Danish Women's League

Not to be confused with Danish Women's Handball League or KvindeLigaen (ice hockey).
Danmarksturneringens Kvindeliga
Organising bodyDanish FA (DBU)
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
First season1975
CountryDenmark
ConfederationUEFA
Divisions2 (1975–1980)
1 (1981–present)
Number of teams20 (1975–1980)
12 (1981–1992)
8 (1993–present)
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toKvinde 1. division
Domestic cup(s)DBU KvindePokalen
(1992–present)
International cup(s)UEFA Women's Champions League
Current championsHB Køge (3rd title)
(2022–23)
Most championshipsBrøndby IF (12 titles)
TV partnersEurosport 2, Sport Live and Dplay (2020–2021)[1]
Viaplay/TV3 Sport
(2021–2024)[2]
Websitekvindeliga.dk
Current: 2024–25 Danish Women's League

The Danish Women's League (Danish: Danmarksturneringens Kvindeliga, Kvinde-DM Liga or Kvindeligaen) is a semi-professional top-flight league for women's football in Denmark. It is organised by the Danish Football Association (DBU) as part of the nation-wide Danmarksturneringen i kvindefodbold (Kvinde-DM) and is placed as the first division of the Danish football league system.[3] Clubs in the league must meet certain criteria concerning appropriate facilities and finances.[4] All of the league's clubs qualify for the proper rounds of the DBU KvindePokalen. The top teams of each season qualify for the UEFA Women's Champions League.

The division has changed its name on several occasions. It began as Danmarksturneringen i damefodbold (1975 until 1980), then Dame 1. division (1981 until 1992), Elitedivisionen (1993 until 2015–16) and the current name, Kvindeligaen, beginning with the 2016–17 season.[5][6] Due to sponsorship arrangements, it was known as 3F Ligaen for fourteen seasons (2005–06 until 2018–19) and since the 2019–20 season as Gjensidige Kvindeligaen.[7][8]

According to FIFA's 2023 Women's Benchmarking Report, the league in 2021-22 drew an average of 388 fans per game, 57% of players had signed compensated player contracts (of whom, the average annual salary was between $10-15k USD), and 29% of players made their primary living from football.[9] The league's status as semi-professional presented challenges for its return-to-play from the 2019-2020 COVID-19 pandemic, as initially in Denmark only fully professional sports were allowed to resume.[10] A rise in interest and participation in women's football has driven increased investment into the league in recent years, although the best players in Denmark still often depart for fully professional clubs abroad.[11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference dr-29.05.2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference kdf-03.03.2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference dbu-kdm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference dbu-lic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference dr-daesidbr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference dbu-ntfpok was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference tp-30.06.2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference tv2-30.07.2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "'Setting the Pace' FIFA Benchmarking Report (3rd Edition)". FIFA. 2023-08-18. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  10. ^ Frigaard, Anders Melchior (8 May 2020). "Kvindeligaen kan måske genoptages: Afventer svar fra regeringen" (in Danish). DR / www.dr.dk. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. ^ Tejwani, Karan (2022-05-10). "Analysing The Rise of Women's Football in Denmark". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 25 January 2024.