Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga

The Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga (German: Dameneishockey-Bundesliga or DEBL) is the upper league in Women's ice hockey in Austria. It is organized by the Austrian Ice Hockey Association. Austria had 644 female players in 2011.IIHF, http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/austria.html
== History ==
Founded in 1998, the league uses a format of home and away matches. In the 2004–05 season, the best Austrian teams additionally also competed in the international Elite Women's Hockey League (EWHL). From the following season onward, the top teams only played in the EWHL, making the Bundesliga in a sense the second-level league of Austrian Women's ice hockey. As a result, the title of Austrian champion is decided in a separate tournament titled Staatsmeisterschaft (National Championship), featuring the three teams that play in the EWHL and the top DEBL team. Exceptions were the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons where EWHL clubs were the only competing teams. Since 2008, following the example of the Austrian men's ice hockey league, the DEBL has also featured teams from neighboring Slovenia.
==Championship record==
 Season by season
Season 	Staatsmeisterschaft 	Dameneishockey-Bundesliga
1998-99	Gipsy Girls Villach 	Gipsy Girls Villach
1999-00	Gipsy Girls Villach 	Gipsy Girls Villach
2000-01	EHC Vienna Flyers 	EHC Vienna Flyers
2001-02	EHV Sabres Vienna 	EHV Sabres Vienna
2002-03	EHV Sabres Vienna 	EHV Sabres Vienna
2003-04	EHV Sabres Vienna 	EHV Sabres Vienna
2004-05	EHV Sabres Vienna 	EHV Sabres Vienna
2005-06	EC The Ravens Salzburg 	Red Angels Innsbruck
2006-07	EHV Sabres Vienna 	Gipsy Girls Villach
2007-08	EHV Sabres Vienna 	DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
2008-09	EC The Ravens Salzburg 	HK Merkur Triglav Kranj
2009-10	EHV Sabres Vienna 	SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg
2010-11	EHV Sabres Vienna Life the Dream, Kiira Dosdall and the Vienna Sabres Capture Gold, http://www.womenshockeylife.com/blogs_view_dsp.cfm?BlogId=266&CatId=6 , April 12, 2011.	Neuberg Highlanders
2011-12	EHV Sabres Vienna 	Neuberg Highlanders
2012-13	EHV Sabres Vienna 	Neuberg Highlanders
2013-14	EHV Sabres Vienna 	Gric Zagreb
2014-15	EHV Sabres Vienna 	EHV Sabres Vienna II
2015-16	EHV Sabres Vienna 	HK Triglav
2016-17	EHV Sabres Vienna 	KMH Budapest II
2017-18	EHV Sabres Vienna 	HK Triglav
2018-19	EHV Sabres Vienna 	Ferencvárosi TC
2019-20	not awarded 	Neuberg Highlanders
2020-21	EHV Sabres Vienna 	KMH Budapest II
2021-22	EHV Sabres Vienna 	KMH Budapest II
2022-23	Neuberg Higlanders 	Villach Lady Hawks
2023-24	EC Graz Huskies 	EAC Women Capitals
 Leading teams
 	Team 	Titles
1	EHV Sabres Vienna 	18
2	EC The Ravens Salzburg	2
-	Gipsy Girls Villach 	2
4	EHC Vienna Flyers 	1
-	Neuberg Higlanders 	1
== DEBL II ==
In 2004, due to the increasing number of teams, a second division titled DEBL II was created. There was no matchplay in this league in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons. 
The team that finishes at the bottom of the DEBL league table at the end of the season meets the top team of the DEBL II over a best-of-three series. The winner of that contest then plays in the DEBL during the next season, while the loser is relegated to the second DEBL. "DEBL II – Austragungsmodus" (description of 2nd league format), ÖEHV Women"s Ice Hockey website
 Regular season champions
Season 	Champion
2004-05	Kundl Crocodiles
2005-06	EHV Sabres Vienna 2
2006-07	EC The Ravens Salzburg 2
 	
2009-10	FTC Eagles Budapest
2010-11	EC "Die Adler" Kitzbühel
2011-12	Neuberg Highlanders II
2012-13	DEC Devils Graz
2013-14	DEC Devils Graz
2014-15	Kitzbuhel/Kufstein
2015-16	HDK Maribor
2016-17	Red Angels Innsbruck
2017-18	DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
2018-19	Red Angels Innsbruck
2019-20	EHC Lustenau
2020-21	not awarded
2021-22	DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
2022-23	Villach Lady Hawks II
2023-24	SPG Kitzbuhel/Kufstein
==See also==
* Women's Austrian National Team
* Elite Women's Hockey League (EWHL)
* Ravens Salzburg
==References==
* This article incorporates information from the French and German Wikipedias.
Category:Women's ice hockey leagues