The audience numbers of the SM league are lower than in previous years

There was enough space in the game between SaiPa and HIFK on Friday Mikko Lieri / AOP

Empty stands in many places have become the talk of the start of the SM league season. The lack of audience has been defended with, among other things, inflation and the rise in the cost of living, as well as good outdoor weather, which does not attract people to the hall from early autumn.

Open stands have been a topic of conversation more or less every year, but statistics reveal that this fall there are significantly fewer spectators in some of the league halls.

Iltalehti collected the Liiga’s audience numbers from this season’s games and compared them to the first games in the fall of 2019 and 2018. The years 2021 or 2020 were not included in the comparison, because the corona restrictions affected viewership at that time.

Thousands of viewers are missing

The viewership numbers have been the saddest in Mikkeli. The Jukurites’ Wednesday night match against Lukko gathered only 1,610 pairs of eyes.

The fact that more than 3,000 spectators filled the Ikioma arena at the beginning of the 2018 season tells even more about the fall. Now 2,000 is already close to being exceeded, even though the team reached the best ranking in history last season, being second in the league table.

The numbers have also declined in Lahti, Hämeenlinna, Jyväskylä and Pori. Even before the corona, the Pelicans consistently attracted 3,000 spectators even on weekdays. The number of 2,828 in the opening game of the season has been the largest of the Lahti’s three home games so far.

At HPK, the situation is very similar. This season, there have been less than 3,000 spectators in two home games. Under normal circumstances, home openers have drawn even more than 4,000 spectators. However, the team won the Finnish championship in the spring of 2019, after which HPK has not managed to establish success.

In recent seasons, JYP and Ässät have also been on the decline, for whom a playoff berth was only a distant dream a few years ago. At the same time, audience numbers have decreased from the more successful years before the corona virus.

More than 4,000 spectators flocked to Pori’s Isomäki arena before the crown. After last season, which ended in jumbo place, the numbers have dropped to over 3,000.

JYP’s home opener this season generated 3,500 viewers, which is in line with previous years. Since then, one weekday game and one weekend game have fallen below three tons. They are the weakest readings in the three-year comparison.

In light of the statistics, Tappara’s championship train and the new multi-purpose arena have not brought a significant improvement in attracting spectators.

The average of the first three weekday home games was just under 5,000. Even the first weekend game didn’t blow the bank, when the Nokia Arena, which holds more than 13,000 spectators, was filled with only 6,222 fans, which is the same level as the old Hakametsä.

A few successes

Instead, Ilves has been able to market the games better than the neighboring club. In addition to the local game that drew 11,000, the HIFK game with more than 7,000 spectators and the home opener of almost 5,500 on weekdays are better readings than three or four years ago.

Although the game shows have not started promisingly at HIFK this season, there have been more than 7,000 people in the stands at both home games. In comparison, it’s a tough start to the season in terms of viewership.

With this sample, the number of spectators of the other league teams has remained more or less the same or slightly below the previous numbers. In a few localities, it is difficult to assess the real situation due to the fluctuating numbers.

Do league teams deserve better?

However, the league product is of exceptional quality this season, as the flow of players from the KHL has brought strong reinforcements to the home country. Jori Lehterän, Joonas Kemppainen or Jyrki Jokipakana you would hardly see such names in Finland without the war started by Russia.

It is also justifiable that the League is more unpredictable than ever, because last season KooKoo and Jukurit showed the doubters that they can challenge the clubs operating with bigger budgets. Unfortunately, this has not inspired at least Jukurit fans to the stands this fall.

Leijonat has also been successful at the international level better than ever. Some of the national team players still come from the SM league. Interesting young promises have emerged from the clubs Joakim Kemellin and Topi Niemelän leading to the youth national team and towards the NHL.