Dear EVZ family
The year 2024 is drawing to a close – an eventful year full of milestones, challenges and successes. Some of the headlines are particularly memorable: “Dan Tangnes’ last season at EVZ”, “New attendance record in the PostFinance Women’s League”, “Daniel Voženílek sets new club record”, “EVZ wins the EWHL Euro Cup” and “Building application for stadium expansion submitted”. These highlights are just a few of the things that have happened in recent months, as we are also working hard on the future behind the scenes.
In March, our women’s team celebrated promotion to the PFWL and established itself among the top teams in the highest league. The first European title followed in October when they won the EWHL Euro Cup. Not only the sporting success, but also the growing enthusiasm of the fans is remarkable: in November we set a new record with 2163 spectators. The fact that Fribourg was able to break this record shortly afterwards is an indication of how strongly women’s ice hockey is progressing in Switzerland – an incentive for us to continue to play a pioneering role. Two years after the launch of our Women & Girls program, it is clear that we are on the right track.
While the women won the SWHL B title, the men’s team was once again eliminated in the semi-finals against the eventual champions after 2023. Nevertheless, two championship titles and four semi-final appearances in the last seven playoff series are clear proof of the successful work at EVZ. Our vision remains unchanged: To win titles with home-grown talent. This is demonstrated by the four new professional contracts of our The Hockey Academy graduates as well as the many players from our own young talent in the current squad. The end of the “Dan Tangnes chapter” does nothing to change this long-term concept. With Dan as Head Coach, we have been able to celebrate successes over the past seven years that have shaped the history of the EVZ. Together with him, we want to bring this chapter to a fitting conclusion in the spring.
Probably the most important milestone for the future of our EVZ was the building application for the “Keep Building” stadium extension at the beginning of October. Despite an objection during the building permit process, we are optimistic that we will be able to hold on to the start of construction in May 2025 and will fight for this until the last minute – all in the interests of our sport. We have been working tirelessly in the background since 2019 on the project that will accompany us for the next few years. This project is a huge challenge for our company, but it is also of the utmost importance and significance for the future of the EVZ.
We are looking forward to the year 2025 with new challenges and opportunities. For now, I would like to wish the entire EVZ family a peaceful and relaxing festive season and thank you for your great support!
