Last season, the Salzburg Bulls finished sixth and thus last place in Division 1. Since Salzburg did not register for the relegation, they had to compete in Division 2 this season and were won by the winner of last year's Division 2, St. Pölten Invaders , replaced.
The American Football Association Austria wanted to increase the highest league, the Austrian Football League , from 5 to 8 participants after this season . That would have meant that after this season the three best teams from Division 1 would have to move up. Associated with this would have been a package that provides both sporting (game plan) and financial (subsidies) incentives. At the same time, the three best teams from Division 2 would have been promoted to Division 1. A relegated team was not planned for this season.
Each of the 6 teams had to play 4 home and 4 away games this year. The best 4 teams met again in the playoffs, with the first and second placed against the fourth and third placed had home rights. The winners of the playoffs then met in Silverbowl XVII. The second teams of the Vienna Vikings and the Swarco Raiders Tirol would have reached places that would be sufficient for promotion, but are not allowed to enter the Austrian Football League because the first teams are already playing there. Thus, in the 2015 season, the Carinthian Lions , the Vienna Knights and the Cineplexx Blue Devils should play in the top league. In the fall, however, the Carinthian Lions and the Vienna Knights announced that they would refuse promotion and will therefore be downgraded to Division 3 for the next season. The Cineplexx Blue Devils remain in Division 1 and the expansion of the AFL has been postponed to a year later.
