The new chairman of the SM league, Jyrki Seppä, considers the financial trend to be worrying. He believes that a broad-based government provides a good basis for future decisions.
The chairman of the SM league changed on Tuesday evening for the first time since 2016, when the chairman of Ilves Jyrki Seppä was chosen for the position by a unanimous decision.
The 63-year-old Seppä has been on the board of the SM league since 2022. He has been the chairman of his breeding club Ilves since 2017.
– We put together a very broad-based board, which makes it possible for the board to enjoy widespread trust and is therefore capable of functioning, Seppä tells Urheilu.
The number of followers is increasing
Sepppa is immediately glowing about the situation in the SM league. He likes to talk about how the starting situation is excellent, because the sport is the biggest and most followed in Finland. He also points out how the number of viewers of the SM league and the number of television viewers have increased compared to the previous season.
Financially, however, the situation is not as rosy. In the last fiscal year, the league clubs made a total of 11 million euros in operating losses.
– It is a worrying trend, Seppä begins and also reflects on the general economic situation.
He highlights how expenses have increased, but some have also been self-inflicted.
– We may have even invested too much in the players because of this competitive spirit, but there are also many other cost structures independent of us in the background, which have significantly increased.
An intermediate model
The series systems of the SM league have been one of the biggest topics of conversation. There have been glimpses in the public of reducing the number of teams to, for example, a series of 12 or 14 teams. The A+B league with a total of 20 teams has also been featured often.
As chairman, Sepppa does not want to bring forward his own vision, but he emphasizes that the current model should not remain in place. At the moment, the last two of the SM league play a so-called playout series, the loser of which plays in the qualifiers against the winner of Mestis.
– If we think about the serial model of the moment, then it was meant to be an intermediate model in a certain way, from which we can gather experiences.
According to Seppa, information about the change will be collected, after which it will be time for discussions. He emphasizes that it is not just about the SM league, but the entire Finnish ice hockey, i.e. for example Mesti and the under-20s SM series.
– Now it is very timely to think with a larger group about where to take this top professional hockey at the club level.
Competition for top players
According to the new league boss, an entity must be created that strengthens athletic and financial competitiveness.
– Certainly the financial challenges are big for us, for example in the competition for top players in Europe. However, it does not mean that our sporting level is significantly worse than in other European countries.
– But that’s exactly why we need to be able to make those changes, so that we can truly compete even for the top players.
You hoped In an interview with Iltalehtithat you can negotiate solutions regarding serial systems, so that there is no need to take radical measures. What did you mean by those?
– Of course, everyone can draw their own conclusions from that, but I believe that with a broad-based government, we will reach a common will in time. And it’s not like there are possible exits for some parties, says Seppä.
According to the new shareholders’ agreement, Seppä’s point of departure from the series is possible, because you can give up your place in the series “within a reasonable period of time”. In theory, it would therefore be possible for some clubs to withdraw from the series.
The government has enough work to do
There are also many other issues on the table of the new government. For example, the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority is currently investigating whether the SM league has been organized in a way that restricts competition. The television contract that ends in spring 2027 and a possible reform of gambling are also on the agenda.
– The share of the television contract as a financial pillar of the operation is really significant. In the background, there is also a gambling reform law pending, which would enable new fundraising.