As part of a buyout of Madrid-based club CD Tacón, Real will be able to compete in the Spanish top flight from next season.
The decision has been hailed as “a huge positive” by Lyon’s Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg, who became the first winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018.
Los Blancos purchased Madrid-based club CD Tacón last September for €300,000 (£271,000), and after approval from the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the side has now officially been renamed Real Madrid Femenino.
At the time, Real president Florentino Perez said: “Real Madrid must be part of this worldwide phenomena and the time has come to face this new challenge and build a football team which is able to compete, and of which we can feel proud.”
In a statement Real said it wanted to “contribute to the sport’s development and growth”.
This is a big step for the Spanish giants, as they were one of the only major football clubs in Europe that didn’t have a women’s team.
CD Tacón, who only formed in 2014, finished tenth out of sixteen teams last season in their first season in the Spanish top flight.
Los Blancos are aiming to move into the top three next season as they aim to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League and duplicate European success in their newly formed women’s side.
While full of praise at the announcement, Hegerberg stressed that success will not “happen overnight”.
“I’m hoping they will stabilise the investment over a long period and that they have a long-term perspective because it can’t happen overnight,” she said.
The club has already invested in proven talent by bringing in World Cup stars Kosovare Asllani, Sofia Jakobsson and Thiasa.
However, Perez has promised that the club will achieve its success by investing in young Spanish talent.
The 73-year-old, in his second term as Real President, said CD Tacón was chosen because of its “academy structure” and that the club will look to “develop talent”.
The newly renamed club will continue to be led by Ana Rossell, a Real Madrid socio (member) and the former President of CD Tacón.
The women’s football team becomes the third sporting section of the club alongside the men’s soccer and basketball teams.
Real Madrid Femenino is the club’s first female team since its women’s basketball team CREFF, which was dissolved in 1977.
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