Int’l Ice Hockey Federation President René Fasel has called on Champions Hockey League organizers to limit the number of participating teams to a maximum of 24. “I think that 48 teams for a so-called Champions League is way too much,” Fasel told SBD Global. The Champions Hockey League, which was founded in ’13, is Europe’s premier club competition. After 44 teams participated in the inaugural ’14-15 season, the Champions Hockey League decided to add four more teams in year two. The upcoming ’16-17 season will again include 48 clubs, but Fasel is confident that the competition’s organizers will lower that number in the years to come. “Less is more,” he said. “The ideal situation would be to have the champions of the top hockey nations in Europe, plus the regular-season winner. I would say 16 or 24 is the maximum in terms of teams. Forty-eight is too much and I hope they are going to change that in the future, and I think they will.” The IIHF already held discussions regarding the future format of the competition, Fasel added.
 |
ROOM TO GROW: As a shareholder of the CHL, the IIHF is pushing the competition’s organizers and other stakeholders to increase its appeal. “We definitely need a club competition in Europe, there’s no doubt about that,” Fasel said. An average of 3,261 spectators attended the CHL's games last season, which was a small increase from 3,049 in ’14-15. More than 93 million viewers watched the inaugural season, which was broadcast in 28 countries and territories, according to Infront Sports & Media, the CHL’s marketing partner. With only two seasons under its belt, the fate of the competition is far from certain. “In the end, the fans will decide if this product is successful or not,” Fasel said. “The numbers could be much better on TV and in the media. As soon as it comes to the semifinals and final, we only have Scandinavian teams and the rest of Europe is not watching anymore and this is an issue.” Swedish teams Lulea Hockey and Frolunda HC, respectively, won the first two editions of the CHL. The competition's third season will kick off on Aug. 16.
