Football Adventures Launches Tour of South America for Soccer Enthusiasts

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The innovative travel company, Football Adventures, is now offering a unique 11 day tour of Argentina and Brazil for soccer players, fans, and enthusiasts.

(PRWEB) February 18, 2006 -- A tour of South America, designed specifically for travelers interested in experiencing the passionate soccer culture of South America, has been launched by the Australian based travel company Football Adventures. The 11-day tour starts in Buenos Aires and finishes in Rio de Janeiro, and tour participants get to both watch and play soccer on the tour, as well as visit some of the highlights of these two countries - Argentina and Brazil.

Argentina and Brazil are undoubtedly two of the powerhouses of the world's most popular sport - soccer - known as 'football' in much of the world. In Argentina and Brazil, football is played and watched with unsurpassed passion, illustrated by a popular saying in Brazil, that "volleyball is the most popular sport - football doesn't count because it is a religion". In fact, often the distinction between the two can at times become blurred, with famous players being considered more like gods, and religious ceremonies being carried out en masse by fanatical supporters before big games.

Its no surprise then, that Brazil and Argentina are among the most successfull footballing nations in the world, winning between them, 7 of the last 12 Soccer World Cups. Brazil is the only country to qualify for every Soccer World Cup and it has won the title an unprecedented 5 times.

Apart from their success at international level, the football culture in Brazil and Argentina, and the style in which they play the game, is admired throughout the world. These two countries are often thought of as 'footballer factories', producing a large proportion of the world's best soccer players who have a reputation for playing the most creative, artistic and thrilling style of soccer. Names such as Ronaldo, Maradona, Batistuta, Romario, and of course Pele, go beyond legendary status and are probably some of the most recognizable names throughout in the world. Often these players, like true legends, grew up in some of the poorest areas of South America.

The Football Adventures tour offers the traveler a close up experience of this soccer phenomenon. Attending the local league matches is for most, a highlight of the trip. Football Adventures chooses the games that they consider will be the most interesting for the travelers. Usually these involve some of the more famous South American clubs such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, Vasco da Gama, Santos, and Flamengo. Many describe the atmosphere in the local stadiums as unforgettable. "With the samba bands and the fans going crazy for the entire game, its more like a carnival than a sporting event!" commented one tour participant.

The stadiums themselves are a point of interest, many of which are shrouded in history and legend. The Maracana stadium of Rio de Janeiro is probably the most famous of them all. Built for the 1958 Soccer World Cup, it has a capacity of 200,000 spectators and also houses an excellent museum, that traces the history of soccer in Brazil, and gives the visitor the chance to imagine being a player, walking through the change rooms and out onto the pitch. A visit to this museum is included in the Football Adventures tour.

Soccer is played nearly everywhere in these two countries and games are often played on any space or surface possible. An improvised football game of this type is called a 'picado' in Argentina and a 'pelada' in Brazil. One of the most popular places in Brazil for such a game is on the beach - Copacabana being the most famous, and participation in such a game is almost a must on the tour.

Apart from Rio de Janeiro, other destinations on the tour include the spectacular Iguazu Falls (which lie on the border between Argentina and Brazil), and Paraty which is a coveted destination in Brazil for its beaches and surrounding forests.

For more information you can visit the Football Adventures website at http://www.footballadventures.com

Football Adventures is a project of Big Planet Adventures - a creative travel company based in Australia that develops and operates small group tours in untried and special interest travel niches.

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