Last fiscal year, Liiga-SaiPa oy made a loss of 651,000 euros.
SaiPa, which plays in the ice hockey SM league, had a big loss in the fiscal year that ended in April this year. The Lappeenranta club announced late on Friday evening that there was a business loss of 651,000 euros. The joint-stock company’s turnover was 5.1 million euros.
Managing director Jani Valkeapää justifies the poor result with, among other things, poor sporting success, a change of coach and escaping a playoff spot early before the end of the regular season.
– We have an ongoing efficiency program to balance the economy and an active approach to our daily work in terms of partner and season ticket sales. It is our job to offer our customers better sporting success, a winning team and functional services, Valkeapää stated in the club’s press release.
On Saturday, caught up with the chairman of SaiPa’s supporters’ association Saimaa Keltumustat ry Petri Mäntykivin from the supporter bus, which was on its way from Lappeenranta to Kouvolaa for the evening’s KooKoo match.
How did the supporters receive the league club’s big loss of 651,000 euros?
– It was expected that there would be a loss, but the amount was a negative surprise. It caused a slight consternation. We had imagined the losses to be around 100,000 – 200,000 euros.
SaiPa made a large financial loss in the last fiscal year. What do you think is the cause of this?
– It’s probably mostly due to the fact that the team’s performances on the rink have been poor. They are visible in the number of supporters and viewers. Isn’t that the biggest factor, Mäntykivi says.
Last January, the SaiPa supporters’ association had about 250 members. According to Petri Mäntykivi, the start of this season and the lively performances of the first two games have caused some of the old supporters to return to the association.
The financial loss was surprisingly large. Are you concerned about the future of SaiPa, whether the league club will be able to maintain its existence?
– I believe that the economy will be fixed and we will be able to stay in the league. Similar measures should be taken as ten years ago, when a profit was made even in a weaker season. Now the economy is under control and sensible investments.
What do you mean by sensible investments?
– For example, from the player market, properly roled players who can play well in SaiPa are taken.
Is the supporters association still behind the league team?
– Yes, we are behind SaiPa uphill and downhill, Mäntykivi states.