The Train Tracks of the Ball

This virtual exhibition is one of the results of the traveling exhibition Trilhos da Bola, which opened in December 2025 in the city of Araraquara-SP. It is divided into two sections: The tracks enter the field and From the stations to the stadiums.

We invite you on a journey through time along the paths of football. We have selected 7 railway lines, passing through 10 cities and linked to the founding of 11 São Paulo football clubs. Through images and text, you will discover and connect these stories, which make up the history of the State of São Paulo itself. Grab your ticket, the train whistle has already sounded!

Water and sewage systems were installed, public lighting switched to gas or electricity, and communication became faster with the spread of telegraphy and telephony. Animal-drawn transport was replaced by trams and cars. With the establishment of factories and industries, commerce grew and diversified. The urban landscape was transformed, and its greatest symbol was the locomotive.

In a short time, bandstands, theaters, and cinemas appeared. Newspapers and circuses began to travel through the countryside. Associations of social groups were formed. In this context of valuing symbols of modernity such as spectacle, consumption, and physical education, football clubs emerged.

Among its founders, including students, immigrants, and workers, was Miguel do Carmo, a railway worker for the Paulista Railway Company. The date and name chosen were a direct tribute to the railway. It is the club from the interior of São Paulo state that has contributed the most players to the Brazilian National Team in World Cups.

On May 17th of the following year, supporters decided to re-establish it with a new name in homage to the railroad: thus, Paulista F.C. was born. Its stadium, Dr. Jayme Cintra, was named after the former president of the railroad. Its greatest glory was in 2005, when it won the Copa do Brasil.

The first major achievement came in 1943, when the club became the champion of the interior of the state. Five years later, it turned professional. It participated in the elite of national football in 1978, when it had Jairzinho, the "Hurricane of 70". The stadium's name honors one of the railway directors, Dr. Alfredo de Castilho.

It emerged from the merger of three teams that included railway workers from the Mogiana Railway Company. In fact, the nickname "Panther of Mogiana" was given after the club won the Campeonato Paulista do Interior (São Paulo State Interior Championship) in 1927. It became nationally known for producing stars like the brothers Sócrates and Raí.

The São Paulo Railway Athletic Club was only officially founded on February 16, 1919. The club adopted the name Nacional A.C. only in 1947, when the railway ceased to be English and was nationalized. The name of its stadium, Nicolau Alayon, honors the head of traffic for the S.P.R. and one of the main enthusiasts for its construction.

The idea of ​​founding a sports club materialized on April 12th of that year, thus giving birth to A.A. Ferroviária. Five years later, the club acquired land next to the railway workshops for the construction of its first stadium. It experienced its peak in the 1950s.

In 1939, the club changed its name to Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana F.C. Its emblem is shaped like a locomotive, and its stadium, located in the railway complex, honors one of its directors, Dr. Rui Costa Rodrigues.

In addition to the name, the club adopted the company's colors: blue, yellow, and red, and honored one of its engineers by naming its stadium after him, Dr. Horácio Antônio da Costa. After experiencing its peak in the 1940s and 50s, it ceased operations in the 1960s with the decline of the Mogiana Railway Company.

The inaugural match was against A.A. Ferroviária, the team of Araraquara workers from the Cia. Paulista E.F. With just over a decade of existence, in 1958, América reached the elite of São Paulo football.

In the 1950s, the club competed in regional amateur championships, relying on transportation provided by the railroad. In the 1960s, it changed its name to Ferroviário Atlético Ituano, adopting the definitive name Ituano F.C. in 1990. It has won the Campeonato Paulista twice, in 2002 and 2014.

The debut was against another railway club, E.C. Mogiana of Campinas. In six years, the team reached the elite of São Paulo football, becoming a breeding ground for stars. Since the beginning of the 21st century, it has become a benchmark in women's football, winning state, national and continental titles.