President of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Alexey Morozov in an interview with , he said that options to hold hockey matches in football arenas are now being considered, but it all depends on the capabilities of the latter.
Previously, the head of the press service of the Moscow football club “Spartacus » Dmitry Zelenov did not rule out the possibility of organizing a hockey match at the “red-white” Otkritie Bank Arena stadium.
In December 2018, the match between SKA St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow at the Gazprom Arena football stadium was attended by 67,770 spectators. This match became the most attended in the history of European club hockey. Additionally, the match was among the top ten most attended matches worldwide.
— Attendance could increase significantly if the KHL regularly holds hockey games in football stadiums, as is the case in the NHL. Is it really possible to stream this?
— This is definitely not possible for streaming. We are currently considering such options – and we are not against such matches at all. Nizhny Novgorod wanted to try it this year. We talked about Spartak. But it all depends on the football stadiums themselves. Hockey matches can be organized there when the turf of the football field is modified.
— Why then were such games held at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg for several years in a row?
— Because there is a retractable field and the football field can be removed at any time. If there is no such technology, organizing a hockey match in one day can completely ruin the pitch. And if a football team is preparing for the resumption of the RPL season, this could become quite a problem for them.
So we are working on different nuances. If something interesting appears, we will try to implement it. But here, it is above all the region itself and the host team which should be interested. Are they ready to change lawns after hockey? That’s a question,” Morozov told .
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Source : MatchTV
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