A Brazilian men’s football sensation in 2025, Mirassol will have a women’s team for the first time in the club’s history. Former coordinator of the Corinthians base, Rafaela Esteves was announced by Leão Caipira, on Tuesday (13), as executive of the women’s sport.
According to the club from the interior of São Paulo, Rafaela will have the mission of “leading the structuring, planning and development of the department, aligned with Mirassol’s institutional growth project in the women’s football scene”. With a degree in Physical Education and a postgraduate degree in Sports Administration and Marketing, the 39-year-old manager worked at Ferroviária, in addition to Corinthians.
The place in the Libertadores achieved with fourth place in the last Brazilian Championship led Mirassol to create the women’s football department. One of the requirements of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) for clubs to compete in men’s continental tournaments is that they have a women’s team.
Rafaela Esteves is Leão’s women’s football executive 🦁💛
The professional was at Corinthians and has already worked at Ferroviária. She arrives to lead the structuring of the club’s new department.
More details: https://t.co/dUo5qj8mCr
📸 JP Pinheiro/Ag. Mirassol pic.twitter.com/MpIPgHiq7h
— Mirassol (@mirassolfc) January 14, 2026
Even before Rafaela’s announcement, however, Leão Caipira had already started structuring the sport. In December, the club purchased a new training center in the city, 450 kilometers from São Paulo. The space is undergoing renovation to accommodate the women’s team and the men’s youth teams, from under-11 to under-17. The investment is R$5 million.
Mirassol’s goal is to compete in this year’s Campeonato Paulista Feminino, through which it can qualify for the Series A3 (third division) of the 2027 Brasileirão. The Series A1 (first division), it is worth remembering, will be broadcast live from TV Brasil for the second year in a row.
