Sociodemographic mapping of players and clubs in the Brazilian championship in the 2022 to 2024 seasons

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct descriptive sociodemographic mapping to characterize the profile of women's soccer clubs and players in the national elite level for the 2022-2024 seasons. Exploratory documentary research was conducted. The sample consisted of 23 clubs, with 401 players in 2022, 351 in 2023, and 393 in 2024. Data were collected from the CBF website, official club pages, and other digital platforms. The variables for the clubs were; city, state, region, and HDI, and for the female players were; city, state, region, MHDI, and population of the city of birth. The results highlight the predominance of the Southeast region, especially the state and city of São Paulo, both in the number of clubs and the athletes' birthplaces. Furthermore, in the three seasons, the number of clubs representing the North/Northeast region was lower compared to the South/Southeast. Finally, almost all the states where the clubs were located had high or very high HDI values, and most of the players' birth cities had high MHDI values. It follows that the Southeast has the largest number of clubs and the most players born in this region, illustrating a significant imbalance compared to other regions of the country.