Abstract
The need to create equitable opportunities for women in sport has been widely acknowledged. In recent times, research on women’s futsal has increased somewhat moderately, particularly in Brazil, Spain and Portugal. However, more studies are needed to enhance scholars’ and practitioners’ understandings of issues related to equity in women’s futsal, which can help foster more just sport environments. Therefore, the present study explored Portuguese coaches and athletes’ perspectives on the current status quo in women's futsal in Portugal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six coaches and six athletes actively involved within high-performance women’s futsal. An Interpretative Description Methodology was used, which can involve the use of a diverse range of approaches towards qualitative data analysis. In this case, to provide an in-depth overview of participant stories, reflexive thematic analysis was used. Findings revealed a perceived lack of support from decision makers towards equity promotion, which led to few affordances being provided for female athletes to thrive. Coaches and athletes tended to accept the current conventions in women’s futsal. Particularly, athletes remain silent and accept any conditions provided in both training and competition. These conditions can lead to the normalization of inequities throughout the athlete developmental process. The current system was perceived to have reinforced a gendered culture by oppressing and discriminating female athletes. To challenge the status quo, it may be necessary to promote developmental programs committed to fostering increases in critical consciousness amongst all sport decision makers. This study reinforces the need to facilitate more just and equitable environments.
