The Women's EBL shows a number of particularly significant changes - not least of which is the departure from Division 1 of two of the most enterprising and successful teams of recent years.

E. B. L. Division 1 Women

1

Barking Abbey

2

Birmingham As

1st EBL2M/SW.

3

Brixton Topcats

3rd EBL2 South

4

Leeds Carnegie

5

London Heathrow Acers

6

London Mets

7

Nottingham Wildcats

8

Sevenoaks Suns

9

Sheffield Hatters

10

Team Northumbria

11

UWIC Archers

12

Wellingborough Phoenix

2nd EBL2 South

E. B. L. Division 2N

1

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets

2

Bury Blue Devils

3

Ilkeston Outlaws

4

5

Manchester Mystics

From 8th in EBL1

6

Mansfield Giants

7

Merseyside Spartans

8

Preston Pride

9

Sefton Starlights

10

Sheffield Hallam-Hatters

11

Stockport Lapwings

Team Northumbria II Eagles

E. B. L. Division 2 Mid/S-W

1

Bristol Academy Flyers

(Re?) Entry

2

Bristol Storm

3

Cardiff Celts

4

City of Birmingham Force

Re-entry

5

Guernsey

6

Plymouth Marjon

7

Solent Suns

From 5th in EBL1

8

Taunton Tigers

9

UWIC Archers II

E. B. L. Division 2 Mid/S-E

1

Brighton & Sussex Students

2

Guildford Heat

From Mid/SW

3

Hinckley & Bosworth Hoops

4

Holbrook Tigers

5

Leicester Beauchamp Cannons

From North

6

London Westside

7

Sevenoaks Suns II

8

Southend Swifts

Edmonton Green Phoenix

Hertfordshire Warriors

This is a worrying development, especially as it follows the demise, last year, of regular title challengers Rhondda Rebels. I know that in theory that club didn't disappear, as it merged with Barking Abbey to become "Barking Abbey Rhondda Rebels", but it always felt like a replacement rather than a continuation, and the fact that (as we predicted) none of their scheduled games were played in Rhondda seems to have confirmed this.

It's therefore doubly disappointing this year that Division 1 should lose two top-eight teams, with both Solent Suns and Manchester Mystics choosing to step down into division 2.

These are two teams which have good development programmes, and they have both made significant impacts on Division 1 in the five seasons since they were both promoted.

The reasons appear to be different in each case.

The Suns lost coach Michael Ball at the end of last season, and also have a significant number of players leaving. They did not feel (financially) able to replace those players, and for a long while their continued participation at any level was in doubt.

However, with the Association taking a positive stance, and allowing them additional time to decide their future, they chose to keep the franchise alive, and play in Division 2.

The Mystics will also, I believe, be losing a number of key players, but the determining factor appears to have been the rising costs of running a club which competes successfully at every single National League level, and the regionalised Division 2 has the benefit not only of reduced travel costs, but also of cheaper fees for team and player registration.

Cost is clearly a significant factor for many this year. Manchester’s near-neighbours, Stockport Lapwings, have chosen to stay in Division 2, despite having won the North section in 2009, and the South champions, London Westside, have also stayed where they were.

Despite all of this, Division 1 has continued to expand, as three teams have accepted promotion, to replace the two which have left.

Midlands/South-West winners, South Birmingham Bears (who were Black Country Bears until last season) celebrate their new status with another name-change, as they link up with the Birmingham As.

Meanwhile, there’s a welcome return to the top flight for Brixton Topcats, who finished just two points behind Westside in the South, and Trophy finalists Wellingborough Phoenix, overcame the disappointment of missing the South title merely on countback, by continuing their rise up the food chain.

Nor is it just Division 1 that has expanded, as Division 2 has grown to 28 teams - six more than finished the last season, and two more even than those who were initially admitted a year ago.

The North has seen the biggest expansion, from seven to eleven teams, with no team promoted, none dropping out, one coming down, one moving to a different region, and four entering or re-entering.

There is a welcome return for Hatters’ second team, twice Trophy finalists, twice Northern Champions, and twice Division 2 Championship Winners, who took a year out after completing the “double” in 2008.

The three debutantes are Ilkeston Outlaws (despite finishing sixth, of seven, in Under-16 Girls’ Midlands), Merseyside Spartans (the sister team, I assume of the EBL4 Men’s new entrants), and Preston Pride.

Despite losing Birmingham to Division 1, and Guildford, to the South, the Midlands/South-West conference has expanded by two.

Solent slot in as a direct replacement for Birmingham, while the return of  Birmingham Force ensures that that city still has a representative in Division 2.

Bristol Flyers (who were accepted last year, but pulled out before the season began) are back again, while the entry of Plymouth Marjon compensates for the demise, before last season, of Plymouth Raiders.

Finally to the South, renamed Midlands/South-East, which is the only region to have lost a couple of teams by withdrawal.

The departure of Hertfordshire Warriors, who failed to win a game last season, is hardly a surprise, but the loss of Edmonton Green (ex-Enfield), just a year after they won the division, is disappointing. The Phoenix appear to have been in competition with Brixton for players, and it may well be that the elevation of the Topcats back into Division 1 would have left Edmonton struggling.

With two teams having been promoted, the two new entrants have had to be supplemented by two teams transferring from other regions - Guildford, from the Midlands/ South-West and Leicester Cannons, from the North.

Newcomers Brighton & Sussex Students are an unknown quantity, but Hinckley & Bosworth are only too well known, and their record (three Under-18 defaults last season, and one Under-16, while finishing last in both competitions) hardly inspires confidence.

[Any additional information, about any of the clubs who have been sold short by my lack of knowledge, will be gratefully received]