The División de Honor Femenina, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Liga Iberdrola,[1][2] is the top Spanish league competition for women's rugby union clubs. The league began in 2010 and consists of eight teams. Clubs are relegated to and promoted from Regional Championships.
There were two competitions before establishment of División de Honor Femenina in 2010, Campeonato de España Femenino (1989–1997) and Copa de la Reina (1998–2010).
Competition
Format
The División de Honor comprises regular season and playoff. Regular season takes place between November and May, with every team playing each other once. Then the teams are split into 2 groups. Group A comprises the first 4 placed and Group B the 4 last. Teams play again against the others on their group, thus reaching a total of 10 rounds.[3] Points are awarded according to the following:[4]
4 points for a win
2 points for a draw
1 bonus point is awarded to a team scoring 3 tries more than the opponent.
1 bonus point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
After the regular season, the top six teams play a championship playoff. The first two classify to the semi-finals and the 4 next play the quarter-finals.[3]
Promotion and relegation
The bottom team in the standings is relegated to Honor Division B, while the second-to-last plays a relegation playoff on neutral ground against Honor Division B runner up.[5]
