Kiekko-Espo was granted a conditional league license for the 2024–25 season in December. However, the league management has not been able to tell the people of Espoo how much the league share costs.
Kiekko-Espoo’s league license is conditional. The organization still has to fulfill certain conditions in order to open up a place in the League. Tomas Westerlund is the head coach of Espoo. MATTI RAIVIO / AOP
– The discussion is not over yet, chairman of Kiekko-Espoo Amy Rubinstein answers Iltalehti’s question about the price of a league share.
Kiekko-Espo was granted a conditional league license on December 20. After that, the organization started negotiations about what promotion to the League really costs – that is, what is the price of a league share. So those negotiations are in progress, apparently badly.
– The situation is the same as before the turn of the year. I hope that the matter will be finished as quickly as possible, says Rubinstein.
Are you surprised by how long things have dragged on?
– Nothing is surprising at this point. We would just like to get it over with so we can start heading into next season.
The league floundered
The league still hasn’t been able to tell the Kiekko-Espoo organization the price of the league license. The issue is completely central when considering the promotion of the Espoo team. Mikko Pulkkinen is Liiga’s CEO. TOMI NATRI / AOP
KooKoo, Sport and Jukurit, who recently entered the league, paid 1.8 million euros for the league share. The payment period was five years.
SM liiga previously announced the current price of the share at 3.67 million. Last week the chairman Heikki Hiltunen stated in an MTV interview that the price of the league share to be paid by Kiekko-Espoo is not set in stone.
The price notice given to Jokers was 3.8 million.
According to Iltalehti’s information, Kiekko-Espoo is not ready to pay 3.67 million euros for the share, not nearly that big of a sum.
The people of Espoo are reportedly ready to pay 1.8 million or slightly more for the share.
Cross bet in the league family
HIFK and TPS may play away games in Espoo next season. MATTI RAIVIO / AOP
There is already a budding stalemate in the price negotiations, because according to information obtained by Iltalehti, Liiga’s 15 shareholders cannot agree on the price of the share.
Some clubs consider around 1.8 million to be a fair price, while several clubs want more money from Kiekko-Espo.
When the league family is able to define a price for the share, negotiations between Kiekko-Espoo and the League will continue. In mid-January, the parties have not yet discussed the price.
If the league offers Kiekko-Espo a price that is too high in the club’s opinion, quite interesting times lie ahead and a possibly contentious winter in the puck cabinets.
Such a situation is theoretically possible, that the Espola club that has received a league license does not want to enter the league because of the too high price.
– We do not comment on unfinished matters. That is our line, says Rubinstein.
The price of the league share is absolutely a key factor when considering Espoo’s promotion to the league.