Fifteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Women began playing football in Spain prior to the formation of a league for them. According to a 2012 report from the Spanish Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), the first teams there formed in Catalonia, following the example of the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe. The CSD did not specify a year, but it seemed to have been around 1995, since the report asserts that in 2010, fifteen years after those first teams began play, the Federación Española de Fútbol Americano (FEFA) organized a league for women. As of the 2012 CSD report, there were twelve teams playing that year. With the start of the Liga Nacional Football Americano – Femenina (LNFAF), the women also contended for a championship. The Barberà Rookies were the first champion, and dominated the LNFAF for much of its history. The Rookies have only lost two of the first nine championships, losing most recently in the 2019 Woman Spanish Bowl 12-6 to the Valencia Firebats.During the first six seasons, the LNFAF teams played 7-on-7, but transitioned to 9-on-9 in 2016. As with other international federations, the Spaniard’s goal was to eventually grow the sport to the traditional 11-on-11 format. In 2019, the LNFA Feminina consisted of ten teams divided into two divisions. There were five teams playing 9-on-9, which included the Rookies and Firebats. Four more teams played 7-on-7. According to the FEFA site, the Spaniards also welcomed international players and had several from Brazil, and at least one from Bolivia.