AKES is now in force – all information at a glance
The new system, known as AKES for short, already replaced the so-called ÖEHV transfer regulations last season. As agreed, no funds were transferred in 2022/2023. This changes this season. With start-up funding of approximately € 150.000, spread over three seasons, the ÖEHV will cover any negative balance. This means that clubs will incur no costs up to and including the 2025/2026 season. Any positive balance, on the other hand, will be paid out in full. AKES starts with ice hockey players born in 2001.
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Developing players incurs costs. AKES was therefore initiated at the request of the clubs in order to develop and implement a fair solution for compensating the development of key players. AKES was developed jointly with representatives of the ÖEHV, the regional associations, the win2day ICE Hockey League and the ALPS Hockey League, and forms part of the cooperation agreement between the federation and the league.
Its creation and development were based on the existing systems in Switzerland and Germany.
In addition to the top two men's divisions, the system is also intended to be applied to other leagues in future – women's, ÖEL and regional leagues.
AKES is an essential component of the league agreement concluded last year and came into force with the 2022/2023 season. It was agreed that no funds would be transferred in the first year.
Over the next three years, the ÖEHV will cover any negative balance by providing approximately € 150.000, ensuring that no club faces a financial disadvantage. Positive balances will be paid out in full.
AKES is designed to ensure that clubs which develop young players who later receive a professional contract are compensated for doing so. This applies to EVERY year in which the player appears in the win2day ICE Hockey League or ALPS Hockey League. The player development cost compensation system is a dynamic system that can be expanded and adapted.
Why AKES?
The aim is to inspire more children to take up ice hockey, professionalise player development from an early age, place greater emphasis on home-grown players, and invest in youth development and good coaches. In the medium term, this will also increase the number of players available for selection to the various national teams.
In countries with a similar model, such as Germany and Switzerland, it has been shown that the number of children could be increased and youth development professionalised in general. Austria is among the first nations to introduce such a system.
Klaus Hartmann, ÖEHV President: "The player development cost compensation system is an outstanding, forward-looking assessment system that appropriately rewards the cost-intensive youth development work of individual clubs through the allocation of so-called development units as a type of currency for young ice hockey players. This specifically creates incentives to develop young players to a high standard, particularly for Austrian ice hockey."
AKES explained briefly
The respective club that develops a player between the ages of 5 and 22 collects so-called development units per year. The number and value of these development units are based on the development costs for the respective age group. As players get older, the development units become more valuable, as, for example, running a U20 team is significantly more cost-intensive than running a U10 team.
Development units represent real money and can also be bought out in the event of a transfer. For every player who later signs a professional contract in the win2day ICE Hockey League or the ALPS Hockey League, all clubs holding development units for that player receive money year after year through roster fees.
Clubs with strong youth development programmes, from which several players go on to play for other clubs in the top two domestic divisions, will therefore benefit financially from the new system.
