As of: January 27, 2024, 4:11 p.m
By: Patrick Staar
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Press
Split
Answered the questions: (from left) Philipp Schmitz (office), trainer Axel Kammerer, managing director Fabian Schlager and the strikers Niko Fissekis and Reto Schüpping.
© Parick Staar
Bad Tölz – For over three hours, around 70 fans of the Tölzer Löwen bombarded the players and those responsible in the VIP room of the ice stadium with questions.
The focus was on the financial problems of the upper division club.
There was also discussion about the problems with the stadium restaurant and the concerns that former managing director Ralph Bader passed on to his successor.
Financial distress
Managing director Fabian Schlager explained that there was a hole in the cash register mainly because fewer spectators than expected had come to the ice rink - 1,150 instead of the expected 1,250 per game.
For comparison: Last season the average was 1,370, while in DEL2 times it was 2,110.
The managing director emphasized several times that he was in no way interested in blaming the fans, but rather in soberly stating the facts: “We are aware that the team has not played well for a long time.”
For the calculation to work, an average of 1,800 spectators would have to come to the stadium by the end of the season.
The alternative is that the lions find new donors.
“I have six to nine appointments with donors and players every day,” said Schlager.
He made it clear: “If there are more spectators in the stadium, it will help us tremendously because the sponsorship will then be more attractive.” The planning is “very, very conservative.”
For example, the Lions had planned without pre-play-off games “because we don’t know whether we will reach them.
If we had a game in the pre-play-offs, we would have more income again.”
Subsequent commitments
ECT President Hörmann defended himself against the accusation that, given the financial situation, money was unnecessarily wasted on additional obligations.
It is by no means the case that Axel Kammerer cost the Lions “a bunch of extra money”.
Rather, his predecessor Ryan Foster quickly found a new employer.
“That’s why the additional obligation hardly hurts us.”
The signing of Klemen Pretnar did not cause any additional costs, as his predecessor Zac Herrmann left on his own initiative.
Additional costs were only incurred due to the additional commitment of the Latvian Martins Karsums.
Countermeasures
Schlager said he has assembled a six-person team of financial experts.
Among other things, it would include, free of charge, an auditor, a management consultant, a restructuring specialist, a tax advisor and a successful entrepreneur who specializes in rebuilding companies that have fallen into disrepair.
In cooperation with the economic advisory board, consideration is being given to how the financial hole could be reduced.
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Schlager: “We have had a lot of good discussions, but nothing has been achieved yet.” Hörmann added that “extreme things” have been achieved on the sponsorship site in the past few weeks.
“And what if only 1,200 spectators still come?” said one fan. “It may be that nothing happens because we have found other donors,” replied Schlager.
“But we don’t know that.”
Second Mayor Michael Lindmair said that once a week there is a meeting in the town hall in which all the numbers are put on the table.
Lindmair's assessment: "The lions are victims of their own precision, in recent years one would have said: It's okay somehow." This season it's all about "eventualities that you want to rule out."
He added: “I am sure that the Lions will survive the season.” The main thing is to work off the “pretty heavy backpack” from last season.
Without this, Schlager could “work completely differently”.
The communication with Schlager was “very pleasant, and I hope that it will continue like this for a long time.”
The Ralph Bader era
A fan wanted to know how the machinations of former Löwen managing director Ralph Bader could remain undetected for so long.
The problem is that the Lions have a lot of cash flowing in, Hörmann replied.
“That wouldn’t be possible in my company because there are only invoices.” He only found out about Bader through a “weird coincidence”.
A branch employee was surprised that, according to a document, Hörmann went to dinner with Bader and a few other people in the Einbachmühle.
The meal cost 167.50 euros: “I never ate with him, and certainly not at the Einbachmühle.”
After the call, Hörmann was “on 180” and wanted to take on Bader: “Thank God I stopped myself and had the tax office give me all the invoices.” He scrutinized every single receipt for three weeks: “ And I found bad things that I reported.” We now have to wait and see whether or when there will be a trial, “and whether anything can be obtained.”
Stadium restaurant
The landlord of the stadium restaurant was heavily criticized in several speeches.
Significantly: Despite the large number of visitors, the restaurant remained closed on Tuesday evening and the lions had to move to the VIP room for the discussion.
At least the innkeeper provided the participants with a barrel of free beer: “Unfortunately the innkeeper didn’t make it,” Schlager stated soberly.
“The performance that the host delivers torpedoes your work,” said one fan.
The Leberkas rolls taste “old-fashioned”, the waiting times at the kiosks are far too long and the selection is too small.
His conclusion: “You are not doing yourself any favors with the innkeeper.” Willi Streicher replied that he was present at four crisis meetings.
The municipal utilities as landlords are working on the issue.
“The problem cannot be solved during the season.”
Axel Kammerer extends contract - promoting young talent at the Lions
The
Tölzer Löwen
are setting the course for the next season.
Managing director Fabian Schlager announced that the
contract with coach Axel Kammerer would be extended by one year
.
This is the 59-year-old's
third term in office
.
“Axel took over the team in a difficult situation and managed to turn things around,” explained Schlager.
“He is a coach who supports our young players, uses them and makes them better.” The Lions currently have
13 players in their squad
who learned to play ice hockey at ECT.
The youth and first team are “very closely interwoven” in Bad Tölz; there is a weekly meeting between Kammerer and the youth coaches Florian Funk and Klaus Kathan.
“The ECT is a cultural asset,” said Kammerer.
He used
young players “out of conviction”.
His goal is to help them follow the path that his son Maxi took - the 27-year-old plays for the Kölner Haien in the DEL.