"It was a mistake to separate the Swiss League from the National League," Patrick Reber, CEO of EHC Olten, tells the SonntagsZeitung. "We have to grow closer together again." Sébastien Pico, CEO of EHC Visp, echoes that and adds: "Everyone is aware that a second professional league is needed. But now it also needs the means."
The task force led by Denis Vaucher and Pascal Singer is trying to find marketing opportunities for the Swiss League for the 2023-24 season. It is also the goal that the league will still consist of ten teams in the next season. Ideally, the league should have twelve teams again.
Given that two National League teams would have to be relegated in the next two seasons directly, that seems, however, almost an impossible feature to reach, says Vaucher: "I don't know if a club could survive relegation at the moment. The Swiss League no longer offers any economic prospects for this. Unless you were to introduce direct promotion/relegation. That would reduce the damage. Whether this scenario is realistic or not remains to be seen."
