RCD Espanyol Femení (Real Club Deportivo Español) is the women's football section of RCD Espanyol and was founded in 1970.

Espanyol Femení
Full nameReial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona SAD Femenino
Nickname(s)Periquitos, españolistas
Founded1970; 54 years ago (1970)
GroundCiutat Esportiva Dani Jarque
Capacity1,520
PresidentJoan Collet i Diví
Head coachJordi Ferrón
LeaguePrimera Federación
2021–22Segunda División, 2nd
Websitehttp://www.rcdespanyol.com

History

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RCD Espanyol was one of the pioneering teams in women's football in Spain, playing its first match as early as 1970.[1] 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.[2][3] By 1979 Espanyol had won the (Catalan) league six times and the cup twice.[4]

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.

 
Espanyol players celebrating the 2010 Copa de la Reina title.

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.[5] 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.[6] The 2020–21 season marked Espanyol's 50th year of existence for their women's team.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

Competition record

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Season to season

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Season Div. Pos. Copa de la Reina Champions League
1988–89 3rd Quarterfinals
1989–90 3rd Runner-up
1990–91 5th Round of 16
1991–92 3rd
1992–93 1st Round of 16
1993–94 5th Round of 16
1994–95 3rd Semifinalist
1995–96 3rd Champion
1996–97 3rd Champion
1997–98 3rd Semifinalist
1998–99 3rd
1999–00 2nd First round
2000–01 2nd Quarterfinals
2001–02 3rd Runner-up
2002–03 7th Quarterfinals
2003–04 8th
2004–05 3rd Quarterfinals
2005–06 1st Champion
2006–07 2nd Runner-up Group stage
2007–08 4th Quarterfinals
2008–09 4th Champion
2009–10 2nd Champion
2010–11 2nd Runner-up
2011–12 3rd Champion
2012–13 5th Quarterfinals
2013–14 11th
2014–15 7th Quarterfinals
2015–16 9th
2016–17 13th
2017–18 14th
2018–19 9th Round of 16
2019–20 16th Round of 16
2020–21 16th
2021–22 2ªP 2nd Round of 16

Record in UEFA competitions

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Season Competition Stage Opponent Result Scorers
2006–07 UEFA Women's Cup Qualifying Stage   Hibernian LFC
  FCF Juvisy
 
4–1
1–0
7–0
Adriana 2, Cubí, Serna
Rubio
Cubí 4, Adriana 2, Diéguez
Group Stage   Kolbotn IL
  Umeå IK
  Lehenda Chernihiv
2–4
0–3
5–0
Adriana + 1 o.g.
0
Serna 2, Adriana, Cubí, Rubio

Titles

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Official

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Invitational

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 21 March 2022[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ESP Montse Quesada
2 DF   ESP Irene Corral
3 DF   ESP Marta Turmo
4 DF   ESP Maite Albarrán
5 DF   ESP Xènia Pérez
6 MF   CHI Nayadet López
7 MF   ESP Cristina Baudet
8 MF   JPN Maya Yamamoto
9 MF   UKR Tamila Khimich
10 FW   ARG Marianela Szymanowski
No. Pos. Nation Player
11 DF   ESP Sara Extremera
12 DF   DOM Manuela Lareo
13 GK   FIN Paula Myllyoja
16 FW   ESP Anair Lomba
17 MF   ESP Carolina Marín De la Fuente
18 MF   ESP Judit Pablos
19 FW   ESP Clara de Clemente
21 DF   ESP Júlia Guerra
22 DF   COL Daniela Caracas
24 FW   ESP Nora Fernández Parra

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "La historia del RCD Espanyol Femení" [The history of RCD Espanyol Femení] (in Spanish). Sexto Anillo. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  2. ^ Molero, Iván (2019-04-17). "El fútbol femenino ya abarrotó Sarrià y el Camp Nou en 1971". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  3. ^ "49 years since first women's football final in Catalonia". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  4. ^ Amaro, F.J. (5 December 1979). "El futbol femenino necesita ayuda y comprensión". El Noticiero Universal (in Spanish). p. 25.
  5. ^ Mari Paz dresses herself as queen to give Espanyol its sixth title. Marca
  6. ^ Menayo, David (6 May 2020). "La RFEF da por suspendida la temporada y apuesta por una Primera Iberdrola de 18 equipos". marca.com. MARCA. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  7. ^ "50 years of RCD Espanyol Femení". rcdespanyol.com. RCD Espanyol. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  8. ^ ""The objective is to get the team back to the first division"". rcdespanyol.com. RCD Espanyol. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  9. ^ 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 - Team 2021-2022". RCD Espanyol. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
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