Release from 31.01.2018

Increasing spectator numbers

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 The first part of the regular season of Erste Bank Eishockey Liga ended on Sunday. Nine out of eleven clubs could get excited about increasing spectator numbers. In total 860.942 people visited 264 games, this is a plus of 17 % compared to past season.

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The first part of the regular season ended on an exciting way on Sunday. Three teams still had the chance to book the last Pick-Round ticket. In these first 44 rounds the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga had a significant higher number of spectators than in the past season. 860.942 visitors (3.261 per game) followed the games: In comparison to the past season, this is a plus of 17 percent. The league is on it’s best way to crack the one million spectator line for the ninths consecutive time.  
 
„The increased number of spectators is a great confirmation of the right setting of the course. Especially in Christmas Time we had incredibly high influx of visitors in our Derby rounds. The balance of the league and the exciting battle for the top-6 teams additional contributed to the high capacity occupancy,” the president of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, Peter Mennel, lists some reason for the increasing number of spectators.
 
Mevescak Zagreb crowned its comeback to the league not only with the early qualification for the Playoffs, but also with an average of more than 5..000 spectators per home game. This is the highest number of visitors a team in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga is having. But also without Medvescak Zagreb the number of spectators is still developing by 11%. Nine out of eleven clubs booked a growing number of spectators in comparison to past season. The Champion Vienna Capitals (+17%) and the Moser Medical Graz99ers (+13%) have the biggest development.
 
This season was characterized by a tough and exciting battle for the top-6. Additional to that around X-Mas time the fans benefited from a higher number of regional derbies. These derbies didn’t only reduce the travel stress of the team, but also was great opportunity for the fans to follow their teams in this period. In average 3.733 visitors watched the X-mas games. This is a development of +19% compared to the past season. Only in season 2014/15 even more spectators watched games in this period. But this was the last time, when 29.700 watched the Winter Classic in Klagenfurt. But this year the fans of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga have the possibility to watch the All Star Cup in Bratislava. For the first time All Star teams of four European leagues meet each other. In addition to Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, the Czech and Slovak Extraliga as well as German DEL take part.