Player care: how Vasco embraced a key role for squad players?

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Papo na Colina

·14 aprile 2026

Player care: how Vasco embraced a key role for squad players?

Brazilian football is experiencing a new administrative era, and Vasco has stood out by embracing the Player Care culture. This practice, already well established and mandatory in the demanding European market, aims to provide full support to athletes and their families with off-the-field matters. The Rio club is part of the national group of pioneers with this department, alongside Cruzeiro, Bahia, Coritiba, Atlético-MG, Bragantino, Santos and Botafogo.

The official creation of this department at São Januário happened recently, having been launched during the short tenure of executive Pedro Martins, between May and July 2024. Since then, the project has proven to be a huge internal success, and president Pedrinho made sure not only to keep it, but to expand the entire structure for the benefit of the professional squad.

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The structuring of Player Care at Vasco

At the São Januário club, this important initiative gained momentum and was greatly expanded during the current administration of president Pedrinho. The project was methodically structured by Leandro Amorim, former coordinator of the area at the Giant of the Hill. He used to work closely with the players and was responsible for welcoming signings, such as Argentine Spinelli, at the airport.

The specialist was responsible for teaching the first class on the subject at the CBF Academy and made a point of highlighting the financial importance of this extra care for multimillion-dollar signings:

“I want clubs to be aware of this. I want boards to understand that caring for the athlete is essential. We pay these guys a lot of money, there’s a lot of money at stake. The very least is a little extra care, nothing major. For the club, it’s negligible.”

The professional sees the department as the main link connecting the various day-to-day needs:

“Player Care is a microorganism in there that, working together, makes it impossible for things not to happen.”

Leandro Amorim, former Vasco Player Care coordinator, welcomes Spinelli at the airport — Photo: Matheus Lima / CRVG

Shielding the locker room and vital support in emergencies

One of the department’s absolute priorities at the Cruz-Maltino club is psychological shielding on matchdays. Leandro revealed how the team worked to avoid distractions:

“Once the team talk is over, the athlete usually has his phone in hand. One of the things we established was: ‘Any problem, call Player Care.’ It can’t reach the athlete. The idea was that anything happening off the field would not reach the athlete.”

The former Vasco coordinator gave an example of how strict this information block was before kickoff:

“So-and-so is coming to the match and got into a car accident. Are you going to call the athlete? No, you’re not going to tell him anything. We handle it, we find a way. After the match, we’ll talk to him.”

Family Space at São Januário, where relatives wait for the players to come out after Vasco matches — Photo: Dikran Sahagian / CRVG

The exclusive space and the project’s completion

The administration’s care also actively extends to the players’ companions, who were given a comfortable and exclusive area in the gym attached to São Januário. The department set up a VIP space with plentiful food, massage services, and a children’s recreation area (with a bounce house and slide) so families can wait for the athletes safely and comfortably after matches.

This off-the-field care shines especially bright in medical emergency situations. In October last year, defender Robert Renan suffered a severe concussion during the derby against Flamengo at the Maracanã. The department acted quickly, went to the hospital, and kept the defender’s family constantly updated.

“We passed along the first information to the family immediately, before TV said anything. Then, the next day, they called me and thanked me a lot for how well treated they felt and for the level of professionalism and care that they are not used to seeing elsewhere. They are far away, but they feel safe.”

In short, Vasco has turned off-the-field care into an indispensable tool for achieving great results on the pitch.

Family Space at São Januário has toys and other activities for children and other people connected to the players — Photo: Dikran Sahagian / CRVG

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