San Sebastián city council’s newly launched Donostia Rugby project enters a defining weekend as its senior women’s team prepares for its public presentation match under newly appointed sporting director Alba Corrales, while the men’s squad, known as Balezaleak, travels for its official División de Honor B debut against Betsaide de Elorrio.
A New Social and Sporting Chapter in San Sebastián
The women’s squad brings together players from Atlético, Bera Bera, Zarautz, and Beltzak de Lasarte Oria. On Saturday at 4:00 PM local time (UTC+2) at the Miniestadio de Anoeta, the team will host a triangular friendly featuring Elorrio and Gaztegi. The fixture serves as the official introduction to supporters, club partners, local institutions, and friends following years of separation between Atlético and Bera Bera.
At the helm of the sporting project is 42-year-old Alba Corrales. Originally from Seville, Corrales arrives in San Sebastián after leading similar growth initiatives in her home city and in Pozuelo de Alarcón. “The important difference is that here we are looking at a sporting project and also a social project focused on women’s development,” Corrales said.
With an extensive background that includes playing top-tier rugby and coaching youth development, Corrales brings a broad perspective shaped by time spent living in Edinburgh, Galway, and Toulouse. She takes charge of roughly 30 senior players for the club’s inaugural campaign in the Liga Vasca, alongside supporting youth development across the participating local clubs.
“I have arrived with enormous enthusiasm,” Corrales said. “This Basque land has always appealed to me a lot, every time I came on vacation I imagined coaching one day, and finally it has been able to come true. The project is very interesting.”
Logistics, Training Grounds, and Cultural Philosophy
Corrales is currently assessing the state of rugby across Donostialdea. “I have arrived with all the enthusiasm in the world and I am seeing good predisposition. That serves as a starting point for me. There are people eager to work, to collaborate, and that way it is always easier. The feeling is positive,” she noted.
To ease travel strains for players commuting from different municipalities, the senior squad splits its training sessions between the Puio pitch in Zarautz—allowing Zarautz-based players to limit travel at least once a week—and the Miniestadio de Anoeta. Anoeta will also serve as the permanent home venue for the senior women’s matches, matching the home ground arrangement for the men’s Balezaleak squad.
Looking toward her tactical and cultural expectations on the pitch, Corrales emphasizes player agency and mutual respect over rigid scorelines. “I want a team that plays from respect, that the players are protagonists, and that the environment provides them with a respectful space so they can learn and enjoy the game,” she explained. “From those premises, improvement in competition will arrive progressively, without us realizing it.”
Next Checkpoints on the Calendar
While the women’s side makes its public bow at Anoeta against Elorrio and Gaztegi, the men’s Balezaleak squad opens its División de Honor B campaign on the road at Betsaide de Elorrio. Both fixtures mark the official kickoff for the unified Donostia Rugby structure as it takes the field in official and exhibition play.
Worth a look
