Top value in Europe again: attendance record in the National League

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The completed qualifying gave the National League a record number of spectators with almost 2.6 million fans. The highest Swiss ice hockey competition defends its top position in Europe with an average of 7,130 spectators per match.

Even in the second year after the introduction of the new mode with 14 teams and 364 qualifying matches spread over 52 rounds, the ‘magic’ limit of an average of 7,000 spectators per match was exceeded; This was previously only the case in the 2015/16 and 2019/20 seasons. Effectively, an average of 125 extra spectators per match appeared in the last qualifying session compared to the previous season.

SCB summit, but no longer “Top of Europe”

The largest increase was recorded by SC Bern, which remains the undisputed leader in terms of spectators with an average of 15,490 fans. The Bernese, who qualified directly for the play-offs for the first time since the last championship title in 2019, attracted an average of 740 fans more than in the previous season. Despite the increase, SCB will have to relinquish first place in the European spectator rankings to the Kölner Haie (average almost 17,000 spectators) after 22 years at the top.

The other two clubs from the canton of Bern also have a significantly higher average number of spectators in the National League: the SCL Tigers (+614) and last year’s play-off finalists EHC Biel (+378). The champions Geneva-Servette (+249), the last to qualify Ajoie (+220), Lausanne (+191), Fribourg-Gottéron (+125), Davos (+91), Zug (+48) also recorded an increase . and Lugano (+45). In Freiburg, each of the 26 home games was sold out with 9,047 spectators. The league’s average stadium occupancy was 88.04 percent.

Declines at clubs in Zurich

The biggest defeat (-600 per match) was suffered by EHC Kloten, which was unable to repeat the surprisingly strong performance of the previous season in the second year after promotion. Surprisingly, the qualifying winners ZSC Lions (-215) were also able to welcome fewer spectators than in the previous season, but in their second year in the new arena in Zurich-Altstetten they are still in second place in the league with an average of 11,244 spectators per match. Ranking.

The other team from Lake Zurich, the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers (-61), also recorded a slight defeat. At Ambri-Piotta (-17), the average audience remained virtually unchanged.

Source : Blick