Gutenberg. Frölunda and the City of Gothenburg have agreed in principle on a new lease ahead of the first round this weekend.
But the hockey club is not satisfied with the negotiations.
– We got the dictation of the event and we can do nothing but sign. “We can’t go to Jönköping and play our matches,” says club president Mats Grauers.
It’s a summer tradition on the West Coast for Frölunda Hockey and municipally owned events and arena company Got Event to compete for rental fees at Scandinavium.
It is not the hockey club that has the upper hand in the negotiations.
-We met with Got Event’s board of directors and tried to give them a picture of how we see it. And obviously we did it so badly that they didn’t understand anything. Because the next day we received an email saying that the rent would be increased and that we would not get anything extra for it, says Mats Graurs and reveals that the rent this year has increased by 1 million kroner.
On Saturday, Frölunda will play their home opener against Leksand. The stands were probably sold out and many kroner were in the club’s well-stocked coffers already.
But not everything ends there, far from it. The club pays a fixed rent of SEK 95,000 per match in the regular season, plus an additional 17.5 percent of ticket revenue. In addition, which Frölunda would like to change, 92.5 percent of revenue from restaurants, bars and kiosks goes directly to Got Event.
– Compare it with Färjestad in Karlstad. There they sell approximately 50 million SEK annually in their restaurants and kiosks. “I think this gives the club a net profit of between 10 and 15 million Swedish krona,” says Grauers.
However, it should be said that Färjestad owns the arena in Karlstad. But even in Gothenburg there are big differences in income opportunities.
– I am not complaining about Haken, but rather I congratulate them. They had the opportunity for a bigger deal at Bravida Arena. But why not let more clubs have it, like IFK Gothenburg and Frolunda Hockey Team?
“It will be a challenge”
He points to an urban problem, as the SHL lacks a team from Stockholm this year, and where neither the Malmö Redhawks nor Frölunda have received any municipal grants. Above all, there is a shortage of ice surfaces and the Grauers are supported by Got Events CEO Lotta Nibell.
– We share that image specifically with the infrastructure. There are very few icy surfaces in Gothenburg, and this is the same problem with bathing and swimming surfaces. In the long term, it may be the same for football when the new central pool ends up where the Valhalla IP is located today. Therefore this plan must be replaced. We are trying to solve puzzles and play dominoes at the same time. But there is clearly a need for investment in infrastructure in Gothenburg.
Is there money?
– I don’t dare answer that, because it is a question of politics.
Gothenburg politicians have for many years investigated the issue of constructing a new arena in place of the old Scandinavian arena built in 1971. This decision has been reached several times, and then torn apart again. The latest proposal is to build the new arena right next to Scandinavia, for which Frölunda is now planning new revenue opportunities.
-It’s great to have a new yard. At best, it will be ready in 2033-2034, after which we have ten years to prepare to enter a completely new arena under completely new conditions. And then we have to find the keys with Got Event. But it will be very difficult and challenging, he says, hinting that in a worst-case scenario there could be a future without Frölunda Hockey.
– I do not believe that we can afford to enter a new arena unless the opportunities and circumstances of that journey change. I feel like in big cities, elite sports are taken somewhat for granted. But if we can’t find a shared key with the city, a form of declaration of intent for how it will look in the future, Frolunda will have no future. Then we won’t survive.
“I think the politicians listened.”
What keys do you want to see?
– We had a very strong request, which was that this arena be adaptable. This means we should be able to play there on Saturday afternoon and then there should be a concert in the hall in the evening. We can’t do that today in Scandinaviaum, but we have to play on Tuesday, which is a worse match day with only 7,000 spectators. This controls how our actions appear. I think the politicians have listened to us now. Imagine if we could get 15,000 at a hockey game in the afternoon and then 18,000 at a concert in the evening. Everyone must think this is totally cool.
