Originally established as the Austrian Championship league in women's ice hockey, the national championshup (German: Staatsmeisterschaft) has been contested in a separate tournament since the introduction of international teams to the DEBL in the 2008–09 season.

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.

Since 2008, following the example of the men's Austrian Hockey League, the DEBL has also featured teams from Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Turkey.

[3] Austria Croatia Hungary Slovenia Turkey In 2004, due to the increasing number of teams, a second division titled DEBL II was created.