In just a month, Djurgården and Södertälje met three times.
SSK sporting director Emil Georgsson is critical of the Allsvenskan hockey schedule.
It can go terribly wrong eventually, he tells Sportbladet.
In the opening twelve matches, Södertälje met Djurgarden and White Hasten three times each. In addition, the club managed to play four derbies even before November.
Södertälje sporting director Emil Jorgson is crucial to making the schedule look the same.
– I understand that it is difficult to meet, it is clear. But he told Sportbladet that it wouldn’t be good, it could ultimately be sporting unfairness.
For example, he mentions a season he was athletic director at Västervik. The team has met Timra three times in the last ten matches. By that time, Timrå was already a clear winner of the series and many stars such as Jonathan Dahlén had rested. This means that Georgeson’s Västervik has a lot of points at the end of the season.
“That’s the kind of thing that can happen, and it’s not good,” he points out.
Already last season there were similar problems and the issue was raised. However, it looks the same this year.
– I don’t want to single anyone out, but this is something we should sort out. Like I said, it can go terribly wrong in the end, says Georgeson.
In addition to the sporting injustice it can cause, it can also affect clubs financially.
We’ve played four derbies already and don’t even play in November. In terms of audience and economy only, it’s not going to be the jackpot, you want to spread it to have an impact. He says people are now tired of him.
The league is responding – that’s how it looks
According to Hockey Allsvenskan CEO Gabriel Monidelle, the reason it looks like this is that the league’s game schedule is so difficult to determine. There are many different parameters that need to be taken into account and fit the schedule. Arenas can be reserved for other events and some matches have to be played on certain days that attract a lot of people, but above all they have to be cost-effective.
– Clubs travel by bus in our league. In SHL, for example, teams fly. Then Malmo could be in Lulea on Thursday and then play at home on Saturday. Not working with our teams. Plus, when they’re on a road trip, they want to take the opportunity to meet other teams on the road. Putting them together as cost-effectively as possible is a huge factor.
In a perfect world where the stadiums were always empty, all the teams were equally attractive for everyone and it didn’t matter at all what day of the week they played a match, it was very easy, but it is not.
So it can not be resolved?
– Yes it can be resolved. The point I’m trying to explain is that if that was the most important criterion, you could have looked at other things, but then you had to give in to something else. Now the work begins for next season where we have a new tactic based on trying to find a better balance.
Do you think it is a problem as it is now?
– Yes, there is a reason we will look into it for the next year.
What do you think about it being mathematically unfair?
– Like I say, there’s a reason we’ll look into it for next year.
