Austrian Football Association

The Austrian Football Association (German: Österreichischer Fußball-Bund; ÖFB) is the group that helps manage and organize football (soccer) in Austria. It runs the main league called the Austrian Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup. It also manages the country's national teams for both men and women, the Austria national football team and its female equivalent. The office of the ÖFB is in Vienna, Austria's capital city.

The ÖFB has been part of the worldwide football family, FIFA, since 1905, and joined the European group, UEFA, in 1954. Since 2002, Friedrich Stickler has been the leader of the ÖFB. He is helped by other important people such as Kurt Ehrenberger, Frank Stronach, Gerhard Kapl, and Leo Windtner.

Football is very popular in Austria, maybe second only to skiing. In 2004, about 285,000 people in Austria were playing football on official teams, and many more play just for fun. With so many players and teams, the ÖFB is the largest sports group in the country, showing how much football means to Austria.

History

In 1894, the First Vienna Football Club was founded in Vienna, and this led to the creation of the Austrian Football Association in 1904. Soon after, Austria joined FIFA, the international football organization, in 1905.

Some important years for Austrian football were between 1930 and 1933, 1950 to 1954, 1958, and also 1978, 1982, 1990, and 1998, when Austria took part in the World Cup. Hugo Meisl was a famous figure in the early days of the Austrian Football Association. His team, called the Wunderteam, did not lose any games from April 1931 to October 1932. The 1950s brought more success with famous players, and the 1954 FIFA World Cup was one of Austria’s best performances.

Regional associations

The Austrian Football Association has several regional groups that help manage football in different parts of the country. These include:

• Burgenland Football Association in 1923
• Carinthia Football Association
• Lower Austrian Football Association in 1911
• Upper Austrian Football Association in 1919
• Salzburg Football Association in 1921
• Styria Football Association in 1923
• Tirol Football Association in 1919
• Vorarlberg Football Association in 1920
• Vienna Football Association in 1923

Former regional associations

Some regional groups used to exist but are no longer part of the Austrian Football Association. These include:

• Polish Football Association from 1911 to 1920, centered in Lviv and later moved to Warsaw
• German Alpine Football Association, centered in Graz from 1911
• Austrian Union of Sports Workers and Soldiers

Former associations of Austria-Hungary

In the early 1900s, many football groups joined the Austrian Football Association. These included the Football Association of German Prague from 1900 to 1904, the Hungarian Football Federation in 1901, the Bohemian Football Union in 1901, the Austrian Football Union in 1904, the Polish Football Association in 1911, and the German Football Association for Moravia and Silesia in 1913.

Presidents

The Austrian Football Association has had many leaders over the years. Some of the leaders include:

• 1904–1906: Heinrich Strehblow
• 1906–1907: Ignaz Abeles
• 1907–1914: Adolf Wallner
• 1914–1922: Ignaz Abeles
• 1922–1926: Karl Volkert
• 1926–1938: Richard Eberstaller
• 1945–1955: Josef Gerö
• 1955–1969: Hans Walch
• 1970–1976: Heinz Gerö
• 1976–1982: Karl Sekanina
• 1982–1984: Herbert Raggautz and Heinz Gerö (interim)
• 1984–2002: Josef "Beppo" Mauhart
• 2002–2008: Friedrich Stickler
• 2008–2009: Kurt Ehrenberger (interim)
• 2009–2021: Leo Windtner
• 2021–2023: Gerhard Milletich
• 2023–2024: Klaus Mitterdorfer
• 2024-2025: Wolfgang Bartosch (interim)
• 2025-present: Josef Pröll

Current sponsorships

The Austrian Football Association has many supporters who help make football possible in Austria. Some of these supporters include Uniqa, Admiral, Puma, Magenta, Tipp3, Volkswagen, ORF, Kronen Zeitung, Geomix, Raiffeisen Bank International, Stiegl, ÖBB, Burgenland, and Coca-Cola. These companies give money and resources to help the teams and events.