Austrian Football Bundesliga
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This article is about the Austrian men's football Bundesliga. For the Austrian women's football league, see ÖFB Frauen-Bundesliga.
The Football Bundesliga is the highest division in Austrian football. Already since the 1911/12 season, a football championship was held in Austria under the title Erste Klasse (First Class) according to the league system; it has been held since then almost without any changes in the mode.
This does not apply to its area of distribution: in the early decades up to the dissolution of the ÖFB in 1938, it was officially the championship of Lower Austria including Vienna, later only Vienna. Unlike the neighbouring DFB, there were no finals with the other regional champions. However, the Viennese champion was considered "the" Austrian champion early on and throughout, which was appropriate and internationally accepted due to the league's playing strength. However, even after the first renaming to the National League in the mid-1930s, no clubs outside Vienna continued to play. Even before the 1949/50 season, the professional league (since 1924) was run with the exclusion of teams from outside Vienna and Lower Austria (with the exception of the 1938 to 1945 Gauliga), which is why an all-Austrian football league has only existed since that season. Up to and including the 1964/65 season, this league was called the Staatsliga or Liga A, after which it was called the Nationalliga. The Bundesliga, which was introduced in 1974/75, has borne the sponsor name tipico-Bundesliga since 2014/15. The Austrian champion is determined from among the twelve participating clubs and, in addition to the ÖFB Cup, starting places for the European Cup competitions are played out.
Mode
As of the 2018/19 season, a new mode came into effect. Since then, 12 teams play against each other initially in 22 rounds of the championship. After 22 match days, each team's points are halved and the championship continues in two separate groups. The top six teams play for the championship title and international slots, while the bottom teams play for the last place, which means fixed relegation. A novelty also for leagues with split modes is the possibility to still be represented internationally as the winner of the relegation group. Thus, the winner of the relegation group (7th place) plays in a play-off for Europa League qualification against the club in the championship group with the lowest ranking that still qualifies for the Europa League.
Based on the placement in UEFA's five-year ranking, the European Cup places are awarded in the Bundesliga. Due to the changing results of Austrian clubs in European Cup competitions, the number of starting places in the Champions League and Europa League changes frequently.
Hierarchy of the Austrian leagues using the example of Styria, from 2018/19 the Erste Liga was replaced by the 2. Liga
Association "Austrian Football League" - Alignment
The Austrian Football League is an independent registered association and was admitted to the ÖFB as its tenth full member on 1 December 1991. The association is responsible for and organises the championships of the two highest divisions in Austria. In addition, the Bundesliga is jointly responsible for the implementation of the Football Youth League and represents professional football in Austria in cooperation with the clubs. The 20 clubs of the Bundesliga and the First League are the full members of the association. Externally, the Bundesliga is represented by the Executive Board, supported by an office. The latter supports the Supervisory Board in operational matters. Each club in the two professional leagues is represented at the general meetings and club conferences, at which decisions are taken on all matters relating to the Bundesliga.
The senates of the Bundesliga consist of volunteers who are independent of the clubs:
- Senate 1 (also known as the Penalty Committee) is responsible for yellow card suspensions, scoring of championship games, and in the case of expulsions.
- Senate 2 (Conciliation and Control Committee) acts as a conciliation body in the event of differences between ordinary members.
- Senate 3 (Stadium and Safety Committee) is responsible for all infrastructural and safety matters.
- The determination of economic viability for the granting of a licence for the two professional leagues is made in the first instance by Senate 5, the Bundesliga Licensing Committee.
The decisions of the senates can be appealed to the protest committee. The decision of the protest committee can also be appealed by the permanent neutral arbitration court.
In cooperation with the clubs, the Austrian Football League is responsible for the positive development of top-level football and for introducing young players to competitive sport. As a means to this end, the Bundesliga sees economic controlling of the clubs (licensing procedures), the introduction of a separate law for professional football, TV marketing, central sponsoring activities as well as joint marketing activities of all clubs. Although the "Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga" association organises both the first-class Bundesliga and the second-class 2nd division, only the first-class Bundesliga is described below. For a detailed overview of the development of the second tier in Austria, see the article 2. Liga.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the Austrian Football Bundesliga?
A: The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the top division football league in Austria.
Q: When was the Bundesliga founded?
A: The Bundesliga was founded in 1911 under the name Erste Klasse.
Q: What was the format of the Bundesliga from 1911 until 1949/50?
A: From 1911 until 1949/50, the Bundesliga was only played with teams from Vienna and Lower Austria.
Q: What is the current official name of the Bundesliga?
A: The current official name of the Bundesliga is Admiral Bundesliga, which is named after the league sponsor.
Q: Why is the Bundesliga important in Austrian football?
A: The Bundesliga is important in Austrian football because it is the top division and features the best teams in the country.
Q: How does the Bundesliga compare to other European football leagues?
A: While the Bundesliga may not be as popular or prestigious as some of the other top European football leagues, it still features talented players and competitive matches.
Q: Who are some of the top teams in the Bundesliga?
A: Some of the top teams in the Bundesliga include Red Bull Salzburg, SK Rapid Wien, and FK Austria Wien.
