Spanish football opens a new category today. So demanded in recent years by professional and semi-professional clubs. That is, those who play between LaLiga SmartBank and Second B. They had been demanding a Second B Pro for years, with greater financial control and requirements that would increase competitiveness and attract brands and televisions. And that will be the First RFEF, although it will come little by little.
The Federation has restructured all non-professional football as a result of the chaos that caused the COVID to prevent any team from relegation, but it did promote. Now, it goes from having four state categories to five: LaLiga Santander, LaLiga SmartBank, the new First RFEF, the Second RFEF (old Second B) and the Third RFEF.
Cultural and Majadahonda will be in charge of playing today (19:30) the first game in the history of this new category. A division that will feature historic clubs and that they even have leagues in their record, as is the case with Sports, or runners-up, like the Racing. These two clubs, due to their tradition and the social mass behind them, are among the favorites to achieve promotion this season to Second. Although they will face tough bones to gnaw like Badajoz, Albacete, Castellón, Andorra and the subsidiaries of the two big ones: Castilla and Barcelona B.
There are two ways to achieve promotion. The first, to finish champion of one of the two groups at the end of the 38 days of the regular phase. The second, to achieve it via the playoff, where there are two more tickets at stake. Worst luck will run the last five places in each group, which will descend.
It is a premiere of a category that in days can change its name. Since the RFEF is trying to make a brand (like Santander in LaLiga) pay for it. A way to achieve more income for clubs, which they will obtain 8.33 million euros for centrally selling their television rights, which will be broadcast by Footters (You can read all the chronicles on AS.com and in the paper edition of AS). Rubiales announced to the clubs that with this new format, almost all of them make sure to earn at least one million euros per season, almost 400,000 euros would come from television and the aid of the RFEF. The distribution of audiovisual rights, as agreed by the clubs, will be carried out as follows: 40% in equal parts, 30% according to the points obtained, 20% depending on the audience of each team and 10% for supporting the quarry.
The category is valued at 230.63 million, with Barça B the most (€ 53M). Only Demir is worth more (€ 8M) than any team in the category except Castilla. Although this football is not about millions, but about experience and perseverance. Therefore, a season of great level and emotion is expected.