Vasa Sports CEO: “I think I’m just as disappointed as the supporters are”

The hockey club Vasa Sport has received a lot of criticism for the decision to give up the fight to reach the playoffs. The club’s CEO, Tomas Kurtén, understands the disappointment and says that the decision was made for financial reasons to ensure that the team can continue to play more seasons.

The ice hockey league team Vasa Sport announced on Saturday that it is giving up the fight to reach the playoffs – and instead is selling some of its most important players before the transfer window closes on Wednesday. This despite the fact that you can still, at least in theory, reach the playoffs.

Sport’s CEO, Tomas Kurtén, says that the decision was made from a financial perspective when they calculated how big a chance they had of reaching the playoffs and how big the risk was of missing the playoffs.

– We came to the conclusion that the risk is quite large that we will not be able to cope with it. Which means that we would have made huge losses this year. And we cannot afford that in this situation. We had to make a decision that ensures we secure the future, says Kurtén.

“Up to the player to say if a move is okay or not”

One of the players that Sport wants to sell is Swedish Axel Holmström, even though he signed a two-year extension earlier in the season. His agent, Martin Nilsson, has been critical of this and says that Sport refuses to listen to where Axel Holmström wants to move as they try to maximize the profit from the sale.

Kurtén says he can’t comment on an individual agent’s statement, but says it’s up to the player to say whether a move is okay or not.

– But of course there is economics behind this and clubs and agents can have slightly different opinions. That is surely what is reflected in his comment.

The agent says that you more or less force Holmström to go to a club where you get the most money out of him?

– It is not like that. The only one who can say yes or no is the player. But it is clear that we may not always agree with what an agent suggests. Because it is not financially possible for us.

Kurtén believes that Vasa Sport will continue to be an interesting club for players, despite the sale.

– If I look at the agreements we have for next season, it does not seem at all that we are not an interesting club. If we wouldn’t pay salaries or have such bad finances that we can’t go by bus to away games. It would surely be a boring story. But as long as we manage it as we agreed, it doesn’t have that big of an impact.

Kurtén understands that many supporters are disappointed

Many of the club’s supporters have also reacted to the decision, which can be seen, among other things, on social media where you can read comments that the decision is unsportsmanlike and that the supporters are being let down. Kurtén says he understands that many are disappointed.

– I think that I am just as disappointed as the supporters are. But I also think that we agree on is that it is important that Sport plays hockey next year and the year after – and several years after that.

Many have paid more than 800 euros for a season ticket and may be upset and think that they are missing out on the rest of the season now, or that the joy of the game is at least not the same. What do you say about that?

– You don’t miss anything. Of course, the joy has waned a little. But I think we can come to some sensible solutions with the season ticket holders on how we offset this for next season.

Although many sour voices are heard on social media, there are also more understanding supporters. The supporters’ club Red Army also issued a press release on Monday in which they write that they support Vasa Sports’ new strategy and long-term changes.

They write that the association waited with a statement in order not to base their opinions on rumors or feelings at the moment, but that now that they know all the important details, they can say that the situation is regrettable and serious.

Development work in progress

Kurtén says that a lot of development is underway to strengthen the team and also attract people to the stands.

– Above all, on the sporting side, quite a lot will happen during the spring.

Vaasa has a newly renovated ice rink, but it has been difficult to fill it. How are you going to get the commitment?

– It is essential that in the long term we get 3,500 people to come and watch the hockey matches. What we can do, of course, is to play a little better, have better service and maybe lower the prices a little. Building forward and believing in the future is the only thing we can do right now

Kurtén says that many measures have already been taken, including regarding the development of own juniors and player contracts for next season.

“I don’t think anyone is interested in the option of playing in a lower league”

After Sport’s decision, several have pointed out that the league should be reopened, including the supporters association Ultras 06, so that the teams can drop out of the league and have something to play for at the end. Kurtén agrees that some solution should be found to avoid situations like this, but says that there are also many advantages to a closed league.

– A closed league means that several clubs can play hockey at a high international level, which means that Finland does very well internationally. So from that perspective it works. The sporting aspect of it, I know that many are thinking about it, but how to find a balance and a solution for that, I don’t know.

But is Vasa Sport in too high a league for its capacity?

– At the moment, you can safely draw that conclusion. Therefore, a lot must be done to strengthen the sporting but also the economic. It’s a tough league, if we’re going to be in it, we should be twice as big as we are today. But I don’t think anyone is interested in the option of playing in a lower league, neither in Vaasa nor in the region. It may seem like a beautiful thought, but it means that professional hockey in Vaasa ends and that we are playing a different type of hockey.