Andrei Khapkov: Volkov’s budget is about 100 thousand dollars a year

Igor Rudinsky

– Let’s start our acquaintance with the Ice Wolves from afar. How did you come up with the idea to create a professional hockey club in Ukraine with all the social and financial problems in the country?

– A friend called me, Fedyanin Vitaly Nikolaevich. This is the man who founded the White Leopard. At one time I played there, and he was my boss. In general, we phoned, and he threw such an idea. Only an investor was needed. I had some savings, decided to come back and try. Why? Because I worked in this direction, raised children. We decided to try working with adults. More precisely, to train juniors for adult hockey. Somehow they turned around and things went well.

– Of the three seasons in the UHL, the first was probably the most difficult?

“There were a lot of people then. It turned out that there were few hockey players among them. There were some people, but they can hardly be called professional players. They gathered everyone around the country and tried to make something out of them. When they allowed to declare legionnaires, I immediately brought several people in order to somehow raise the level of the team. At the end of the season, something started to happen. And next season it turned out that the investor who was supposed to connect with us, promising a certain amount of money, just left the club at the last moment. I had to pull the team again on my own. Unfortunately no one helped. We were forced to sell certain property in order to pay off the wages to the guys.

– From the side it seems that big business is not interested in hockey in Ukraine. Why is that?

– Yes, this is not a business at all, but just a waste of money. You need another business that brings in a certain amount of money that will allow you to donate to your favorite sport. This is how it happens in some of our clubs: at the head are serious leaders who can afford to allocate a serious amount and spend it on their hobby.

— Who is the investor of Ice Wolves hockey club today?

– There are no investors, everything is at your own expense. And this is very difficult. This season, I didn’t even want to come in, because the guys were tired of promising something all the time and not fulfilling it. Someone did not fulfill the agreements and so on. This season, by the way, it was the same. Someone agreed with investors, the season began, and people suddenly refused to finance. The money that was set aside for the salaries of the players goes to logistics, maintenance, food, accommodation, inventory. These are all consumables.

– How do you motivate the team for some result in such conditions?

— We explain that we have a team to improve the level of skill. Not for making money, unfortunately. Players get practice and can go to more serious teams. It’s like a stepping stone to a higher level. Unfortunately, it is difficult to motivate them. Many have to give a cap. Some get it, some don’t. That’s it, like a family. Like a father and children: gave a cuff – the child went to school. Here also.

– I was told that you even turned to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for support. Was there any reaction from the Office of the President?

— Yes, about a month ago we received an answer from the Ministry, which, unfortunately, no longer exists. But not the point. The answer came in the spirit of “we are not indifferent to fate, but the ministry has no money. We can assist in the search for patrons for the development of Kyiv hockey.” And that’s it.

– In Kyiv, this is generally a paradox. From year to year they talk about the revival of the Falcon, but now there is your club playing in the League. Really in such a huge city no one needs it? Including the mayor, a man from sports?

You know, this question worries me too. Everyone says to me: “How is it, you are the capital, is there really no person who would be interested in this?”. If even in small towns they could find money for maintenance, but not in the capital. This question keeps coming up. People do not want to just spend money or do not see investment prospects. If the state is not interested in development, then there will be no Sokol-level team in Kyiv. I know a lot of people who could help us, even a little, it would be easier.

– Did you have a dialogue with the city or regional authorities to make life a little easier for the club?

– The problem is that everyone sends to each other. You walk around the offices to no avail and that’s it. Therefore, we decided to write a letter to the most important thing. We received an answer.

– As far as I remember, you started playing in Brovary for the first season, and now you are playing in Kyiv, on Shaletta. How much does it cost to rent this ice rink?

— Compared to the Terminal, it is generally heaven and earth. That’s why we moved to Bohuslav from the Terminal, where we were based at the end of the season. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to play there, so we signed an agreement with the Kryzhinka school. In general, it is not as expensive as in the Terminal, which is one of the most expensive arenas in the country.

– Is your contract with Chalette valid until the end of the season?

— Yes, we had a contract for two years.

– How much is the club’s budget for the season today? How much money do you need for maintenance?

— That year, our budget amounted to 2.8 million hryvnia. Only.

“It’s a little over $100,000.

– Yes, “hundredth” is obtained. For the club to exist in a minimal mode.

– You said that in the first year you had to filter the performers for the team …

Yes, make lemonade without lemon.

– Exactly. How do you find players now?

— There are agents who work. Call, offer players. We are already negotiating: if the player agrees to the terms and suits us, we sign a contract. There are hockey players who at first show the game, you invest in them, and after a month he stops showing results. Several of these people had to be sent, although at first they had to buy their transfer. It’s all about the financial part. After all, there would be a big budget, I would know who is coming to me and what it is. In this regard, it’s easier.

– So you also recently signed up for the season. Why?

– I went to two games that year and got a meniscus injury. It happened in the match with Kherson. Last game of the season. And only in August he had an operation and now he began to go out on the ice. There are goalkeepers, but they are young, raw. The forwards, if I go to training, have an incentive to strive, to score a goal, to show themselves. The training process immediately becomes more productive. Young people ride on straight legs and they don’t care if they score or not. There is a negligent attitude to the training process. We need a man in the team who can shout and kick in the head. That is why I had to stand back at the gate. Would allow the budget to take an older goalkeeper – no questions. There are only young people in defense, so experience is needed at the last frontier.

Do you have any problems with the coaching staff under such conditions?

— No, absolutely. I don’t get involved in their training process. We have agreements when I need to set up a lesson for the goalkeeper so that he works out certain elements and game moments, the mentor selects the training so that goalkeepers and forwards are involved. We agree on this, it’s all right.

— What needs to be done to make hockey popular again in Ukraine?

— There should be a popularization of winter sports. That it was in the program of each city. Plus, there should be an information component. So that people understand that it is worth giving their son to hockey so that he earns good money and can achieve something. UHL is developing very well in this direction. Very good results in four years. The league is in fifth place in terms of popularity, so work is underway. There is a part of hockey fans, but it is very small. It’s not like in Europe. I played in Poland: the team even plays in the first league, but fans go there. Because the father played, the grandfather and so on. There are traditions and it is already in the blood. We don’t have that yet, but we’re getting there. The League is trying to attract various investors. Here, they held the Continental Cup.

By the way, I’m ready to argue with you on this issue. The Continental Cup just showed that the interest in hockey in Ukraine is quite high even now.

“People need to have fun, they need to go somewhere. And if it is in Kyiv, then why not go. It needs to be promoted, to help with information. No other way.

– This season in the UHL remains the same composition as in the past. On the one hand, it’s good that no one is missing, on the other hand, it’s bad that there are no new clubs. Let’s dream up: the ideal format of the Ukrainian ice hockey championship?

– At least eight clubs. That would have been interesting. Ideally, there would be 10 clubs. This will be a good development.

– How realistic is it to come to this in the next five years?

— If we always had hockey in Ukraine… After all, I remember the times when four teams played. There were six teams, as now. In general, there is a possibility that it will be better. If in each city there is a person who is interested in the team playing, then this is possible. Negotiations are constantly ongoing, there are people who are ready to support the team, but there are nuances that have not been confirmed. Even this season, there were moments when there could be not six, but up to eight teams. If there is a Falcon, then most likely there will be no Wolves. Because people are ready to allocate money, but for the Falcons, and not for the Wolves.