Women's Premiership
| Sport | Premier 15s |
|---|---|
| Country | England (RFUW) |
| Most titles | Richmond, Saracens (5 titles) |
The Women's Premiership, also called the RFUW Premiership was the top level of women's
History
Women's rugby in England was initially run by the Women's Rugby Football Union on a British Isles-wide basis. The Women's Premiership was formed in 1990 as the top tier of women's rugby in the British Isles.[1] In 1994, the Rugby Football Union for Women was formed and took over the management of women's rugby in England, including the Women's Premiership, after Scotland, Ireland and Wales left the Women's Rugby Football Union.[2] At the start, most of the teams in the league were University teams.[2] Since the RFUW took over and Professionalism was permitted in 1996, the university teams were gradually replaced by women's clubs associated with professional and semi-professional men's clubs as they were able to give the women's team the funding to be able to compete.[3]
During seasons that precede the Women's Rugby World Cup, promotion and relegation is suspended for that season.[4] In 2014, Thurrock appealed against this ruling to the RFUW, claiming that some Women's Premiership clubs were actively attempting to block promotion and relegation in Women's Rugby World Cup years.[6]
Premier 15s
For the 2017–18 season the RFU Council proposed to create a Super League, the
2013-14 Teams and Locations
Below is listed the locations of the teams that participate in the 2013-14 Women's Premiership.[9]
