División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol

División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol
Country  Spain
Confederation UEFA
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Liga Nacional
Domestic cup(s) Copa de Campeones
Copa del Rey
International cup(s) UEFA Youth League
Current champions Villarreal
(2014–15)
Website rfef.es
2015–16 season

The División de Honor Juvenil is the top level of the Spanish football league system for youth players 18 years old and under. The División de Honor is administered by the RFEF through the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Aficionado (LNFA). Villarreal are the current champions after winning the championship in the 2014–15 season.

Format

The División de Honor begins the first weekend in September and ends in April or May. The División de Honor's season is similar to the senior players' La Liga playing a double round-robin points based system. There are seven groups of 16 teams. The teams with the most points in each group are declared champion of its group and advance to the Copa de Campeones Juvenil de Fútbol. The last 4 placed teams (13th–16th) of each group are relegated to the Liga Nacional or the Canarias Preferente in the case of those teams from the Canary Islands (Group6).

History

Created in 1986, the Superliga Juvenil was a national league with 16 teams. However, traveling across the country caused financial hardships for some clubs. Real Valladolid (in 1993), and Las Palmas and Espanyol (in 1994) dropped out of the league. Real Madrid withdrew from the league in 1994 when their second reserve team Real Madrid C kept their status in the Segunda División B. 15 teams played in 1994–95 and the league was disbanded after the season. In 1995, the RFEF elevated the six regional based groups of the División de Honor (which was the second level) as the top youth level and created a new tournament to crown the overall youth champion of Spain.

Copa de Campeones de Juvenil

The Copa de Campeones is a two phrase tournament that starts a week after the end of the División de Honor held at a site selected by the RFEF.

Until 2011, the seven group winners were divided into two groups: Group A had three teams and was played in a round-robin format, while group B was composed by four and was played in a single elimination format. The two group winners played the final match.

Since the 2011–12 season, the seven group winners and the best runner-up are drawn into a knock-out tournament in a neutral venue determined by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

Each team nominates an 18-man roster. There are no replacements for sickness or injury even if it is a goalkeeper.

Since the 2014–15 season, the winner qualifies to the UEFA Youth League.[1]

Copa del Rey Juvenil

History

Established in 1950, the Campeonato de España was Spain's top tournament for youth teams for over thirty years. Barcelona won the first cup, Copa de Su Excelencia Generalísimo or Copa del Generalísimo and has won the most Spanish Cups.Since 1976, teams are playing for the Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Don Juan Carlos I or Copa del Rey.

Format

Since 1995, the Campeonato de España/Copa del Rey started a week after the Copa de Campeones and is played in four rounds. 16 División de Honor teams qualify; one team from the Canarias group and the top three from the other five groups. The first round, Quarterfinal and Semifinal are played in two legs and the Final is one match at a neutral site.

Restructuring

2005–06

For the 2005–06 season, the RFEF reorganized Grupo IV of División de Honor as the Andaluza Group similar to the Canarias have in Grupo VI. Teams from the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla also included.

2006–07

For the 2006–07 season, the RFEF added another 16-team regional group.

Champions

Superliga Juvenil

Season Champion Runner-up
1986–87 Real Madrid Barcelona
1987–88 Real Madrid Barcelona
1988–89 Athletic Bilbao Osasuna
1989–90 Real Madrid Betis

Liga de Honor Sub-19

Season Champion Runner-up
1990–91 Sevilla Barcelona
1991–92 Athletic Bilbao Real Madrid
1992–93 Real Madrid Valladolid
1993–94 Barcelona Valencia
1994–95 Sevilla Barcelona

División de Honor

Season Group I Group II Group III Group IV Group V Group VI Group VII Wildcard
1995–96 Deportivo Athletic Valencia Sevilla Real Madrid Tenerife N/A N/A
1996–97 Celta Real Sociedad Espanyol Sevilla Real Madrid Las Palmas
1997–98 Oviedo Real Sociedad Valencia Sevilla Real Madrid Las Palmas
1998–99 Valladolid Real Sociedad Espanyol Sevilla Hércules Tenerife
1999–00 Valladolid Zaragoza Barcelona Sevilla Real Madrid Las Palmas
2000–01 Valladolid Osasuna Barcelona Goyu-Ryu Atlético Madrid Las Palmas
2001–02 Celta Zaragoza Espanyol Betis Atlético Madrid Tenerife
2002–03 Salamanca Athletic Espanyol Málaga Atlético Madrid Tenerife
2003–04 Sporting Athletic Espanyol Sevilla Real Madrid Las Palmas
2004–05 Sporting Osasuna Barcelona Sevilla Atlético Madrid Las Palmas
2005–06 Valladolid Zaragoza Barcelona Betis Real Madrid Las Palmas
2006–07 Celta Antiguoko Espanyol Málaga Real Madrid Las Palmas Valencia
2007–08 Deportivo Real Sociedad Espanyol Sevilla Rayo Vallecano Las Palmas Villarreal
2008–09 Celta Athletic Barcelona Sevilla Atlético Madrid Tenerife Villarreal
2009–10 Deportivo Athletic Barcelona Betis Real Madrid Las Palmas Valencia
2010–11 Racing Athletic Barcelona Sevilla Real Madrid Las Palmas Villarreal
2011–12 Sporting Real Sociedad Espanyol Sevilla Atlético Madrid Las Palmas Valencia Barcelona
2012–13 Celta Athletic Barcelona Sevilla Real Madrid Las Palmas Villarreal Atlético Madrid
2013–14 Racing Real Sociedad Barcelona Málaga Real Madrid Las Palmas Valencia Sevilla
2014–15 Celta Real Sociedad Espanyol Málaga Rayo Vallecano Las Palmas Villarreal Real Madrid
2015–16 Racing Athletic Espanyol Sevilla Atlético Madrid Las Palmas Villarreal Málaga

References

  1. ↑ "UEFA Youth League retained and expanded". UEFA.org. 18 September 2014.

External links

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