Fédérale 1 (women's rugby)
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Country | France |
| Most recent champion | Racing 92 (2024–25) |
| Most titles | RC Jacou Montpellier Nord (2 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | Level 3 |
| Promotion to | Élite 2 |
| Relegation to | Fédérale 2 |
Fédérale 1 is the third division of women's rugby union in France. The competition was founded in 2003, two teams are promoted to Élite 2 and four teams are relegated to Fédérale 2.
History
The Fédérale 1 championship in 2014–2015 saw its format evolve with the merging of the three existing federal divisions until then into a single federal division Pratique à XV.[1]
The reserve teams of the first division clubs participated in the competition until 2022. An Elite Reserves competition was created in 2022.
Format
The competition normally involves 32 teams, it is played in two phases: a qualifying phase (four groups of eight) and a final phase. At the end of each season, two teams are promoted to Élite 2 and four teams are relegated to Fédérale 2.
Qualifying phase
The 32 teams are divided into four geographical groups of eight teams. The clubs finishing in first and second place in each group – eight teams – qualify for the play-off phase. At the end of the qualifying phase, the teams ranked last in each group are relegated to Fédérale 2.
Final phase
The final phase consists of a knockout tournament starting at the quarter-final stage. All matches are played in a single-elimination format on neutral ground. The two finalists are promoted to Elite 2. The winner of the final is crowned Fédérale 1 Champion.
Champions
| Season | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Montpellier RC | ||
| 2002–03 | CSM Puteaux | ||
| 2003–04 | Nice Université Racing RC | ||
| 2004–05 | Stade Dijonnais Côte d'Or | ||
| 2005–06 | RC Lons | 19–0 | Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur Women |
| 2006–07 | La Valette | 29–5 | Avenir Fonsorbais |
| 2007–08 | RC Jacou Montpellier Nord | 8–6 | ES Nanterre |
| 2008–09 | RC Jacou Montpellier Nord | 14–5 | ES Saint-Pierre-des-Corps |
| 2009–10 | Nice Université Racing RC | 15–12 | AS Béziers Hérault |
| 2010–11 | Pachys d'Herm | 22–13 | US Nérac |
| 2011–12 | Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby | 12–12 | Lyon OR |
| 2012–13 | Lyon OR | 29–8 | Stade Olympique Villelonguet |
| 2013–14 | UA Gaillac | 15–3 | Castres Women's Rugby |
| 2014–15 | La Rochelle Pallice Ocean Club | 14–3 | Grenoble UC |
| 2015–16 | Stade Olympique Villelonguet | 11–10 | Stade Français |
| 2016–17 | RC Narbonne | 32–13 | Rueil AC |
| 2017–18 | ES Bruges Blanquefort | 17–15 | Stade Montois |
| 2018–19 | Montpellier RC B | 12–6 | Stade Toulousain B |
| 2019–20 | The FRF cancelled all amateur competitions for the 2019–20, and 2020–21 seasons due to the lockdown period following the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3] | ||
| 2020–21 | |||
| 2021–22 | US Joué | 33–10 | Rass. Union bords de Marne Vitry |
| 2022–23 | CA Brive | 18–6 | RAS Stado TPR Ibos |
| 2023–24 | AS Bayonne | 23–20 | Chilly-Mazarin RC |
| 2024–25 | Racing 92 | 29–21 | Colomiers / Leguevin |
| 2025–26 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
References
- ^ Perrin, Thibault (2014-07-19). "Rugby Féminin - La grogne monte après la réforme des championnats de fédérale par la FFR". Rugbynistere (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "COVID-19 : arrêt des compétitions de rugby amateur pour la saison 2019-2020". Fédération Française de Rugby (in French). 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Bureau fédéral : arrêt des compétitions amateurs pour la saison 2020-2021". Fédération Française de Rugby (in French). 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)