Abstract: The Israeli Mamanet Cachibol League (MCL) serves as a community model that incorporates physical activity and amateur team sports among women. Team sports have been shown
to bridge gaps and build positive relationships between communities. There is a paucity of data
regarding the advantages of team sports to promote the health and well-being of women from
different ethnic backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of participation in MCL with social capital, health, and well-being across two ethnic groups: Jewish and
Arab women. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women aged 25–64: 102 Jewish and
96 Arab MCL participants, and 102 Jewish and 81 Arab non-MCL participants. Data regarding
social capital (trust, social support and social involvement) and well-being (self-reported health and
psychosomatic and depressive symptoms) were analyzed using two-way analyses of covariance
and multiple regression models with sequential entry of the variables. MCL participants from both
ethnic groups reported higher social capital (p < 0.001), better self-reported health (p < 0.001), and
lower psychosomatic symptoms (p < 0.001) compared to non-participants. Jewish MCL participants
reported lower depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) than non-participants, however no difference was
found between Arab MCL participants and non-participants (p < 0.160). Amateur team sports such
as MCL are related with higher levels of well-being and social capital. Future research should focus
on longitudinal studies that examine the change in social capital and well-being over time
Yuval Paldi , Daniel S. Moran , Orna Baron-Epel , Shiran Bord and Riki Tesler
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