English Women's Basketball League Explained

Pixels:140px
Sport:Basketball
Founded:2003
Inaugural:2003/04
Teams:26
Country: England
Continent: FIBA Europe (Europe)
Champion:Anglia Ruskin University
Levels:2
Domestic Cup:1
Website:basketballengland.co.uk

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is a women's basketball league in England, covering semi-professional and amateur levels of the game. This is effectively seen as the second tier of women's basketball in the United Kingdom, along with the less celebrated Scottish Women's National League.

The EBL was established in 2003 by Basketball England to replace the former National Basketball League, which the league has since reverted to at the start of the 2015/2016 season, and currently operates three women's leagues in a regionalised structure, as well as the men's National Basketball League. The senior leagues are supported by a junior structure for both male and female players, with leagues for under-18s, under-16s and under-14s.[1]

The NBL Leagues form the second and third level of women's competition in the United Kingdom, with the highest level consisting of the semi-professional Women's British Basketball League. There is no promotion and relegation between the National League and the Women's British Basketball League, which operates a franchise system, although teams seeking greater competition and exposure can apply to make the step from NBL to the WBBL.

History

When it was founded in 2003, the women's EBL consisted of two levels of competition; a nationalized Division 1, closely matching the WNBL Conference which existed under the previous structure, and a regionalized Division 2, originally split into North and South conferences. At this point, there was no level of competition above Division 1, nor any competition for clubs on a British level. From the 2007/2008 season onwards, Division 2 was split into three regions to allow for the greater number of clubs applying for national competition.

In 2014, England Basketball and the British Basketball League collaborated to form the Women's British Basketball League, which absorbed many of the largest women's clubs in the NBL, including the whole of Division 1.[2] As a result, the most established and successful clubs in women's basketball in the United Kingdom are no longer part of the NBL. Initially, the NBL's women's leagues retained the original regionalised structure of the old Division 2, which meant only the end-of-season playoffs offering the opportunity for clubs from across the whole of England to compete against each other. A nationalised Division 1 was reinstated for the 2016/2017 season, with the new Division 2 split across a North/South divide.

Teams

WNBL Division 1 League for the 2020/2021 season.[3]

Division 1

TeamArena
Kelsey Kerridge Sports Centre
Barking Abbey Leisure Centre
SGS Arena
Archers Arena
Copleston Sports Centre
Loughborough Netball Centre
David Ross Sports Village
John Madejski Academy
Park Leisure Centre
City Of London Academy
Uxbridge College
Worcester Arena

WNBL Division 2 League for the 2020/2021 Season.

Division 2

NorthSouth
TeamArenaTeamArena
Killamarsh Sports Centre Cardiff City House of Sport
Oak Tree Leisure Centre Folkestone Sport Centre
Weavers Leisure Centre
Nottingham Wildcats Arena St. Marys Leisure Centre
Winston Churchill School
University Of Exeter

League Champions

[4] [5]

SeasonWinnersRunner-upThird place
2003/04 Rhondda Rebels Sheffield Hatters London Sting
2004/05 Rhondda Rebels Sheffield Hatters Nottingham Wildcats
2005/06 Rhondda Rebels Sheffield Hatters Nottingham Wildcats
2006/07 Sheffield Hatters Rhondda Rebels London Heathrow Acers
2007/08 Sheffield Hatters Rhondda Rebels Team Northumbria
2008/09 Sheffield Hatters Cardiff Archers Nottingham Wildcats
2009/10 Sheffield Hatters Cardiff Archers Nottingham Wildcats
2010/11 Sheffield Hatters Cardiff Archers Nottingham Wildcats
2011/12 Cardiff Archers Sheffield Hatters Barking Abbey Leopards
2012/13 Sheffield Hatters Nottingham Wildcats Barking Abbey
2013/14 Sheffield Hatters Nottingham Wildcats Loughborough Riders
SeasonNorth ChampionsSouth East ChampionsSouth West Champions
2014/15 Sheffield Hallam Hatters Oaklands College Wolves (St Albans) Team Solent Suns
2015/16 Charnwood College Riders Southwark Pride Reading Rockets

Playoff Champions

[6] [7]

SeasonWinnersRunner-upResult
2003/04 Sheffield Hatters Rhondda Rebels 72 - 61
2004/05 Rhondda Rebels Sheffield Hatters 64 - 58
2005/06 Sheffield Hatters Rhondda Rebels 79 - 67
2006/07 Sheffield Hatters Rhondda Rebels 76 - 63
2007/08 Rhondda Rebels Sheffield Hatters 72 - 70
2008/09 Sheffield Hatters Cardiff Archers 81 - 48
2009/10 Cardiff Archers Sheffield Hatters 56 - 52
2010/11 Sheffield Hatters Cardiff Archers 91 - 69
2011/12 Sheffield Hatters Cardiff Archers 93 - 72
2012/13 Sheffield Hatters Barking Abbey 70 - 57
2013/14 Loughborough Riders Sheffield Hatters 68 - 63
2014/15 Team Solent Suns Oaklands College Wolves (St Albans) 63 - 50
2015/16 Southwark Pride Reading Rockets 68 - 59
2016/17 Southwark Pride Solent Kestrels 67 - 53

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Youth League Structure 2017/2018 . Basketball England.
  2. Web site: WBBL to Upscale Women's Top Tier . MVP247.
  3. Web site: National League Structure 2018/2019 . Basketball England.
  4. Web site: Women's Senior Leagues . pawprint75.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080821140608/http://www.pawprint75.co.uk/roll_of_honour/women_senior_leagues.htm . August 21, 2008 .
  5. Web site: League Tables. Basketball England.
  6. Web site: Women's Championships . pawprint75.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081008001305/http://pawprint75.co.uk/roll_of_honour/women_champs.htm . October 8, 2008 .
  7. Web site: Fixtures & Results. Basketball England.