Football Museum opens 'Trilhos da Bola' exhibition in Araraquara | OneFootball

Between the train tracks and the coffee plantations that covered the interior of São Paulo, the landscape that would shape the State of São Paulo was forged. In the comings and goings of the locomotives, which carried immigrants and grains, new dreams and passions also arrived – among them, football. Deepening the relationship between railway heritage and the consolidation of sports in the State, the Football Museum, an institution of the Department of Culture, Economy, and Creative Industries of the Government of São Paulo, inaugurates on December 5th in Araraquara (SP) the exhibition Tracks of the Ball. The exhibition will be on display at the Railway Museum "Francisco Aureliano de Araújo". The official opening will be at 6 PM with representatives from the city, the Football Museum, and Sisem-SP, along with a gastronomic fair, handicrafts, and musical attraction featuring country rhythms.

The chosen location for the exhibition is the perfect setting to connect the historical context of the tracks to that of football. The railway station, built in 1912, features a rectangular layout with a covered platform parallel to the tracks, and includes a train shed and other buildings such as warehouses and workshops, characterized by an eclectic architecture. Now functioning as a museum, it displays a diverse collection of tools, railway objects, and documents, providing visitors with an immersion into the railway history of Araraquara.

The exhibition Tracks of the Ball acknowledges the fundamental role that railways played in the social transformation and cultural of the State of São Paulo from the 19th century, when the advancement of the coffee economy and railway transport reshaped the territory and directly influenced the spread of football throughout the interior of São Paulo.

Organized into two axes: “Tracks Enter the Field” and “From Stations to Stadiums”, Tracks of the Ball presents ten cities and eleven clubs of railway origin, highlighting how the rail lines and their workers – many of whom became founders of the first clubs – helped consolidate football as one of the main elements of Brazilian identity.

The first axis presents the historical context and social aspects of the expansion of São Paulo's railways and its impacts on the formation of cities, work relations, and the daily life connected to the modernization brought by the railways and the emergence of urban life, a scenario in which football began to popularize throughout the interior of the State. Two installations also help tell this story: a topographic model of the State of São Paulo and an interactive diorama with miniature trains that highlight the heritage of football and railways on different scales.

In the second axis, football is the protagonist, and the history and curiosities of clubs are revealed. There is also the presence of the mascots Ferrão Maquinista and Guerreira Grená, along with guessing games that invite the public to have fun while learning. The sound environment combines the sounds of trains and tracks with the vibrant atmosphere of football, creating a complete and immersive experience.

Represented in the exhibition are the clubs Associação Atlética Ponte Preta (Campinas), Paulista Futebol Clube (Jundiaí/SP), Esporte Clube Noroeste (Bauru/SP), Botafogo Futebol Clube (Ribeirão Preto/SP), Nacional Atlético Clube (São Paulo/SP), Associação Atlética Ferroviária (Pindamonhangaba/SP), Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana Futebol Clube (Sorocaba/SP), Esporte Clube Mogiana (Campinas/SP), América Futebol Clube (São José do Rio Preto), Ituano Futebol Clube (Itu/SP), and Associação Ferroviária de Esportes (Araraquara).

The exhibition route includes accessibility resources, including videolibras, audio description, and a tactile panel with photography, reinforcing the Football Museum's commitment to promoting inclusive and accessible experiences for all audiences.

The exhibition is part of the Museums Connections Program, an initiative of the Football Museum in partnership with the State Museum System of São Paulo (SISEM-SP). The program aims to strengthen the museum field in São Paulo through training in regional hubs, the articulation of thematic networks, and encouraging the sharing of practices and research among the state's museums.

The traveling exhibition Tracks of the Ball is supported by the Cultural Action Program – ProAC of the Department of Culture, Economy, and Creative Industries of the Government of the State of São Paulo. The project is part of the 2025 Season of the Football Museum, carried out by the Government of the State of São Paulo and the Ministry of Culture through the Rouanet Law, and is sponsored by Mercado Livre, Arkema, Goodyear, EMS Pharmaceuticals, and Itaú Unibanco; with support from Adidas, Grupo Globo, Pinheiro Neto Advogados, Grupo Zanchetta, and Sabesp. The exhibition is in partnership with the Municipal Government of Araraquara, through the Municipal Department of Culture and Fundart.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.