One of the main driving forces behind the initiative is professional pelota player Arrate Bergara, who has been training a group of women in Bergara with the 'goxa' pelota style for about two years. "I train eight girls in Bergara, aged between 24 and 40," Bergara explained. The team is part of the Bergara Pelota Club and meets weekly on Tuesdays for training. Until now, their activity has been limited to training and participating in club meetings and internal tournaments.
In the September 26th event, in addition to the eight local players, several invited players from Lemoa will also participate. A relationship formed during a previous encounter between the two groups led to the invitation. Following the initial matches, a popular activity will take place, offering an opportunity for all interested girls and women to participate.
To conclude the afternoon, an elite doubles match will be played. Initially, the pair of Olatz Arrizabalaga and Irati Zabala was scheduled to face Amaia Aldai and Arrate Bergara. However, Aldai will be unable to participate and will be replaced by another player. Additionally, a small market will be set up to enhance the event's atmosphere.
The main objective of the event is to provide visibility to women's pelota in the town. "We thought about organizing a day focused on women's pelota in the town to give it visibility and encourage more people to train," Bergara stated. She emphasized the importance for young girls to see women pelota players as role models in the frontons, and for those who wanted to play but couldn't to be encouraged to do so now.
According to Bergara, although women's pelota is gaining more presence, it is still necessary to organize events like this to showcase it. "Often, in pelota festivals, women play first and then men, with the exception of the Master Cup. Therefore, it's good to have a dedicated day for women," she said.
The event has been organized with the support of the Bergara City Council, and the organizers encourage residents to attend the fronton on September 26th.
