The ball game: a social spatial analysis of “peladeiro” territories

Abstract

The aim of this research work is to analise territoriality among “peladeiros” (nonprofessional football players) in the Mansões Paraíso neighborhood in the city of Aparecida de Goiânia-GO, Brazil. A few methodological procedures were followed and divided in two parts: “office work” and field work. The “pelada” (the match) breaks the formality of professional football since rules, playing fields, and timetables are of a lesser importance. To the “peladeiros”, the most important thing is the moment of socialization brought in by the pelada match. In the fast-paced game of this research work, we have attempted to kick off a geographical reflection on the informal territories of football. KEYWORDS: professional football players – peladeiro – football – territories - socialization.