Compromise for ice sports in Chemnitz
Small training hall will be iced over until the end of the year
The city of Chemnitz has made a compromise with the ice sports associations and clubs regarding the use of the hall. Over the past few days, the clubs have once again come up with many proposals, some of which are intended to save energy and thus reduce the very high consumption.
The small training hall will be iced over until the end of the year to give the clubs more time to optimise their training plans for the remaining areas for the coming year and to examine further cost and financial options.
With EFC's annual turnover of around €2.5 million, there is a risk of €700,000 in additional costs next year alone for icing the surfaces, for which there is currently no funding.
Treasurer Ralph Burghart and Mayor Dagmar Ruscheinsky: "The energy crisis is forcing everyone, including ice sports, to cut costs and consume less energy. With today's decision, we are very much in favour of the clubs until the end of the year. However, the financial situation in the coming year looks anything but good. We are therefore appealing to everyone to find joint and responsible solutions in order to be able to continue ice sports even under these difficult conditions. This includes not only the local clubs, but in particular the national associations, which must take the current situation into account when planning competitions and ultimately squads. Especially for energy-intensive sports such as ice hockey, it is important to find joint and not just regional solutions."
As things stand, only the large hall, the outer ring and the indoor rink can be iced from next year due to the high energy costs.
Financing for these fields has not yet been secured beyond 1 January 2023 in the event of two-hall icing. A possible insolvency of EFC GmbH in the coming year due to a lack of liquidity is still on the cards.