Brazil’s first official football pitch lies in a village and has never hosted an official match | OneFootball

Brazil’s first official football pitch sits in Paranapiacaba, a Santo André village, laid out by Charles Miller in 1894, yet it has never hosted an official match.

According to Globo.com, Miller returned from England in 1894 with a rulebook, two balls and boots, then marked out a 92 by 52 metre pitch with wooden goals.

Paranapiacaba was built by the São Paulo Railway to house workers on the Santos to Jundiaí line. There are no official match records for the pitch at the Federação Paulista de Futebol, with historical documents lost. The first recorded official match in Brazil was on 14 April 1895 at Várzea do Carmo in São Paulo, between São Paulo Railway staff and Companhia de Gás.

The most storied game there came in 1925, when local side Serrano beat Corinthians 2-1 in a friendly, the trophy now sits in the museum. In 2023 the ground was refurbished for almost R$ 4 million, upgrading dressing rooms, stand, turf and infrastructure for friendlies and community sport.

Early clubs Sociedade Recreativa Lyra da Serra and Serrano Athletico Club merged in 1936 to form União Lyra Serrano, still amateur and playing occasional games, with use of the pitch approved by Santo André city hall. The site and the Charles Miller Memorial now welcome visitors, with tourism helping to preserve this chapter in Brazil’s football story.

Source: Globo.com