Australian Women's Ice Hockey League
Australia's top-tier women's ice hockey league, established in 2005.
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The Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) is the highest-level women's ice hockey competition in Australia. Founded in 2007, it was the first national women's league in the country and operates as an amateur competition under the sanction of Ice Hockey Australia, which is part of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Six teams from five states—South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, and Victoria—currently compete in the league. The championship winner receives the Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy, while the premier is awarded the Gower Memorial Shield, which took over from the Stephanie Boxall Trophy in 2023.
Melbourne Ice holds the record for the most titles, with nine championships. The reigning champion, as of the 2025–26 season, is the Perth Inferno, which won its first title. The idea for a national women's league first came up in 2005 during a National Women's Council meeting. Because travel costs were too high for players, a shorter Showcase Series was proposed instead, set to begin in 2006.
Beginning
This series involved four teams playing in weekend mini-tournaments between February and June, with each team traveling twice and hosting once. The first tournament was scheduled for February 2006 in Newcastle, New South Wales, followed by events in Bendigo, Victoria (March), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (April), Adelaide, South Australia (May), and Brisbane, Queensland (June). A full season was planned to start in November 2006 and run into summer 2007.
The first Showcase Series worked well, with three teams playing each other twice in each weekend round-robin. Five clubs took part across five monthly tournaments in different cities. A second Showcase Series ran from October 2006 to February 2007, but the full national league did not launch as hoped. This second season featured four monthly mini-tournaments with only four teams: Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney.
Team history
The series continued to serve as a stepping stone toward a permanent national league. The AWIHL officially formed in 2007, after those two Showcase Series seasons. Ice Hockey Australia recognizes it as the top senior women's national competition. The league's first season had four teams: Adelaide Assassins, Brisbane Goannas, Melbourne Dragons, and Sydney Sirens.
Lore & Background
The AWIHL was preceded by two seasons of a Showcase Series in 2006 and 2007, which tested the feasibility of a national league. The official formation of the AWIHL occurred in 2007, with four founding teams: Adelaide Assassins, Brisbane Goannas, Melbourne Dragons, and Sydney Sirens. The league's inaugural champion was awarded the West Lakes Trophy. In the early 2010s, teams aligned with Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) counterparts, leading to the Melbourne Dragons becoming Melbourne Ice, Adelaide Assassins becoming Adelaide Adrenaline, and Sydney Sirens becoming North Star Sirens.
The league expanded in August 2018 with the addition of the Perth Inferno. The AWIHL was forced to cancel two consecutive seasons due to COVID-19 outbreaks and border restrictions between 2020 and 2022. After a two-year hiatus, the league returned for the 2022–23 season. As of 2026, the AWIHL has six active teams, including four founding members and two expansion teams.
Reader's Guide
The AWIHL is significant as Australia's first national women's ice hockey league, providing a structured competition for elite female players. Its history reflects growth from a four-team Showcase Series to a six-team league spanning five states. The league has faced challenges, including financial constraints and a COVID-19 hiatus, but has maintained continuity. The most successful team is Melbourne Ice, with nine championship titles.
The league's champion is awarded the Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy, while the premier receives The Gower Memorial Shield. The AWIHL has also served as a development pathway, with the Australian Women's Tier 2 Show Case Series acting as a feeder league. Two AWIHL teams, Sydney Sirens and Melbourne Ice, were ranked in Australasia's Best Sporting Team list in 2019. Future expansion has been mooted, including into New Zealand, but no active bids exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League?
The AWIHL is Australia's top domestic competition for women's ice hockey, launched in 2007 as the country's first national women's league. It runs as an amateur competition sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia, the national governing body under the IIHF umbrella.
Who is the current AWIHL champion?
The Perth Inferno claimed their first-ever league title in the 2025–26 season, ending a long wait for a Western Australian championship.
More in Women's Ice Hockey
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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