Creating and maintaining social networks: women’s participation in Basque pilota. [Creación y mantenimiento de redes sociales: participación de mujeres en pelota vasca].

Basque pilota is a traditional sport played mainly by men. A project emerged in 2005 to promote female participation: Emakumea Pilotari (Woman pelota player). In this article we present the main points that emerged from an ethnographic study of the social relationships that playing Basque pilota can provide. The study was carried out in 2011-2012 season with a purposive sample of 28 adult women Basque pilota players (pilotaris) (between 22 and 60 years old). 26 participants were pilotaris in recreational groups and the other two were their trainers. The results suggest that a sense of community, team membership, the development of a general reciprocity and group security are the most import…