Jääkiekon SM-liiga Oy’s extraordinary general meeting decided at its Tuesday meeting to grant Kiekko-Espoo Oy a conditional league license for the 2024–25 season.
The license committee’s decision was in favor of Kiekko-Espoo, but in the case of license applications from outside the League, decisions on approving applications are made by the League’s general meeting.
– The decision of the general meeting was unanimous. The Licensing Committee’s support for Kiekko-Espo was clear, and the shareholders’ position on the issue was therefore quite clear, says the chairman of the League’s board Heikki Hiltunen.
Also Chairman of Licensing Committee Jaakko Luumi gives recognition to Espoo’s application.
– Kiekko-Espoo has clearly systematically developed its operations in the long term in order to be able to play in the League in the future. The license application was very professionally prepared and the application met all the license criteria, says Luumi.
The conditionality of the league license is an operational model in accordance with the rules in a situation where an application from outside the league is processed. According to the rules of the licensing process, the general meeting decides whether the application supported by the committee will be granted a conditional license.
In addition to this, there is a decision by the general meeting on a directed share issue, through which Kiekko-Espoo can subscribe for a league share. The league’s general meeting decides on the terms of the share issue. By subscribing to the Liiga share under the agreed terms, Kiekko-Espoo can become a shareholder of Jääkiekon SM-liiga Oy.
Playing in the league therefore requires two things: a license and membership in the league.
After the license decision that has now been made, the League will meet with Kiekko-Espoo’s management and open discussions about how and on what schedule things will proceed next.
Every league organization has to reapply for a license every year. The license committee has decided to grant all clubs playing in the League a license for the 2024–25 season.
The league’s license committee has rejected TuTo Hockey Oy’s license application for the 2024–25 season.
Source: League announcement