Football and hockey in Switzerland, between economy and popularity (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• The Swiss hockey championship starts on Tuesday evening
• Football surpasses hockey in total revenue
• The Super League generated 440 million francs
• Hockey is estimated at around 300 million francs

• Discipline: Football and ice hockey in Switzerland
• Season examined: 2024-2025
• Super League revenue: 440 million francs
• Super League clubs: 12
• Hockey clubs: 14
• Estimated hockey revenue: Around 300 million francs
• Average football spectators: 13,000 per match
• Average hockey spectators: 7,500 per match
• Total football spectators: Around 2.7 million
• Total hockey spectators: Around 2.7 million
• Hockey matches: 364
• Football matches: 228

The Swiss ice hockey championship officially kicks off on Tuesday evening, a sport that sparks great passion in Switzerland but has to contend with the competition of football, a discipline that has won over a few more fans in recent years. The radio broadcast SEIDISERA compared the two sports, hockey and football, analyzing financial and audience data. In terms of revenue, football outperforms hockey. The Swiss Football League published data for the 2024-2025 season, in which the twelve Super League clubs generated 440 million francs in turnover. For hockey, not all financial data from the clubs is available, but an estimate can be made taking into account that there are fourteen participating clubs: this brings the direct turnover to around 300 million francs.

Revenue analysis and economic differences between clubs

The economic differences between the two disciplines do not stop solely at the total turnover generated during the sporting year. For a football team in Switzerland, the revenue item linked to the sale of players is of fundamental importance, a commercial and market operation that allows football clubs to cash in a few million francs even from individual transfers. This economic dynamic is not a reality for hockey teams, as explained by Marzio Minoli, RSI economic journalist. In the case of ice hockey, in fact, even if a player were to move to the National Hockey League (NHL), and therefore to the United States or Canada, the former Swiss team would only receive a meager sum as compensation or training reward, a far cry from the capital gains recorded in national professional football.

Operational details

On the front of public attendance and stadiums, economic and statistical analysis offers insights of great interest to understand the bond between fans and their respective sports disciplines within the Swiss national context. In the football championship, the recorded average was 13,000 people per match, while in ice hockey the average stands at 7,500 spectators per game. Despite the difference in the average per single event, during the examined season the overall total of spectators was practically equal, reaching 2.7 million attendances for both football and hockey. However, this tie in total audience numbers must be read in light of the competition calendar: ice hockey in the season under review played as many as 364 matches, compared to the 228 matches played in the football championship.

The loyalty factor and the occupancy rate of the rinks Swiss ice hockey shows particularly surprising and noteworthy numbers in terms of fan loyalty to their beloved team. It is a sports discipline that manages to fill the rinks consistently, recording an average 90% occupancy of available seats in the stands. In certain arenas in Switzerland, it even reaches 100% occupancy of maximum capacity, as happens in Fribourg. This means that, despite a lower number of spectators in absolute terms compared to football, the rinks and ice arenas are consistently full. To make a direct comparison with football stadiums, the latter instead record an average occupancy of 65% of available seats. A further distinguishing element emerges from a study by the University of Lausanne, which highlights how Swiss hockey represents a true powerhouse at the international level: the Swiss national team is currently number one in the International Ice Hockey Federation ranking and the Swiss championship turns out to be the second most popular tournament in the world, positioning itself immediately behind the North American NHL.

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Key points

A determining aspect that profoundly differentiates the two sporting worlds concerns the sense of territorial belonging and the perceived national identity of fans in the stands. The hockey fan finds a strong national and local identity in their favorite team. This bond is also favored by the composition of the rosters: the majority of players fielded in hockey teams are of Swiss nationality, as regulations establish that foreign players who can take the field are limited to a maximum of six units. Conversely, in the football championship, the percentage of foreign players in the squads can reach up to 60%. The situation takes on even more marked contours when analyzing the geographical origin of athletes in club teams.

Connection with the territory and economic perspectives

Many ice hockey teams in Switzerland regularly feature players coming directly from the region where the club is based. Taking the realities of Lugano and Ambrì Piotta as examples, both can boast the presence of several Ticinese players in starting roles, while by comparison FC Lugano does not have a single one in its squad. In summary, as highlighted by the economic and sports analysis, football turns out to be more powerful from a strictly economic standpoint and enjoys greater international appeal, but hockey proves decidedly more popular and rooted thanks to its visceral bond with the territory and local communities. To delve deeper into the management of personal expenses related to leisure and understand the impact on the family budget and the cost of living in Switzerland, consult our cost of living.

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Source: rsi.ch