Reindl: “Ice hockey is a sport with many participants, many games and many spectators”
On November 7th the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund eV (DEB) in Cologne together with the ice hockey association Nordrhein-Westfalen (EHV-NRW) and the International Trade Fair for Open Spaces, Sports and Swimming Facilities (FSB) a panel discussion on the topic of ice rink infrastructure.
Mr. Reindl, the problem surrounding the ice rink situation in Germany is not a new one. What do you hope to gain from the discussion group?
“Of course, this topic has been on the table again and again for years, but we want to use this event, which is held publicly for the first time, to give impetus to young talent and popular ice hockey sports in Germany. With FSB we have a partner at our side who attracts exactly the right audience and offers us a platform that we have not had before.”
The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund has set itself ambitious goals for the coming years with the POWERPLAY 26 concept. However, many clubs are now reaching their limits due to the local conditions. What solution can you give the clubs?
“We are aware that many venues are in need of significant renovation or are even being closed because of this. This often affects the smaller ice rinks with a capacity of up to 1.500 seats. In addition, due to the huge popularity of ice hockey, we urgently need training areas, especially in traditional locations such as Rosenheim, Straubing, Frankfurt, Kassel or Munich. We certainly can't give the individual clubs a blanket solution, but we have experts from AST Eis & Solartechnik GmbH, Ice, Sports and Solar Systems GmbH and Hudson GmbH who will present various solutions to the clubs. In addition, with Cornelia Ljungberg, as Transfer of Knowledge Director, from the International Ice Hockey Federation, we have a representative of the world association in the discussion group, who can also show us examples from abroad and explain the IIHF Ice Rink Guide.”
But it doesn't always just affect the small locations, but to give a current example, also larger and actually established ones, such as the Olympic Ice Sports Center in Garmisch-Patenkirchen. Are you now worried that the traditional club SC Riessersee will soon be without an ice rink?
"No I have not. In Garmisch the situation is such that the ice rink is partially closed, which primarily affects curling. In ice hockey the starting position is fundamentally different compared to curling. There are two halls and an open area that are not affected by the shooting. Ice hockey is a sport with many active players, many games and many spectators throughout Germany. Alone in Bayern Around 5000 official games take place every season, which in turn attract a significant number of spectators to the stadiums, which means revenue for the ice rink operators.”
So you think that ice hockey is a sport with many users?
"Yeah right. In ice hockey we have the opportunity to adapt to the ice rink conditions, which is not always possible in other sports. In addition to the variable size of the ice surface, we can also cut it into thirds and play it sideways, thereby significantly increasing the utilization of the area in order to bring more people onto the ice or into the hall. In Young Talent, for example, this process is completely normal for us. In addition, there are around 120.000 so-called hobby ice hockey players who are organized into recreational teams.”
In 2015, a referendum in Kaufbeuren voted to build a new hall. The old ice rink, built in 1958, is considered a traditional place in German ice hockey. Would you say that it would generally be nicer to preserve and renovate the old halls or to build new ones?
“Of course you can't brush this all together, but sometimes maintaining a hall through energy-saving renovations doesn't make sense and building a new one is not only more profitable but also logistically simpler. In addition to Kaufbeuren, there are already many projects in Germany that have been successfully implemented and can serve as best practice examples for other hall operators, investors or developers. The Freising location, for example, decided to build a beautiful new arena instead of an open space with a dilapidated stadium, which is now not only a focal point for ice sports but an enrichment for the entire region. Or Schierke in the Harz, for example, laid the foundation stone for the Feuerstein Arena last year and converted the listed natural ice stadium into an arena that can be used all year round. I see not only the directly affected ice sports as having an obligation to think about this, but above all this is also the responsibility of the municipalities and states. There are a number of municipal, state and EU funding that need to be used in order to make the ice rinks in Germany usable in the long term and efficiently as early as possible.”
After the extremely successful 2017 World Cup, are the signs in German ice hockey pointing to sustainable benefits differently than before?
"We are very happy to have already launched extensive, significant and effective projects such as WE ARE ICE HOCKEY, INTEGRATION, POWERPLAY 26 and now the Ice Rink Initiative with the momentum of the World Cup. Together with the clubs and associations, we will continue to do everything we can to make our sport future-proof and competitive."
The information event “The country needs new ice rinks! – An impulse for young talent and popular ice hockey sports in Germany” took place within the framework of the FSB. You can find all information about the event here