July 25 – Spain’s national federation (RFEF) has created a new second tier league for its women’s clubs with the aim of promoting and strengthening the women’s game in the country.
The new structure will see the creation of Primera División B which will have two regional divisions (North and South) of 16 teams, providing the promotion pathway to the Primera División de la Liga de Fútbol Femenino (better known for sponsorship reasons as Liga Femenina Iberdrola).
The announcement was made at the RFEF’s general assembly where a new Women’s Football Committee was formed. Committee chair Rafael del Amo said “this new structure of competitions is a historic decision.”
Previously the Spanish structure saw a women’s first division of 16 teams – most allied to Spain’s LaLiga clubs – with an unwieldy second tier of 112 teams. The Primera División B is expected to bring more balance to the structure.
Spain’s women’s Primera Division was established in 1988 and unlike many national European women’s leagues, has run uninterrupted since launch. The competition has been won by 12 different teams with Athletic Bilbao leading the way with five championships.
The Primera División B will kick off next year. The RFEF also announced a reorganisation of its cup competition – la Copa de S.M. la Reina – which will be expanded to 16 teams from the current eight team format. The federation said that the competition could be expanded further in future seasons to include the new second tier teams.
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