in the Brazilian national team.
Laura is one of the Brazilians who played in the Barmy Army, an English team that played in an international cricket tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
– I started playing cricket in the social project in Poços de Caldas, my hometown, in 2017. After some time training, our teacher gave me the opportunity to develop and play at Caldense, where I ended up excelling in training and matches, until I was able to call into the national team , where I have a contract to serve the country. Little did I know that with sports I could have this opportunity to grow, travel and meet people in the world. I was honored to wear this jersey for Brazil knowing I have a lot to learn to become a better athlete, and I am very happy that there are so many girls on the project who inspired me to be an athlete in cricket – said Laura.
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understanding sports
Cricket is a sport that uses balls and clubs, having its origins in southern England, during 1566. Considered by many as a baseball-like sport and the famous “taco”, it is inspired by a primitive medieval country game called poo-ball. It was adopted by nobles in the 17th century. It has undergone many transformations over the years until it has become a hugely admired sport in the UK, India and Pakistan.
In Brazil, it became known as taco, due to the similarity of the names, it is often confused with croquet, which is a completely different sport.
Eleven athletes play on each side. The main movements are carried out in a 20-meter rectangular strip, in the center of the court, where the ball (made of cork and leather) reaches a speed of 150 km / h. It is thrown by the bowler against the opponent’s goal (three sticks stuck in the ground, called “trunks”, the combination of which is known as a wicket), which the strike defends against. The hitter can hit the ball and then run between two areas of the court to score points (points), but can be knocked out if the ball touches the goal in an area and the hitter is not in that area.
Initially, cricket matches can last up to ten days. Today, most matches are played in halves (matches last about 2 to 5 hours).
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