Japan Women's Football League
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| Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Divisions | 1:Nadeshiko League Div.1 2:Nadeshiko League Div.2 3:Challenge League |
| Number of teams | 32 |
| Level on pyramid | 1-3 |
| Relegation to | Japanese Regional Leagues |
| Domestic cup(s) |
Empress's Cup League Cup |
| International cup(s) | none |
| Current champions | Div.1:NTV Beleza Div.2:Nojima Stella Div.3:Orca Kamogawa FC |
| Most championships | NTV Beleza (14 titles) |
| TV partners | Fox Sports and Entertainment |
| Website | http://www.nadeshikoleague.jp/ |
 2017 L. League
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The Japan Women's Football League (in Japanese: "L・リーグ", Officially "日本女子サッカーリーグ",Nihon Joshi Sakkā Rīgu) is the top flight of women's association football in Japan. The league consists of three divisions: Divisions 1 and 2 have the nickname Nadeshiko League (なでしこリーグ Nadeshiko Rīgu) and Division 3 the Challenge League (チャレンジリーグ Charenji Rīgu). Since 2008 it has been sponsored by (株式会社プレナス), a fastfood company based in Fukuoka, and are thus billed as Plenus Nadeshiko League and Plenus Challenge League.
Japan Women's Football League began in 1989. From 1993 to 1999 it adopted an Apertura and Clausura system, similar to the J.League system of that era. From 2000 to 2003 the clubs were divided into East and West groups and then the top clubs of each would go into a championship group, with the bottom clubs in a relegation group. In 2004 the single-table format was brought back.
Players from the 8 Japan Women's Football League teams would host an annual training camp to build skills and relationships between the L-League and women's international football clubs, including U.S. and Australian based teams.
Starting in the 2004 season, the L-League had 2 divisions - Division 1, with 8 clubs, and Division 2, with 8 clubs in the 2006 season. Until 2009 the league operated in the same way as the old Japan Soccer League for men, the bottom club in the second division playing off against a regional league playoff winner.
Starting with the 2010 season, the second division is divided into an east and west group of six teams each. The winners of each group are promoted. In 2015 this became Division 3, with the Nadeshiko League becoming two divisions of 10 teams each.
After Japan's World Cup win in 2011 the L-League saw an upsurge in popularity.
Since 2015, the L-League consists of three levels.
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