Hockeyetta’s proposal to increase the number of series has not been implemented.
Now, Strömsbro IF ended up in the Northern League – and had to travel terribly.
– The association did a real brainstorming job here. It’s a pity for the economy, for the youth and for the entire league, says Johan Weinberg, Stromsbro’s sports director.
Hockey’s third nationwide league was formerly divided into four series, but to facilitate travel, a proposal was made to increase the number of series to five.
A vote was held in the days and 26 of the 40 clubs voted in favor of the extension.
That wasn’t enough.
So what is the majority? I don’t understand, says Johan Wienerberg, the sporting director of the Strombro team.
– There’s an earlier decision in the Federation Council, which we really didn’t know but what we should have done, that tan hockey—a national series—would be played in four series with ten teams in each. In order to continue implementing the change, all clubs (40) must agree to it, which has not been the case now, league director Mats Johansson tells the Hockeyettan website.
may have to shut down
For Gävle Strömsbro IF, that means a slap in the face.
They belonged to the Eastern Series last year and then made trips to cities like Eskilstuna, Enchoping and Nykoping.
Now they have been placed in the “Northern Chain”, after which trips to Kiruna, Betio and Calix, for example, await them.
– My spontaneous thoughts are that it is completely unfortunate and ill-conceived. Here, the association did a real brainstorm. It is a pity for the economy, for the young people and for the whole association. Everything will have a consequence, youth, youth and especially the first team, says Johan Wienerberg, if we can’t be there.
“terrible money”
Strömsbro was placed in the “Northern Series” this time due to the departure of Vänäs HC, who had previously occupied the place.
– It is unfortunate that some clubs always end up in such a situation when they do a geographical division of the series. But Hockeyettan is a national series with 40 teams in total and then it’s like that. But I understand Stromsbro’s position, says Magnus Martensson, competition director of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, to Geffel Dagblad.
– The consequences will be that we have to spend between half a million and a million more in travel costs and hotel nights. Such a small club as ours, which has a budget of about three million. It’s terrible money, says Johan Weinberg, especially in a tough community like his.
Wennberg also believes it could have more consequences than financial ones.
– Signing players, I don’t know that either. Now I had to stop everything, we just don’t know how to move on. Who wants to sit down and ask the players “Do you want to come to Stromsbro and ride the bus all winter?”.
The timing of the new announcement is not clear
Ideally, Strömsbro would have played in the new ‘middle’ string, which was included in the proposal for five strings.
– Then there were eight teams. In that series, it was the longest, 22 miles.
When there will be new information about Hockeyettan is not clear.
– I don’t know when it might happen, but I will fight until I get what I want. I’ve been fighting since 2016-17 from Division 3 there. This may be the way out, and it feels awful, Weinberg says.