Elda Prestigio Women

None of that came with the security the record suggests. Elda had reached the top division only in 1992, and the club that had just beaten continental opposition was, within a few years of its last trophy, losing money faster than it could raise it. Relegation came in 2013, and not to the second tier but straight to the third, Tercera División.

The comeback was built in stages: back to the second division in 2014, then eleven years of rebuilding before a 23–21 play-off win over Morvedre on 27 May 2023 sent them back to the top flight. Morvedre is also the opponent in what locals call the Derby of the Handball Community, alongside the older Alicante derby against Atticgo Elche.

The team plays as Las Leonas, in white and light blue, and the current captain, Lucía García, leads a squad that has also carried Argentine internationals Sol Azcune and Sofía Rivadeneira in recent seasons. Begoña Fernández, capped by Spain and a European silver medallist, spent three years at the club in the mid-2000s.

Having returned to the top division after over a decade away, the task now is straightforward: stay there.