The new season's format for the women's leagues begins in a positive fashion, as Division 1 has grown, with two teams coming up from Division 2, and only one departing.

That departure is by London Towers. After just three seasons back in the top flight, and just 7 wins in 52 matches, the 2005 Division 2 South Champions are down ... and out. Whether their disappearance from the league is at least partly due to the fact that they've been unable to play at the National Sports Centre (during refurbishment) for most of last season, it's still disappointing to see an established club (with such a well-recognised name in basketball) pulling out.

	E. B. L. Division 1 Women
1	Leeds Met Carnegie	Promoted from D2 N
2	London Heathrow Acers
3	London Met. Uni.	Promoted from D2 S
4	Manchester Mystics
5	Nottingham Wildcats
6	Rhondda Rebels
7	Sevenoaks Suns
8	Sheffield Hatters
9	Solent Suns
10	Team Northumbria
11	UWIC Archers

The newcomers to EBL1 are two of the new breed of fast-developing teams, based on University programmes.

London Met finished as runners-up in EBL2 South, level on points with Champions Enfield, but Leeds Carnegie did not even reach the play-offs, having finished fourth in the North.

The fact that neither of the eligible regional winners (Enfield Phoenix and Midlands/South-West champions Black Country Bears) nor any of the other three play-off qualifiers (Stockport Lapwings, Bury Blue Devils and Cardiff Celts) have gone up, suggests to me that promotion is still often a matter of which clubs want to play in Division 1, rather than which of them have earned the right, on court.

From the point of view of boosting the women's game, however, if Leeds and London can make an impact, and continue to attract more female players into the game, then their elevation will prove fully justified.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, after all the speculation surrounding the end of last season, is that this century's most successful team, Rhondda Rebels, are still there in Division 1. As Cup and Championship winners that shouldn't really come as a surprise, but Rhondda seemed so close to meltdown just prior to the end of the season, and rumours were so rife about their imminent demise, even at the Championships, that it's pleasing to see that they have survived.

I'd better be careful what I say, having already had an ear-bashing from Andrew Tynan for my (what i considered pretty mild) comments about Rhondda's situation, but I believe that there was an attempt to move the franchise for next season, but that the application was turned down by EB, as it would have meant moving the club out of Wales! So, I shall be interested to see where they end up playing when the new season starts. The obvious place to find out would be on their website, but since it hasn't even caught up with their Championship success yet that may not work.

Now I'm sorry if I sound like a killjoy by not joining in the general euphoria and hype, but despite the fact that the Women's divisions are listed first on the EB website announcement of the league format - and just under the headline that the "National League competitions continue to grow, with 16 new teams ..." - the simple fact is that the Women's competition may have gained six of those newcomers, but it also lost five!

	Departures:
	London Towers	Out from D1
	Doncaster Panthers	Out from D2N
	City Of Sheffield Hatters II	Out from D2N
	Nottingham Wildcats II	Out from D2N
	Solent Suns II	Out from D2M/SW

Towers are one of the losses, and there are also four other teams that have disappeared from Division 2 - none of them insignificant.

Doncaster Danum Eagles drop out just a year after coming down from division 1, but more importantly they do so as the third longest-serving club in the women's league! The only two other clubs with continuous membership of the league since Doncaster Panthers joined in 1980 are Sheffield Hatters and Nottingham Wildcats!

Sheffield Hatters II have been a strong influence in the Northern Division 2 for several years, having won the division this season and last, and they retire as defending Division 2 Champions, while Nottingham Wildcats II have also performed well, having brought their club their first-ever silverware (the National Trophy) in 2005.

Departing alongside the nursery teams of the strongest two clubs in the North are the second team from one of the stronger Southern outfits, Solent Suns, which leaves only two clubs (Northumbria and Sevenoaks) with reserve teams in the league.

	E. B. L. Division 2N Women
1	Bury Blue Devils
2	Leics. Beauchamp Cannons	From D2 Mid/SW
3	Ellesmere Port Panthers
4	Mansfield Giants
5	Sefton Starlights
6	Stockport Lapwings
7	Team Northumbria II
8	Wear Valley	New

	E. B. L. Division 2M/SW Women
1	Bristol Academy Flyers
2	Cardiff Celts
3	City Of Bristol Storm
4	Guernsey	New (to play at Hamble)
5	Guildford Heat	New
6	Plymouth Raiders
7	South Birmingham Blazers	[Black Country Bears]
8	Taunton Tigers
	E. B. L. Division 2S Women
1	Brixton Topcats
2	Edmonton Green Phoenix	Ex-Enfield
3	Hertfordshire Warriors	Ex-West Herts
4	Holbrook Tigers
5	London Westside
6	Millwall Wildcats	New
7	Sevenoaks Suns II
8	Southend Swifts
9	Wellingborough Phoenix	New

New this season to Division 2 North is Wear Valley, who, I assume are associated with the men's team of the same name.

With four teams having gone from the North (one upwards and three outwards) that would have left the division somewhat short, and the arrival of Leicester Beauchamp Cannons, from the Midlands/South-West, not only redresses the imbalance, but allows Leicester to swap the somewhat easier long-distance trips to Northumbria and Wear Valley for those to Taunton and Plymouth!

That move is facilitated by the arrival, in the Midlands/South-West of three new teams.

Most interesting newcomers are undoubtedly Guernsey, but before anyone gets too uptight about a potential seas-crossing (or too excited about a visit to warmer climes) it must be pointed out that they've agreed to play their "home" games at Hamble, by agreement with Solent Suns.

Another (very welcome) addition is that of Guildford Heat, who are only the second BBL club (alongside Plymouth Raiders) to have a team in the Women's competition.

Giving an even more South-Western flavour to this region are Bristol Academy Flyers, who introduce a national women's dimension to their club after four years of increasing success in the men's league.

The only other change in this region is the name change for Black Country Bears, to South Birmingham Blazers, which at least means that they lose the totally inappropriate epithet of "Ladies" that so many Women's teams boast.

There are two name changes, too, in the South, where Enfield Phoenix have become Edmonton Green, and West Herts are now Hertfordshire.

That division expands to nine teams, with the addition of Wellingborough Phoenix and Millwall Wildcats.

The former are part of the Wellingborough club that has performed so well in Men's Division 4, and they have been preparing for their national debut with regional competition.

As for Millwall, I must admit a total lack of knowledge ... but I'm sure that someone will be very quick to correct that error.