More than half of the National League teams have moved into a new stadium since 2010 – in Geneva, however, the concerns have remained.
The ZSC Lions will be playing their home games here in the Swiss Life Arena.
The CHF 207 million Swiss Life Arena is the latest stadium project in Swiss ice hockey, an industry in which a number of clubs have received new infrastructure over the past decade. With Ajoie, Ambri-Piotta, Biel, Davos, Gottéron, Lausanne, the SCL Tigers, Zug and now the ZSC Lions, more than half of the league has either moved into a new building or completely overhauled an old stadium since 2010.
Luxury problems in Zug – the investments of the billionaire Strebel represent a competitive advantage
The industry leader is EV Zug, which recently won two championships because its infrastructure outshines everything else. The upgrade was made possible by a billionaire: President Hans-Peter Strebel financed the Oym athletics center in Cham, which is well-known beyond national borders, with more than 100 million francs from his private assets.
Such patronage is unique in Swiss sport – and represents a significant competitive advantage for the EVZ. In the Oym, ETH scientists are working on the training and nutrition theory. The new EVZ player Brian O’Neill, a well-travelled striker with an NHL past, recently said: “There are probably no better training conditions in the world at the moment than in Zug.”
Zug’s ascent to Primus began in 2010 with the move to the Bossard Arena; In the new millennium, the club had not been able to finance a championship team in the Hertihalle – and yet: After the successes of recent years, the EVZ has reached the limits of its capacity. An expansion from 7,200 to 9,000 places should remedy the situation by 2025. In addition to additional seats, he should open up new possibilities in gastronomy for the club. At the moment the EVZ can only cater for 438 visitors on site, in Zurich 2200 people will now be able to enjoy this privilege.
But also elsewhere than in Zug, a new stadium led to a quantum leap in financial terms, but also in sporting terms. After moving into the Tissot Arena in 2015, EHC Biel managed to metamorphose from an eternal relegation candidate to a constant play-off participant – thanks to the additional income. Compared to the era in the old ice stadium, Biel sells between 500 and 1000 more tickets per game.
The Gottardo Arena, which opened in 2021, has created something of a boom around HC Ambri-Piotta. On Saturday, the former outsiders moved up to second in the table, a remarkable run for a club that have only reached the play-offs twice in the last 16 years. The stadium utilization is over 95 percent; it is the second highest value in the league after that of HC Fribourg-Gottéron, which has had what is probably the best, most atmospheric stadium in the country since 2020 with the completely renovated BCF Arena.
The Gottardo Arena, the new home of HC Ambri-Piotta.
Ambri-Piotta and Langnau, with their strongholds Valascia and Ilfishalle, had long been problem children in terms of infrastructure, and the league gradually built up pressure because they perceived a lack of comfort and security concerns to be covering up the romance in these stadiums. Today this discussion has been resolved – and the infrastructure in the National League is nowhere worse than at HC Geneva/Servette, i.e. at the leader of all places, who still plays in the Les Vernets Stadium built in 1958.
A number of stadium projects have failed in Geneva, including that of former club president Hugh Quennec and his dodgy investors. This city is a tough patch for sports infrastructure; the reluctance is great after the tragedy of the oversized and expensive La Praille football stadium. In the meantime, a planning loan has been approved for a new ice rink; In the best-case scenario, the arena should be ready for occupancy by 2028.
Geneva/Servette is very successful, but the hall is showing its age.
Tristesse in the Swiss League – McSorley with plans in Siders
In the crisis-ridden Swiss League, only the EHC Visp, out of ten teams, was able to realize a stadium project with the Lonza Arena, which opened in 2019. The Grabenhalle in Sierre, on the other hand, looks like it has fallen out of time. A group of investors around the recently fired Lugano coach Chris McSorley would like to build a modern arena there and hoist the club into the National League in the medium term. The path remains rocky, the enthusiasm in Sierre seems manageable to date. It is good for the project that McSorley has more time to take care of it after leaving Lugano.