Análise da gestão do voleibol do Praia Clube de Uberlândia

Abstract

Introduction: Volleyball is currently the second most practiced sport in Brazil, behind only soccer. It underwent a professionalization process in the last decades in different areas, such as the ones regarding the players, the coaches and, most importantly, the managers, who were fundamental for the growth of volleyball in Brazil. In this perspective, the present study will attempt to understand the evolution of the sport from the amateur to the professional level, by analyzing one of the largest teams in the national scenery of the sport, also known as Praia Clube, from the city of Uberlandia. Objective: To analyze the strategies used by the Praia Clube’s volleyball management team to ascend the sport from the amateur to the professional level from 2008 to 2020, as well as the vision of the people involved in this process (managers, coaching staff, and athletes). Methodology: During the collection of data, documental research was done in official news portals and websites of the team, of the federation, and of the confederation. On the field research a questionnaire was used for managers, coaching staff, and athletes, with questions regarding the characterization of the interviewed people and, afterwards, about the team’s volleyball project. A total of 9 (nine) individuals who have been part of Praia Clube’s volleyball team participated in this research, being 2 (two) managers, 2 (two) coaching staff members, and 5 (five) athletes. Results: From the analyzed data, it was possible to realize that the trajectory of the team from the “amateur” to the professional level was a well-built process that relied on the strong infrastructure of the sports club, which presented a gradual evolution, ruled by clear objectives that attracted partners and supporters, who are the greatest assets for a team to be able to maintain itself on the top in the last few years. Some flawed aspects were identified in the project, such as the relationship between the adult team and the youth academy, the lack of a transitional process to maintain the athletes formed in Praia Clube, as well as the dependency on an external sponsor for the existence of the team. Conclusion: The beginning of the work that came from the youth team, which is an aspect that has currently been left behind, the participation and total importance of the sponsors for the continuity of the project, as well as the capacity of the managers and the confidence that they transfer to the members of the coaching staff and athletes, added to the physical structure of the sports club, were components that helped Praia Clube from Uberlandia to become the champion of the main national competition of the sport, and to have its place among the largest teams of the country