Finnish Liiga ice hockey faces rising costs and early season start

The Finnish ice hockey Liiga is preparing for a season that begins unusually early in September. SM-liiga Oy CEO Mikko Pulkkinen expressed optimism regarding early season attendance, noting that preseason games have already seen significant crowd engagement.

The extended season, which includes playoffs running through May, is expected to increase both operational costs and revenue opportunities. This shift comes amid a period of significant financial divergence within the league. Due to the upcoming introduction of A and B tiers, clubs are facing increased pressure to invest heavily to avoid relegation.

Financial data shows that average team costs have risen by over seven percent compared to previous reports. Tappara leads the league in spending with nearly 17 million euros, followed by Ilves at approximately 15 million and HIFK at nearly 13 million. Conversely, clubs like Jukurit are operating with much smaller budgets of around 6 million euros.