Luleå Hockey is one of many associations that have to pay a high financial price to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and covid-19.
Coop arena takes in 6,150 people, but only 50 are allowed in, according to the government's decision, and this means that the association loses one million kronor in revenue in the weekend's three matches.
Minus 30 million
Stefan Enbom, CEO of Luleå Hockey is happy about this weekend's home premieres for men and women, but he is deeply depressed about the financial conditions.
- One million kronor in lost income just during a weekend is a lot of money and in the worst case we will lose much more, about 30 million kronor throughout the season.
Now we are waiting for a message from the government that we will be allowed to let in more than 50 people at the matches, says Luleå Hockey's CEO Stefan Enbom.
"No recruiting hysteria"
Will you be able to handle this?
- Yes, I think so, but it is a huge challenge for the whole organization.
Our goal is to have as much at the bank when the season begins as when it ends.
We hold on tight to our wallets and have not been drawn into any recruiting hysteria, says Stefan Enbom and continues:
- But of course there is a risk that the association may be threatened and therefore it is important that the whole of Norrbotten stands up for Luleå Hockey now and ensures that Luleå Hockey also exists in the future.
We want a Swedish Championship gold this year, but the most important thing is the association's survival.
In the clip, you will hear what Nils Lundkvist, player in Luleå Hockey, likes to play for empty stands.
In the clip, you hear what Nils Lundkvist, player in Luleå Hockey, thinks about playing for empty stands.
Photo: Jonathan Ferm / SVT