RCD Espanyol (women)

History

RCD Espanyol was one of the pioneering teams in women's football in Spain, playing its first match as early as 1970. In 1971 they were one of the four major Catalan teams to take part in the Catalan Pernod Cup, playing to over 40,000 at Sarrià Stadium and 30,000 at the Camp Nou; Espanyol lifted the cup by defeating rivals Barcelona in the final. By 1979 Espanyol had won the (Catalan) league six times and the cup twice.

The team's first national success came in 1989, when they first reached the national cup's final, losing it against Añorga. They won the competition for the first time in 1996, and successfully defended the title the following year.

2006 was their most successful season to date as they won their first (and for now only) league title and their third Queen's Cup. Thus Espanyol took part in the UEFA Women's Cup the following season.

In the late 2000s to the early 2010s, Espanyol consolidated itself as one of Spain's top teams. It has been most successful in the Copa de la Reina, winning three titles in 2009, 2010, and 2012, tying with Levante UD as the competition's most successful team. In the late 2010s, they consistently finished in the middle/bottom half of the league table and flirted with relegation multiple times.

Espanyol had its worst-ever finish in the league when they ended the 2019–20 season in 16th place, winning none of their 21 matches and losing 16. They avoided relegation to the Reto Iberdrola when the RFEF decided that there would be no relegations for the season due to suspension of the league brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020–21 season marked Espanyol's 50th year of existence for their women's team. That season, Espanyol were relegated to the Reto Iberdrola for the first time in their history, finishing 16th out of 18 in the league table. They failed to be promoted back immediately on the final matchday of the 2021–22 season, losing 3–0 to fellow Catalan club Levante Las Planas, who took the title instead.

Competition record

Season to season

Main article: List of RCD Espanyol Femenino seasons

Record in UEFA competitions

Main article: Spanish women's football clubs in international competitions#Espanyol

Titles

Official

• Primera División
  • 2005–06: 1
• Copa de la Reina
  • 1995–96, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12: 6
• Copa Catalunya
  • 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013: 5

Invitational

• Pyrénées Cup
  • 2006, 2007: 2

Players

Current squad

References

References

1. (23 June 2017). "La historia del RCD Espanyol Femení". Sexto Anillo.
2. Molero, Iván. (2019-04-17). "El fútbol femenino ya abarrotó Sarrià y el Camp Nou en 1971".
3. "49 years since first women's football final in Catalonia".
4. Amaro, F.J.. (5 December 1979). "El futbol femenino necesita ayuda y comprensión". El Noticiero Universal.
5. [http://www.marca.com/accesible/2012/06/10/futbol/mas_futbol/1339328620.html Mari Paz dresses herself as queen to give Espanyol its sixth title.] [[Marca (newspaper). Marca]]
6. (6 May 2020). "La RFEF da por suspendida la temporada y apuesta por una Primera Iberdrola de 18 equipos". [[Marca (newspaper).
7. (8 March 2021). "50 years of RCD Espanyol Femení". [[RCD Espanyol]].
8. (7 June 2021). ""The objective is to get the team back to the first division"". [[RCD Espanyol]].
9. [https://www.marca.com/futbol/futbol-femenino/primera-division/2022/05/29/6293bda5268e3e41518b45c3.html El Levante Las Planas Regresa a primera división] [Levante Las Planas return to the Primera division], Marca, 29 May 2022 (in Spanish)
10. "First Team - Teams". [[RCD Espanyol]].