Get to know Liga F
- Nov 28, 2024
- 6 min read
By: Lola Casarejos Romero 18/11/2024
WHAT IS LIGA F?
Liga F is Spain's women’s Football league. It was founded in 1988 and has undergone multiple name changes mainly because of sponsorship reasons as it has been previously called ‘Liga Femenina Iberdrola’. The League contains 16 teams with the current champions being FC Barcelona who have won it 9 times. The 2024/25 season began on the 6th September and will end on the 18th of May. After 10 matches into the league season, once again the title holders Barcelona remain steady at the top with a 7-goal advantage over rivals Atletico de Madrid.
ATHLETIC CLUB
The Basque club was founded in 2002 and is a club with great values being led by David Aznar, who has led the team since the beginning of the 2023/24 season. They have won 4 out of 10 Matches and sit in 7th place in the League table. During their recent match being the 10th of the season, the team received their first red card of the campaign as captain, Irene Oguiza, earned a direct red card before the half-hour mark. Their spirit is clear as even though they were a player down, they did not concede any goals after her expulsion.
ATLETICO DE MADRID
One of the teams from the capital is always unpredictable, with its strong team and tactics. The team was founded in 2001, and in 2016 they broke a European record for attendance at a women’s football match, with 60,739 fans at the Metropolitan Stadium during a league fixture against Barcelona. Their Captain is veteran player Lola Gallardo, who played with the national team until she permanently withdrew from the squad. The team currently sit seven points behind leaders Barcelona and one point ahead of rivals Real Madrid.
BARCELONA
Now, onto the undisputed champions; FC Barcelona was formally formed in 2002 and always prevail within their league, and every other competition. Having won their first continental quadruple trophies including the UEFA Champions League with their former head coach Jonatan Giraldez, and are now led by his former assistant Pere Romeu. After 10 matches, the team remains undefeated in the league and have won 2/3 Champions League games, only losing against Manchester City. But, proved their strength winning yet another ‘El Clasico’ after beating Real Madrid 4-0.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
After being founded in just 2016, the side is led by Irene Ferreras, who was a Liga F player herself until the 2014/2015 season. She has coached 5 teams since 2015 proving her experience and prowess in football. The side worked their way up to first-division football after winning the second league’s title in the 2018/19 season. The team currently sit in 15th position as they have only won one league match and drawn three times. However, they have won all three of their matches so far in the ‘Copa de la Reina’.
EIBAR
Eibar was formally founded in 2009 and ended last season in 10th position. They are led by Yerai Martin and moved up to first division in the 2019/20 season and were then relegated two seasons later. But, they managed to bounce back immediately in 2022/23. Their most recent trophy was when they won the Basque Regional League in 2014/15. Their only wins during the current season occurred at the very beginning of the season, winning against Real Betis and Valencia, but have not been able to replicate these wins.
GRANADA
The side was founded in 2003 and was promoted to the first division in 2013 and relegated the next year, returning in 2022/23. Sitting in 11th place with 10 points, the side led by Arturo Ruiz has earned three league wins and one draw, with an average of 1.67 points per game. Their top goalscorer this season is Edna Imade who is a 24-year-old forward from Nigeria with 5 goals so far.
LEVANTE BADALONA
The team in 6th place was founded in 1983, debuting in Liga F in the 2012/13 season. The team houses South-Korean player Lee Young-ju, one of few players who also play for their national team, alongside Moroccan forward Ghizlane Chebbak, who has scored 4 goals in 23 matches for the club since joining in February of the 2023/24 season. Having only won 4 matches, and lost 3, they have 15 points, just one over Athletic Club.
LEVANTE
The Valencian team has 8 points so far and a goal difference of -3. The team was formed in 1998 and achieved 4th place last season, but didn’t manage to win any trophies. Levante was home to successful players such as Gotham FC player Esther Gonzalez and Utah Royals player Claudia Zornoza, who both won the World Cup with Spain in 2023, showing the true quality of their players and the squad depth.
MADRID CFF
Another team hailing from the capital sits in the middle of the table in 8th place with 13 points. They were founded in 2010 and finished last season in 6th place after being promoted to the top in 2017. Having lost half of their matches so far, they have begun to push much more in recent matches to climb the leaderboard as Allegra Poljak has scored 2 goals in their last 3 matches.
RCD ESPANYOL
The team from Barcelona formed in 1970 is currently in 9th position and during their time they have achieved a league title, six ‘Copa de la Reina’ and five ‘Copas de Cataluña’. During the 2018/19 season, they underwent a transitory season to allow themselves to make changes within the team to have a more stable economic state under a new club president. This showed the women’s team to be a priority furthering the strength of women’s football in Spain.
REAL BETIS
Coming from the south of Spain, Betis was created in 2011 when they absorbed Azahar Club de Futbol to form a stronger base for the players. The team managed to ascend into the first division for the 2016/17 season, as the previous season, they were first in the second division but lost in the playoffs. With only two wins this season, they have accumulated seven goals, one of which was a penalty and one of which was an own goal from Levante Badalona.
REAL MADRID
Arguably one of the most famous teams and the youngest team as it was formed in 2020 and officially became part of Real Madrid. They are currently in third place, only one point behind Atletico Madrid. Last season they finished third with star players such as World Cup 2023 winners, Misa, Teresa Abelleira, Eva Navarro, and Athenea del Castillo to name a few, alongside the World Cup final goalscorer and captain, Olga Carmona.
REAL SOCIEDAD
With six out of 10 matches won, the team led by Jose Sanchez Vera are in 4th place. After being created in 2004, they ended last season exactly mid-way on the table in 8th position. Towards the end of the 2018/19 season, they beat Atletico de Madrid 2-1 with goals from Kiana Palacios and Nahikari Garcia, to win the Copa de la Reina. Three years later in 2022/23, they managed to win the Copa Euskal Herria for the fourth time.
SEVILLA
Led by David Losada, the team ended last season in 7th place. They returned to Liga F after relegation in 2016/17 and have stayed there since. So far, they have 6 losses, and 3 wins against Real Sociedad, Valencia, and Espanyol. They are 10th in the league, with the same number of points as Granada, but have 3 fewer goals against them giving them the advantage. They house Portuguese defender Diana Gomes who has scored 6 goals in 27 matches for her country, alongside club and country teammate, 30-year-old Tatiana Pinto, who notably played for Brighton and Hove Albion for a season.
UD TENERIFE
The club from the Canary Islands was founded in 2013 and play in a stadium with a capacity of only 1,100. They have won four of 10 matches, with their top scorer being Nigerian player Gift Monday who has 5 goals so far. The 22-year-old is a promising attacker currently wearing the number 21 shirt, but is clearly fighting for a legacy shirt number as since she joined Tenerife in 2022, she has scored 15 goals in 61 game
VALENCIA
The team led by Jose Luis Bravo currently sit in last place in the league. After being founded officially in 2009, the club has build itself up to end up 12th in Liga F last season. It is one of the teams which is a match behind due to the floodings in Valencia, leading to matches being postponed. Aside from this, the team has only managed to gain points from draws against Levante Badalona, and Athletic Club.
Overall, every single one of these teams have a beautiful addition to every match, no matter who's playing. Since Spain won the World Cup, interest in the sport has grown massively, allowing each team to fund more money for their women’s team. Many have also begun programs for young aspiring female footballers.
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