Liga MX Femenil

The Liga BBVA MX Femenil is the highest division of women's football in Mexico. Supervised by the Mexican Football Federation, this professional league has 18 teams, each coinciding with a Liga MX squad.[6] Following the same schedule as the men's league, each season has two halves: an apertura tournament, which takes place from July to December, and a clausura tournament, which takes place from January to May. The league's first official competitions took place in May 2017 via the Copa MX Femenil, while the inaugural season began in July 2017.[7] Liga MX CEO Enrique Bonilla stated the league was created in order to nurture the stars of the Mexico women's national football team and build an infrastructure for women's football nationwide.[8]

Liga MX Femenil
Organising bodyMexican Football Federation
FoundedDecember 5, 2016 (2016-12-05)
CountryMexico
ConfederationCONCACAF
Number of teams18
Level on pyramid1
Domestic cup(s)Copa MX Femenil
Current championsMonterrey (1st title)
(Apertura 2019)
Most championshipsUANL
(2 titles)
TV partnersClaro[1]
ESPN[2]
Fox Sports[3]
Televisa[4]
TVC Deportes[5]
WebsiteWebsite
2020–21 Liga MX Femenil season

The current champions are Monterrey who defeated UANL 2–1 on aggregate in the Apertura 2019 final on 07 December 2019.

History

Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil

In 2007, there was an attempt to professionalize women's football in Mexico via the Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil. While the league did foster some success, particularly when Mexico's national team beat the United States for the first time in 2010,[9] it did not have a major sponsorship and lacked media coverage. Likewise, major clubs, such as Chivas de Guadalajara, pulled their support. As a result, the league was relegated to semi-professional status.

NWSL

In 2012, the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association, the Mexican Football Federation, the USL W-League, and the Women's Premier Soccer League met to form the National Women's Soccer League. With its inaugural season in 2013, during which Mexican player Renae Cuéllar scored the first ever goal for the league, Mexico allocated players in an effort to build talent in North America. However, by 2016, the Mexican Football Federation announced it would no longer allocate players, which foreshadowed the Liga MX Femenil.

First team

Marbella Ibarra an enthusiastic football advocate interceded with Xolos of Tijuana to persuade them to create a women's team in 2014.[10] They had to travel to the USA to find similar teams to play.

A New Mexican League

Preparation

In December 2016, during a general assembly meeting with all Liga MX club owners in the new Mexican Football Federation headquarters, Liga MX CEO Enrique Bonilla announced the formation of the new Liga MX Femenil.[11] In an effort to grow and build talent within Mexico, he announced that 16 Liga MX clubs (excluding Puebla and Chiapas due to financial problems) would field U-23 rosters with four U-17 players and up to two overage players.[11]

Before the inaugural season the teams took part in a domestic cup called Copa MX Femenil in May 2017.[12] The tournament took place between 3 May and 6 May 2017 with only 12 of the 16 teams participating due to four not having a team ready.[13] Pachuca won the final 9–1 against Club Tijuana.[14]

First season

The first Apertura matches were played on 28 July 2017. The Chivas won the league championship on November 24, 2017, defeating Pachuca in the last match of a two-match playoff. The two matches drew record-setting crowds of 28,955 and 32,466 spectators, respectively.[15][16]

Commentator Glenn Moore declared the Liga MX Femenil to have concluded a "very successful debut campaign."[17]

Regulations

During the inaugural season, teams were expected to field U-23 rosters; four slots were reserved for U-17 players, while two were for overage players. All players had to be born in Mexico. Additionally, the sixteen teams were split into two groups. Teams in each group played each other twice per season. The top two teams from each group advanced to the playoffs, which would be a semifinal of two matches (home and away) followed by a final, also of two matches.

After the first season, the rules mostly stayed the same. However, the U-23 limit was raised to U-24. As for the playoffs, they were expanded to eight teams. The top four teams from each group moved on to the liguilla, with the top team from one group playing the fourth ranked team from the other in the quarterfinals.

For the third season, the age limit was raised to 25, but each team was allowed to field up to 6 overage players at a time. In addition, the groups were undone, so each team would play each other at least once during the season. Foreign-born Mexican players were also allowed to play, with up to six allowed per team. This decision brought in more players from the NCAA as well as from the NWSL and Spain's Primera División. Previously, only Alejandría Godínez, Pachuca's goalkeeper, represented the NCAA as an alumna of DePaul.

Notable Results

The league set history as the final between Monterrey and Tigres was the highest attended club match in women's soccer history, with a total of 51,211 fans attending the match played at the Estadio Tomateros.[18] After the Spanish final of 2019, that record was broken, but Mexico still holds 7 out of the 10 highest attendance records for club games. This is in addition to Mexico's record for highest attendance of any women's sporting event, which took place during the 1971 Women's World Cup Final in the Estadio Azteca.

Club Changes

During the inaugural season, 16 out of 18 of the Liga MX teams fielded a women's squad. Chiapas and Puebla were given a pass given their financial struggles. However, by the second season, all 18 teams fielded a squad. By then, Chiapas had been relegated to Ascenso MX, while Lobos BUAP had been promoted to the top division. As such, Lobos BUAP and Puebla both had women's squads.

For the third season, the field expanded to 19 teams, as Atlético San Luis was promoted to Liga MX while no team was relegated. Their promotion also introduced Atlético San Luis Femenil. Additionally, Lobos BUAP was bought by then-second division FC Juárez, so the women's team moved from Puebla to Juárez to form FC Juárez Femenil. After the Apertura 2019, Veracruz folded, and with it meant the Tiburonas were now a defunct club as well, bringing the league back down to 18 teams.

Sponsorship

Just before the third season, BBVA México announced that it would sponsor the Liga MX Femenil in addition to Liga MX and Ascenso MX. With the sponsorship, which is slated for at least three years, the league's name was changed to Liga BBVA MX Femenil in June 2019.

Lower Divisions

In addition to the Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil, which facilitates the SuperLiga and the segunda división, Mexico is also home to the Liga Mayor Femenil. Most players in the Liga MX Femenil previously played in either of these existing leagues, as well as in various Mexican or US college teams and the Women's Premier Soccer League.

Teams

The following 18 clubs will compete in the Liga MX Femenil during the 2020–21 season.

Guadalajara
Atlas
Atl. San Luis
León
UANL
Monterrey
Mazatlán
Necaxa
Pachuca
Puebla
Querétaro
Juárez
Santos Laguna
Tijuana
Toluca
Cruz Azul
Location of the 2020–21 Liga MX Femenil teams
América
UNAM
Location of the 2019–20 Liga MX Femenil teams in Greater Mexico City
Club City Ground Capacity Ref
América Mexico City Azteca 81,070 [19]
Atlas Guadalajara Jalisco 55,020 [20]
Atlético San Luis San Luis Potosí City Alfonso Lastras 25,709 [21]
Cruz Azul Ciudad Cooperativa Cruz Azul 10 de Diciembre 14,500 [22]
Guadalajara Zapopan Akron 46,232 [23]
Juárez Ciudad Juárez Olímpico Benito Juárez 19,703 [24]
León León León 31,297 [25]
Mazatlán Mazatlán Mazatlán 25,000 [26]
Monterrey Guadalupe BBVA 51,348 [27]
Necaxa Aguascalientes City Victoria 23,851 [28]
Pachuca Pachuca Hidalgo 27,512 [29]
Puebla Puebla City Cuauhtémoc 47,417 [30]
Querétaro Querétaro City Corregidora 34,107 [31]
Santos Laguna Torreón Corona 29,237 [32]
Tijuana Tijuana Caliente 27,333 [33]
Toluca Toluca Nemesio Díez 31,000 [34]
UANL San Nicolás de los Garza Universitario 41,886 [35]
UNAM Mexico City Estadio Olímpico Universitario 48,297 [36]

Format

For the 2019 Apertura, teams were in one group of nineteen, while for the Clausura they were in a group of eighteen. After playing each other, the top eight teams advance to the "liguilla", the league's version of the playoffs. However, due to COVID-19, both the men's and women's leagues have been indefinitely suspended.

Champions


SeasonChampionsResultRunners-up
Apertura 2017Guadalajara0–2
3–0		Pachuca
Clausura 2018UANL2–2
2–2
(4–2 pen)		Monterrey
Apertura 2018América2–2
1–1
(3–1 pen)		UANL
Clausura 2019UANL1–1
2–1		Monterrey
Apertura 2019Monterrey1–1
1–0		UANL
Clausura 2020No title awarded

Media coverage
TV broadcast rights
Team Mexico Broadcaster U.S. Broadcaster Day Time*
AméricaTelevisaUnivisionVariousVarious
AtlasTelevisaUnivisionSaturday10:00 AM
Atlético San LuisESPNTBASunday5:00 PM
Cruz AzulTelevisaUnivisionFriday4:00 PM
GuadalajaraFox SportsNBCUniversalMonday5:00 PM
JuárezTelevisaUnivisionMonday5:00 PM
LeónFox Sports / Claro—Monday7:00 PM
MazatlánTBATBASaturday9:00 AM
MonterreyFox Sports—Monday9:00 PM
NecaxaClaroNuestra VisiónFriday4:00 PM
PachucaFox Sports / Claro—Monday5:00 PM
PueblaTVC Deportes—Sunday12:00 PM
QuerétaroTVC Deportes—VariousVarious
Santos LagunaFox Sports—Monday7:00 PM
TijuanaFox Sports—Monday5:00 PM
TolucaTelevisaUnivisionMonday4:00 PM
UANLTelevisaUnivisionSunday9:30 AM
UNAMTelevisaUnivisionSaturday12:00 PM

Attendance

The attendance for the first regular season for the 16 teams was 307,202 for 112 matches, an average of 2,743 per match. The attendance for 6 post-season matches was 104,804. The total attendance for 118 matches was 412,006, and average of 3,492 per match.[37]

Managers

The current managers in the Liga MX Femenil are:

Nat. Name Club Appointed Time as manager
Eva Espejo Pachuca 25 January 2017 3 years, 194 days
Leonardo Cuéllar América 28 February 2017 3 years, 160 days
Ileana Dávila UNAM 8 March 2017 3 years, 151 days
Héctor Becerra Monterrey 4 December 2017 2 years, 246 days
Everaldo Begines León 20 June 2018 2 years, 47 days
Fabiola Vargas Necaxa 5 July 2018 2 years, 32 days
Fernando Samayoa Atlas 12 July 2018 2 years, 25 days
Jorge Gómez Puebla 10 December 2018 1 year, 240 days
Roberto Medina UANL 31 May 2019 1 year, 67 days
Rogelio Martínez Cruz Azul 3 June 2019 1 year, 64 days
Martín Pérez Padrón Santos Laguna 30 November 2019 250 days
Agustín Contreras Toluca 9 December 2019 241 days
Gabino Amparán Juárez 10 December 2019 240 days
Frankie Oviedo Tijuana 27 May 2020 71 days
Carla Rossi Querétaro 11 June 2020 56 days
Rigoberto Esparza Atlético San Luis 12 June 2020 55 days
Miguel Javid Hernández Mazatlán 18 June 2020 49 days
Édgar Mejía Guadalajara 31 July 2020 6 days

Top scorers
Tournament Player Club Goals
Apertura 2017 Lucero CuevasAmérica15
Clausura 2018 Lucero CuevasAmérica15
Apertura 2018 Desirée MonsiváisMonterrey13
Clausura 2019 Fabiola IbarraAtlas7
Isela OjedaSantos Laguna
Apertura 2019 Desirée MonsiváisMonterrey17
Viridiana SalazarPachuca

References
  1. includes Claro Sports
  2. includes ESPN 2 and ESPN 3
  3. includes Fox Sports 2
  4. includes TDN and Univisión TDN
  5. includes TVC Deportes 2
  6. "Sin Puebla ni Jaguares, Liga Femenil alista Copa como ensayo". 16 February 2017.
  7. "La Liga MX anuncia el sorteo para el Torneo de Copa Femenil". MARCA Claro. 24 April 2017.
  8. "México tendrá Liga MX femenil a partir de 2017". El Financiero. 5 December 2016.
  9. "U.S. Women Upset by Mexico 2-1 at CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  10. Lakhani, Nina (2018-10-21). "Pioneer of women's football in Mexico is latest victim of Tijuana violence". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  11. MX, LIGA MX / ASCENSO. "LIGA MX - Página Oficial de la Liga del Fútbol Profesional en México .: Bienvenido". www.ligamx.net.
  12. "Realizarán sorteo para Copa MX Femenil". ESPN Deportes. 24 April 2017.
  13. "Clubes faltantes no estaban listos para la Copa Femenil: Bonilla". MedioTiempo. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  14. "Pachuca, primer Campeón del futbol Femenil". www.record.com.mx (in Spanish). 6 May 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  15. "Pachuca Tomó Ventaja en la Gran Final". www.ligafemenil.mx. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  16. "El Club Guadalajara es Campeón de la LIGA MX Femenil". www.ligafemenil.mx. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  17. Moore, Glenn (Dec 29, 2017), "Kansas Move to Utah", World Soccer Magazine.
  18. Gomez, Eric (5 May 2018). "Brilliant Liga MX Femenil final the cherry on top of a groundbreaking debut season". ESPN.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  19. "Club América". ligafemenil.mx.
  20. "Atlas". www.ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  21. "Club Atlético de San Luis". Liga MX Femenil. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  22. "Cruz Azul". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  23. "C.D. Guadalajara". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  24. "FC Juarez". www.ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. "Estadio Nou Camp". www.ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  26. "Monarcas Morelia". Sit34,984. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  27. "Monterrey". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  28. "Nexaca". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  29. "Pachuca". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  30. "Puebla FC". www.ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  31. "Estadio La Corregidora". www.ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  32. "Santos Laguna". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  33. "Club Tijuana". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  34. "Toluca". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  35. "Tigres UANL". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  36. "UNAM". ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  37. "Liga MX Femenil reveals impressive attendance numbers". www.concacaf.com. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.