Even the playoffs don't sell out, so buying a ticket at the gate shouldn't be a problem.
To be fair they do play them at Arena Riga so there is impossible chance of a sellout really, but I see you point
Even the playoffs don't sell out, so buying a ticket at the gate shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks for the info and videos. Unfortunately, we'll only be in Riga two days before taking a few days drive to get to Tallinn, so the Mogo game is my only option. But it's a bit up in the air due to the tight time schedule. I did get tickets for the Oct. 26th Dinamo-Avangard Omsk game (6th row center, which seems to be the most desirable for some reason). Although I've seen a few KHL games in the last few years (in Prague and Helsinki), this will be the first time I've actually seen a Russian club, so looking forward to that. From what I have seen, the arena looks pretty nice. Do they sell jerseys at the game?
Can anyone tell me what Ozo Stars is? Is it a junior team with the most talanted Latvian players?
What is the story with Olimp Riga? They are new in the Latvain league this year but unlike the other new team in the league, HK Dinaburga, Olimp Riga did not play in the second league last year, so how come they have moved directly to the top flight?
From the outside it looks like some money men have thrown a lot of cash into this, since the team enters with some pretty high profile names like Ervins Mustukovs, Oskars Bartulis, Aleksanders Jerofejevs and a bunch of elder - over the hill - players of some stature. All in all, definitely not just picking up from the exit of HK Lido.
So, what is the story? Will it be a top club for years to come? What is the ambition?
And in general: How is club hockey evolving in Latvia? Seems to go quite slow from my chair? Am I missing something? I know HK Riga is still in the KHL (and has a team in MHL as well), but other than that isn't Latvia in a slow burn mode?
Has any new arenas/rinks been built for the past couple of years? Are any new arenas/rinks planned to be built?
Olimp is likely a short-term (<3-4 years) project. The name sponsor is a sports betting company from Kazakhstan, which does not operate in Latvia, so it's an open question, why are they motivated spending their money here. The owner of the team, however, is a local casino/night club owner. They are certainly a contender for this year, but I doubt we'll see them sticking around for too long - once the money will stop, the team will probably end there as well.
As the second tier league in Latvia is now a U23 junior league, there are no promotions/demotions. All teams that fill certain criteria can apply and play in the Latvian league. Olimp was formed only this summer.
Overall, the league took a solid leap in quality and competitiveness some 5 years ago. It is continuing to grow, however, the speed is rather slow. There is more money in the local league now, so it is nice to see that there are more and more second-tier Latvian players in their prime age, who do not have to resort to playing in the likes of France, UK, Slovakia, Austria, etc, but can rather play at home and earn a decent salary. Besides the local league, yes, there is Dinamo in KHL and its youth club in MHL.
Concerning new rinks, there are only rather small ice rinks being built at the moment. There are 3 new ones in Riga region - HK Kurbads built their own rink (700 seats) 2 years ago, around the same time a rink was opened in Mārupe. Currently a new ice rink will be built (to replace the old demolished one) near Riga city center - it will have 700 seats, a small B rink and serve as the practice rink for teams at 2021 World Championship. Outside Riga, currently there is a new ice rink being built in Rēzekne and there are plans also for Jēkabpils - which is great, as the eastern part of Latvia only had one single ice rink in Daugavpils.
It's not the ticket revenues that enable them to pay out salaries to their leading guys.
Dinaburga, Zemgale and Liepāja are heavily funded by the local municipalities. Zemgale has an entrance fee, though, but it is small (<5 EUR; 200-250 avg attendance). They try to rely on young local guys, have a partnership with local university (giving sports scholarships) - so only 1/3 of the team would be getting a regular salary, and they clearly can't afford salaries of more established, league leading players. For Dinaburga, I would imagine only some 5 players would require a regular salary.
Kurbads excels in marketing, because of which they have managed to get 18 sponsors (listed on homepage). Their attendance and ticket revenues are rather low (2oo people per game; EUR 3-4 ticket price). Their owner said a year ago that the main hockey team is close to breaking even, which was great news, albeit a bit surprising. They have managed to build a brand, based on which they have now established a hockey school, built an ice rink, which I would imagine are both going more or less according to the business plan, and have future development plans for their organization. Approximately half of the team have an office job with the company or are coaches at their school.
Mogo, Olimp are owned by shady businesses and are heavily influenced by the ambitions of their owners. HS Rīga is a junior team. For Prizma, I would imagine only Brahmanis and Bērziņš get paid anything noteworthy. Must be partially funded by the logistics company behind the team.
Another very important factor for players staying in Latvia - the 30+ guys are often getting an education. Either studying at LSPA to get a coach's certificate or anything else. And for that they have to be here, and thus can play in the local league for a smaller salary/bonuses only.