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The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the
Austrian football league system Football is the most popular sport in Austria. The Austrian Football Association, the ''ÖFB'' (''Österreichischer Fußball-Bund''), was founded in 1904 and has been a member of FIFA since then. Despite the sport's popularity, except for a s ...
. The competition decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
. Since Austria stayed in sixteenth place in the UEFA association coefficient rankings at the end of the 2015–16 season, the league gained its first spot for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
for the 2016-2017 season. The Austrian Bundesliga, which began in the 1974–75 season, has been a separate registered association since 1 December 1991. It has been won the most by the two Viennese giants
Austria Wien Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (; known in English as Austria Vienna, and usually shortened to Austria ( German: Österreich) in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the mo ...
, who were national champions 24 times, and Rapid Wien, who won the national title 32 times. The current champions are Red Bull Salzburg. Phillip Thonhauser is president of the Austrian Bundesliga. The Austrian Football Bundesliga is currently known as ''Admiral Bundesliga'' for sponsorship reasons.


History


1900–1938

Football has been played in Austria since around
1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship '' ...
. Around the turn of the twentieth century two attempts were made to start a national championship. From 1900 onwards, a cup competition was played in Vienna, the ''Neues Wiener Tagblatt Pokal''. This cup was actually played in league format. The efforts to create a football league succeeded in
1911 A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * ...
, with the introduction of the first Austrian football championship. The competition for this championship, the ''1. Klasse'' (''First Class''), was created and organized by the ''Niederösterreichischer Fußball-Verband'' (the
Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
n Football Federation), and the participants played for the title of ''Niederösterreichische Landesmeister'' (Lower Austrian National Champion). From 1924, the league was considered professional and changed its name to ''I. Liga'' (''First League''). In 1929, an all-Austrian amateur championship was first played, won by
Grazer AK Grazer AK, founded 18 August 1902 as Grazer Athletiksport Klub (in Austria the abbreviation GAK is more common), is an Austrian sports club, from the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria (''Steiermark''). The football section used to be on ...
. Clubs from the professional league in Vienna were not part of this competition. Teams from the other
states of Austria Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states (German: ''Länder''). Since ''Land'' is also the German word for "country", the term ''Bundesländer'' (literally ''federal states'') is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constituti ...
were first allowed to join the highest division with the introduction of the ''Nationalliga'' (''National League'') in the season of 1937–38.


1938–1945

Austria's
annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
by
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
in 1938 brought the Austrian Nationalliga to an early end. Numerous teams were disbanded and some players fled out of the country. The Austrian Nationalliga was integrated into the system of the
NSRL The National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise (german: Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen, abbreviated NSRL) was the umbrella organization for sports and physical education in Nazi Germany. The NSRL was kn ...
, the Sports office of the Third Reich as the Gau XVII section under ''Gaufachwart'' Hans Janisch. Despised by
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
as unworthy of a true German, professionalism in sports was outlawed in May 1938. "Innovations" like the
Hitler salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...
were introduced as compulsory before and after every game. Teams, like Hakoah Wien were banned and others, like
Austria Wien Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (; known in English as Austria Vienna, and usually shortened to Austria ( German: Österreich) in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the mo ...
were first closed and then renamed. Finally, the operation of the junior teams was handed over to the local Hitlerjugend units. The new highest league in what had been Austria, the ''Gauliga Ostmark'', was an amateur league and covered the whole of the former country except
Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
and
Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with th ...
, which were added to the
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
n league system. The league champions now qualified for the
German football championship German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, which Rapid Wien won in 1941. From 1941, the league was renamed ''Gauliga Donau-Alpenland'' to further eradicate the memory of Austria as an independent country. Following Nazi Germany's defeat in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and the disbandment of the NSRL, Austria's teams were excluded again from the German league.


1945–1974

The league returned to a Vienna-only format in 1945, briefly named ''1. Klasse'' once more before changing to just ''Liga'' in 1946. Only upon the introduction of the all-Austrian ''Staatsliga A'' in 1949 did teams from the whole federal territory finally play for the Austrian Championship. However, the road to organising the Staatsliga proved difficult. A conflict between the representatives of the amateur and the professional aspects of the sport led to the separation of the
Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * ...
league from the football federation, and to the establishment of its own competition on 30 June 1949. At the statutory Presidential Election Council of the Austrian Football Association only a few days later a surprising turn took place – upon the request of Lower Austria, the introduction of the ''Staatsliga'' was finally and unanimously confirmed. The organization was in the hands of the Fußballstaatsliga Österreich, created for this purpose. A ''Staatsliga B'', the second division of national league football, was formed in 1950. This league, however, was disbanded again in 1959, whereby the ''Staatsliga A'' dropped the ''A'' from its name, the need for differentiating having been gone. In 1965, however, the Austrian Football Association again took over the organization of the top division, with the (second) introduction of the ''Nationalliga''. On 21 April 1974, against the vote of the Vorarlberg association, the introduction of the ''Bundesliga'' was decided. The ''Nationalliga'' remained as the second division, for now.


1974 to current

In the 1974–75 season the Bundesliga was introduced which, still led by the Austrian Football Association, aligned both of the highest divisions in Austria. In 1976, the ''Nationalliga'' was renamed to ''Bundesliga – Second Division'' while the ''Bundesliga'' was now called ''Bundesliga – First Division''. From 1974 to 1982 the league operated with ten clubs with each club playing the other four times during the season. From 1982 to 1985 it played with sixteen clubs with each club playing the others twice. The league's modus was changed in 1985 to a twelve team league which played a home -and away round in autumn. The top eight clubs then advanced to the championship round (Officially: ''Oberes Play-off'') who again played each other twice. The bottom four of the autumn round played the top four of the First League to determine the four teams to play in the Bundesliga in the following season. This modus was used for the next eight seasons until 1993 when the league returned to the ten team format it originally operated in. 26 years after dissolution of the independent Staatsliga on 17 November 1991, the Austrian Football Bundesliga was reconstituted as a federation and admitted on 1 December 1991 to the Austrian Football Association as its 10th member. Beginning with the 2018-19 season the league expanded from its current 10 teams to 12 teams.


Tasks and legal form

Since 1991 the Bundesliga has carried its own responsibility as a separate association, and organises the championships of the two highest divisions in Austria. Both are named after their sponsors; since 2014 the Bundesliga is named after sports-betting company, Tipico. The second division, called the "Erste Liga" or "First League," is sponsored by Sky Go. In addition the Bundesliga is responsible for the Toto Jugendliga, leagues for under 15/17/19 Teams of professional Clubs and academies. The Bundesliga also represents professional football in Austria, in co-operation with the football clubs themselves. The Bundesliga is legally a non-profit organisation. The twenty teams of the Tipico Bundesliga and the Sky Go Erste Liga constitute the members of the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga is represented by an acting executive committee, which supports a supervisory board. Each association of the two professional leagues is represented in presidential conferences; these have advisory function in all affairs concerning the Bundesliga.


Scopes of responsibility of the senates

The 'senates' are organising committees which consist of honorary and committee-members independent of the clubs. The first senate is responsible for suspensions and for the running of championship games. The second senate functions as an arbitration board for financial disagreements, the third senate is responsible for all financial concerns and the fourth senate is the panel of referees for the Bundesliga. The evaluation of a club's economic competency which is required in order to obtain a playing license for the two professional leagues takes place at the fifth senate, the Bundesliga
license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
committee.


Objectives

The Austrian Bundesliga carries the obligation for a positive development of football as a sport at the élite level, as well as for the advancement of the next generation of players in co-operation with the teams at the junior levels of the sport. To accomplish this, the Bundesliga requires economic audits of the teams, the introduction of laws particular to professional football, TV marketing, centralised sponsorship and collective marketing for all teams.


Bundesliga

In the Bundesliga, twelve teams play a "double championship", with each team playing every other twice at home and twice away during a championship year, which is divided into an autumn and a spring season. The season typically lasts from July to June of the following year. At the end of the season, the team finishing in last place in the table is relegated to the Sky Go Erste Liga, the champion of which is promoted to the Bundesliga.


Member clubs for the 2022–23 season

The Bundesliga
champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
and the second placed team qualify for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
, the Austrian Cup winner enters the playoff round of the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
while the team in 4th position, as well as the winner of the Europa Conference League play-offs enter the UEFA Europa Conference League. In the event that the Bundesliga champion is also the Austrian Cup winner, the third-placed team enters the UEFA Europa League.


List of champions


Performance


Performance by club

Notes: * All teams are defunct clubs from
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...
, Tirol.
Wacker Innsbruck FC Wacker Innsbruck was an Austrian association football club from Innsbruck, Tyrol. History The ''Fußball-Club Wacker'' ("Valiant") ''Innsbruck'' was established in 1915 by Jakob Hanspeter, Benedikt Hosp, Josef Leitner, Josef Albrecht and ...
(1915–99), Swarovski Tirol (1986–92) and Tirol Innsbruck (1993–02). They are considered to be the continuation of the each other. * The Red Bull company bought the club on 6 April 2005 and rebranded it. Prior to 2005 the team was known as SV Austria Salzburg or Casino Salzburg. They also changed the colours from white-violet in red-white. The Violet-Whites ultimately formed a new club, Austria Salzburg. ** Admira Wacker Mödling was formed after the merger of
SK Admira Wien SK may refer to: Businesses and organizations * SK Foods, an American agribusiness company * SK Hand Tools, an American tool manufacturer * Sangguniang Kabataan, Philippines youth councils * SK Group, South Korean conglomerate * Scandinavian Airli ...
and SC Wacker Wien in 1971, under the name of Admira Wacker Wien, the merge with ''VfB Mödling'' in 1997 and the merge with ''
SK Schwadorf Sportklub Schwadorf (more commonly known as SK Schwadorf) was an Austrian football club, based in Schwadorf. They were last playing in the First League. The club was known as Trenkwalder Sportklub Schwadorf for sponsorship reasons — ''T ...
'' in 2008. The new team play in
Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises in the Vienna Woods ...
.


Performance by city


Top scorers in Bundesliga


All-time top scorers

* Bold denotes players still playing in Bundesliga.


Statistics


UEFA coefficients

The following data indicates
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
coefficient rankings between European football leagues. ;Country ranking: UEFA League Ranking as of 15 March 2019: * 9.  (''11'')
Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility f ...
(29.000) * 10.  (''10'') Austrian Football Bundesliga (28.450) * 11.  (''12'') Ukrainian Association of Football (28.400) * 12.  (''9'') Royal Belgian Football Association (24.800) * 13.  (''16'')
Football Association of Serbia The Football Association of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски савез Србије, ФСС / ) is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia ...
(23.875) ;Club ranking: UEFA 5-year Club Ranking as of 8 July 2021: * 22. Red Bull Salzburg (57.000) * 54.
LASK Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, commonly known as Linzer ASK () or simply LASK, is an Austrian professional football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club in that region, and plays in the Austrian Football ...
(''23.000'') * 93. Rapid Wien (14.500) * 111.
Wolfsberger AC Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC entere ...
(11.000) * 138. FK Austria Wien (''7.500'')


See also

*
Football in Austria Football is the most popular sport in Austria. The Austrian Football Association, the ''ÖFB'' (''Österreichischer Fußball-Bund''), was founded in 1904 and has been a member of FIFA since then. Despite the sport's popularity, except for a suc ...
*
Austrian Footballer of the Year The Austrian Footballer of the Year award (german: APA-Fußballerwahl) is an annual football award, established in Austria in 1984 and sponsored by the Austria Press Agency (APA). The coaches of all Austrian Football Bundesliga clubs vote to elect t ...
*
Austrian Cup The Austrian Cup (german: ÖFB-Cup), known as UNIQA ÖFB Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB. During the 2008–09 season, Austria Wien won the tournament for 27th t ...
* Gauliga Ostmark – ''the highest division in Austria from 1938 to 1945''


References


External links


Official site

Bundesliga site

OEFB


- Austrian football league tables, records & statistics database.

RSSSF.com {{Authority control 1
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
1974 establishments in Austria Sports leagues established in 1974
Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
Professional sports leagues in Austria