New agreement between DEB and DEL

22 Jul 2011 | Fredrik Pålsson

The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) and the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) have signed a new cooperation agreement. The main focus of the agreement is a new administration for the German national team. However no agreement has been reached on promotion to, and relegation from, the DEL.

The agreement between the Deutsche Eishockey-Bund (DEB) and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) is valid until June 30, 2018 and replaces the old agreement that ended on April 30, 2011.

The central part of the agreement is a new organasition for the national team. The DEB and the DEL will form a new organisation that will run the German national team.

DEL chairman Jürgen Arnold (Ingolstadt) said, "I'm very pleased that we have reached this solution".

However, there was no agreement with the ESBG, which administrates the German second league the 2. Bundesliga. Thus, there will be no relegation/promotion between the two leagues. The ESBG couldn't accept DEL's proposal for how this should work between the two leagues.

"Even if we have reached an agreement, it's sad that we couldn't reach an agreement with the second league," said the president of the DEB Uwe Harnos.

Since no agreement between the DEL and ESBG has been made, there are also doubts about Förderlizenz: a system in Germany in which young players can have a license for two clubs. There will no problem to have this between a club in the DEL and the Oberliga (Germany's third league) as Oberliga is administrated by organisations of the DEB. But with no agreement, this is not the case between the DEL and the 2. Bundesliga.