By Samindra Kunti
April 17 – Next season the women’s Super League will replace the BeNe League in Belgium. Eight teams will compete in the newly designed league format with the champions crowned after play-offs.
Earlier this season the KNVB and the KBVB, the Dutch and Belgian FA’s respectively, decided to revamp their professional women’s league after a joint-decision to end the BeNe League due to insufficient financial resources and a lack of competitiveness.
The BeNe League had been a joint-initiative in 2011 to improve the quality of women’s football in both countries. The BeNe Super Cup, pitting the Belgian and Dutch champions against each other, was established as a try-out later that year.
The BeNe League held its inaugural season in 2012. It was the first fully cross-border league in Europe. The winner of the Bene League earned a spot in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
But last season the first cracks appeared in the BeNe League’s development. Belgian clubs Sint-Truiden VV and Royal Antwerp had to withdraw due to financial problems. Dutch club Fc Utrecht filed for bankruptcy. As a result, the FA’s decided that the 2014/15 season would be the BeNe League’s last one.
The KBVB has responded by unveiling its plan for a Super League with eight teams and a play-offs structure to decide the champions. At present OH Leuven, Lierse, Standard, Anderlecht, AA Gent and Club Brugge represent Belgium in the BeNe League, but Brugge will fold its women’s team next season. Genk, Tienen, Aalst, Zulte Waregem and Saint-Ghislain are the candidates to take up the three remaining spots in the Super League.
“In the three seasons that the BeNe League exists, we have always finished first or second,” reacted Standard player Imke Courtois to Sporza TV.”The other Belgian clubs are increasingly catching up and have grown tremendously in those three years. So perhaps conclusions were drawn too quickly.”
Standard currently tops the table in the BeNe league with 52 points, five more than FC Twente.
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