2013-14 Teams and Locations
Below is listed the locations of the teams that participate in the 2013-14 Women's Premiership. [9]
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1994 |
| Ceased | 2017 |
| Replaced by | 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 rugby union in England until 2017. It was formed in 1990 and was run by the Rugby Football Union for Women. It was superseded in the 2017/18 season by Premier 15s.
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]
Promotion and relegation in the Women's Premiership is determined by the lowest placed team playing against the winner of the Championship 1 North-South playoff. [4] If the Premiership team wins, there is no promotion and relegation that year. It is noted that promoted teams often fail to win during the regular league season during their first season in the Women's Premiership, including Old Albanians Ladies and Thurrock T-Birds, [5] who were relegated in 2013 after losing to Aylesford Bulls Ladies in the 2013 playoff.
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]
For the 2017–18 season the RFU Council proposed to create a Super League, the Premier 15s with up to ten teams. The new system to be considered new and distinct from the existing Premiership. It was expected that all 8 teams from the Premiership would apply for the new league, together with several top Championship teams. [7] Seven of the eight Premiership teams were accepted into the Super Rugby competition (Lichfield being excluded), together with Gloucester-Hartpury Women, Firwood Waterloo and Loughborough Students (Lightning). [8]
Below is listed the locations of the teams that participate in the 2013-14 Women's Premiership. [9]
[ citation needed ]
| Seasons | Team | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Aylesford Bulls Ladies | 2014-2017 |
| 1 | Blaydon Ladies | 2007 |
| 13 | Bristol Ladies * | 2003-2005, 2008-2017 |
| 8 | Darlington Mowden Park Sharks | 2010-2017 |
| 5 | Henley Ladies | 2003-2007 |
| 15 | Lichfield Ladies | 2003-2017 |
| 2 | Old Albanians Ladies | 2011-2012 |
| 15 | Richmond Women | 2003-2017 |
| 15 | Saracens Women | 2003-2017 |
| 3 | Team Northumbria Ladies | 2008-2010 |
| 3 | Thirsk Ladies | 2004-2006 |
| 1 | Thurrock T-Birds | 2013 |
| 2 | Vale of Lune Ladies | 2006-2007 |
| 15 | Wasps Ladies | 2003-2017 |
| 15 | Worcester Valkyries Ladies | 2003-2017 |
Dates are the year the season ended.
| Years | Winning Team |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Wasps Ladies |
| 2003–04 | Wasps Ladies |
| 2004–05 | Wasps Ladies |
| 2005–06 | Saracens Women |
| 2006–07 | Saracens Women |
| 2007–08 | Saracens Women |
| 2008–09 | Saracens Women |
| 2009–10 | Richmond Women |
| 2010–11 | Richmond Women |
| 2011–12 | Richmond Women |
| 2012–13 | Worcester Valkyries |
| 2013–14 | Richmond Women |
| 2014–15 | Saracens Women |
| 2015–16 | Richmond Women |
| 2016–17 | Aylesford Bulls Ladies |
| Team | Wins | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond Women | 5 | 2010-2012, 2014, 2016 |
| Saracens Women | 5 | 2006-2009, 2015 |
| Wasps Ladies | 3 | 2003-2005 |
| Worcester Valkyries Ladies | 1 | 2013 |
| Aylesford Bulls Ladies | 1 | 2017 |
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organises international matches for the England national team, and educates and trains players and officials.
Wasps FC is an amateur rugby union club formed in 1867. The men's first team was split from Wasps FC at the turn of professionalism, for the 1996-97 season, to become Wasps RFC, who formerly played at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry. The men's team currently plays rugby in the Counties 2 Herts/Middlesex league. Wasps Women compete in the Premier 15s, the highest women's league in the country, the ladies section has been established since 1984 and have consistently been a top 7 team in the country. Wasps Women have attracted elite athletes from around the world including England international Danielle Waterman and global brand sponsors. Wasps FC owns the Twyford Avenue Sports Ground that was also used by the Wasps professional teams for training until the end of the 2015–16 season.
Darlington Mowden Park is a professional rugby union club, based in Darlington, County Durham, England. They currently compete in National League 1, the third division of the Rugby Football Union domestic league competition pyramid, having achieved promotion on 3 May 2014, after defeating Ampthill in the 2013–14 play-off. The club's former name, Darlington Grammar School Old Boys, was changed when they moved to Yiewsley Drive, which was located in Mowden. They relocated to The Darlington Arena, a 25,000 all-seater stadium in Darlington, purchasing the previously-vacated ground for £2 million; Yiewsley Drive had previously been sold to a housing estate company, and the Arena was previously owned by Darlington Football Club. They played their first game at the arena on 2 February 2013, in front of a crowd of over 1,000, comprehensively defeating Bromsgrove 62–7 in a National League 2 North league game.
Old Albanian Rugby Football Club (OAs) is a rugby union club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. The club currently play in National League 2 East.
Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system.
The Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) was the governing body for women's rugby union in England. In 2014 the RFUW and Rugby Football Union (RFU) combined to be one national governing body. The headquarters are at Twickenham Stadium, London.
Darlington Mowden Park Sharks Ladies Rugby Football Club is a women's rugby union club in Darlington, County Durham, England founded in 1996. Their top try scorer Louisa Ramsey became the first player to score over 10 tries for Scotland. They are the ladies team of Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C. and played in the Allianz Premier 15s until 2023. They also play their home games at The Darlington Arena.
Aylesford Bulls Ladies Rugby Football Club were a women's rugby union club based in Aylesford, Kent, England. They played in the Women's Premiership. They were founded in 1998 and were the ladies team of Aylesford Bulls. Following an agreement with Harlequins, Aylesford Bulls initially received support from them however in 2017, they were taken over to become Harlequins Ladies.
Bristol Bears Women, formerly Clifton Ladies RFC, then Bristol Ladies, is a women's rugby union team based in Bristol, England. They are a standalone, independent rugby club, running in partnership with the Bristol Bears since becoming affiliated to them in 2008 and play their home matches at Dings RFC in the Premier 15s.
Lichfield Ladies Rugby Union Football Club is a women's rugby union club based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. They play their home matches at Cooke Fields and play in the Women's Premiership. They are also the women's team of Lichfield Rugby Union Football Club.
Wasps Women are a women's rugby union based in Acton, London, England. They were founded in 1984 and play in the Premier 15s. They are the women's team of Wasps FC, who are affiliated to Premiership Rugby team Wasps. They play their home matches at Wasps FC's Twyford Avenue Sports Ground.
Worcester Warriors Women, formerly known as Worcester Valkyries, are a women's rugby union club in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. They were founded in 1993, as Worcester Ladies, and play in the Premier 15s. They were originally created as the women's team of Worcester Wanderers, but became part of the English Premiership team Worcester Warriors' organisation ahead of the 2016/17 season. They subsequently became an independent entity during the 2022–23 season on the demise of their parent company.
Thurrock T-Birds, also called Thurrock Rugby Football Club Ladies, is a women's rugby club in Grays, Essex, England. The club began as a union side in 1988, and in 2023 they also operated a league side that played in the RFL Women's Super League South. The union side plays in Championship 1 South after being relegated from the Women's Premiership in 2013.
Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club are an English women's rugby union club based in Hartpury, Gloucestershire. They are the unified women's team of Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury University R.F.C. They were founded in 2014 and since 2017 they have played in Premiership Women's Rugby.
Waterloo Ladies Rugby Football Club, known for sponsorship reasons as Firwood Waterloo Ladies Rugby Football Club, is a women's rugby union club based in Blundellsands, Merseyside, England. They are the women's team of Waterloo FC. They were established in 1989 by England national women's rugby union team player Gill Burns. In 2020 they lost their place in the Premier 15s after their re-applications were rejected.
Harlequins Women, formerly known as Harlequins Ladies, are a women's rugby union club based in Guildford, Surrey, England and in Twickenham, Middlesex, England. They were founded in 1995 as the women's team of Harlequin F.C. and rebranded in 2017 after merging with Aylesford Bulls. In 2017, they were selected as one of the franchises for the new Premier 15s league, but they also cater for new, aspiring and social players within their 3rd XV squad.
Premiership Women's Rugby, officially known as Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby or The Allianz PWR, is an annual semi-professional women's rugby union club competition at the highest level of the English rugby union system, and is run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). It is contested by nine clubs who play two series of round-robin matches to determine the four participants of a single-elimination tournament. It began play in the 2017–18 season, superseding the former Women's Premiership, and introducing elements of professionalism in the sport's highest level. In its first six seasons, the competition was known as the Premier 15s. Gloucester-Hartpury are the current champions, while Saracens have won the most championships (3).
Loughborough Lightning are a women's rugby union club based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. They are the Professional women's team of Loughborough Students RUFC and Loughborough University. Together with the netball team and the women's cricket team, the rugby union team is one of three women's sports teams based Loughborough University that use the Loughborough Lightning name. In 2017, they were selected as a franchise for the inaugural Premier 15s season.
Leanne Nicole Infante is an English rugby union player. She made her debut for England in 2013 and was a finalist in the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. At club level, she plays for Saracens.
Trailfinders Women are a professional women's rugby union club based in Ealing, Greater London. They currently compete in Premiership Women's Rugby, the highest division of women's rugby union in England.
