GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The long-discussed future home for the Geneva-Servette Hockey Club came closer to reality with the announcement Tuesday 24 January that it will be built on the Trèfle-Blanc site in the commune of Lancy. The canton, city and club jointly announced the news, saying that they have agreed with Lancy to undertake an in-depth feasibility study, which is being assigned to an international group of professionals, that will include the broader economic impact of the rink.
GSHC’s current rink is scheduled to be replaced by 2015.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Geneva-Servette Hockey Club added a win to its season, defeating Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in an away match, 2-3 (1-0, 0-2, 1-1). A rough start to the season is being smoothed out and the team has moved up the rankings to ninth place.
Ice hockey in Geneva, not always smooth sailing
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Geneva-Servette Hockey Club (GSHC) has snapped back at unnamed critics who, say the club owners, have been making damaging and incorrect innuendos that the GSHC is not transparent about its finances and that recent changes have caused problems with the team.
The city and canton have been slow to move on projects agreed to in 2010 to renovate the existing Vernets ice rink, before building a new arena for 2015, says the club.
20 minutes 17 February quoted Socialist Rémy Pagani, head of Geneva’s buildings and construction department, as saying that “At the moment the club’s project, which is supported by the city for a cost of CHF14 million, is stuck in the finance commission because the club has not yet presented its accounts.”
Simon Brandt, a centre-right Geneva politician, a week earlier accused Pagani of making empty promises to the club, saying it had nothing to worry about because Geneva would support it, even though the project doesn’t appear in the budget.
A meeting 8 March between the club, the city and the canton must see these projects move ahead, GSHC says, in order for its finances to become healthier: the club needs more VIP seats to be able to pull in additional revenues from these.
Chris McSorley and Hugh Quennec, the two Geneva-Servette owners, sent out to journalists a lengthy press release 17 February stating their position: the club’s accounts have been completely open to Geneva auditors, they insist, the Foundation’s finances are managed separately from the club’s and no players have been paid out of the foundation’s money, responding to accusations that have been made, mainly in Geneva’s political arena.
The complete release, in French, is below.
It shines a light on the murky side of Geneva politics as much as on the club’s business. McSorley told GenevaLunch in October that while relations with the city and canton are good, the process of getting and keeping essential financial support is not always easy. This becomes clear in Thursday’s statement, where McSorley and Quennec note that:
- work agreed foreseen in June 2010 agreements with Geneva have not been carried out. As a result, the club’s CHF3 million deficit has not diminished, despite strong demand for VIP seats.
- Work planned for 2011, including work not done in 2010: GSHC has received no confirmation about when work will begin.
- The new arena for 2015: the club is still waiting, despite the June 2010 agreement that the Vernet site will be used, for the credits to be approved and deposited to carry out the studies necessary to move the project ahead.
GSHC press release, 17 February 2011
Thomas Déruns
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Chris McSorley’s message Monday 31 January to his team and supporters was grim: the acclaimed top forward for the Geneva-Servette Hockey Club, Thomas Déruns, 28 and Swiss, is moving to Bern. By Tuesday the club’s site sported a video that drew a large number of fans, with teammates’ reactions to Thomas leaving.
Déruns has been “one of its key players” for some 10 years, says McSorley, but the GSHC was obliged to let him move to SC Bern “in order to reduce the structural deficit of the club in the short and medium term if it cannot balance its budget which is amongst the four smallest of the League.” The player “has been in a position to negotiate a new contract for four or five seasons in the last few months,” McSorley’s statement notes. “The GSHC is no longer able in its current situation, to match the offers made by other clubs of the LNA (national league A).”
GSHC’s tight budget looked like it would get help from Geneva in the form of an improved and enlarged arena before the current 2010-2011 season opened, which would have let the team sell more VIP seats and get more sponsors. McSorley, who has been careful to speak well of Geneva authorities’ efforts to improve the aging (1958) Vernets arena, which has been in the political hot seat in Geneva politics, issued these remarks in a statement published on the team’s web site Monday:
Club has record season ticket sales
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If anyone doubted that hockey is an increasingly popular sport in Geneva, season ticket sales for the Geneva-Servette Hockey Club have just proved them wrong: 4,800 season tickets sold in three months. The sales tally breaks the previous record, in 2009, of 4,740 season tickets, and the season has not yet opened. The team will play its last friendly 5 September in Geneva. Remaining season tickets are on sale on the GSHC web site.
Chris McSorley, Geneva Servette Hockey Club, with Alexandre de Montmollin, Geneva cantonal oenologist
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Canton Geneva presented its new wines to the world Tuesday 4 May and one of the guests was a knowledgeable fan: Chris McSorley, who heads the Geneva Servette Hockey Club, which just lost the Swiss hockey title in a tight best-of-seven battle with Bern.
McSorley, who also owns a restaurant, loves to cook and knows his wines, discovered that GSHC has a number of fans among the local winemakers.
His favourite wine? No spilling secrets!
As for the wines, 2009 was an excellent year in the region, with wines overall showing good balance and fruits that come through clearly.
The canton holds its hugely popular Open Day Saturday 29 May, when scores of producers open their doors to the public for a congenial winetasting day.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Tickets for the Swiss LNA hockey finals matches in Geneva go on sale Monday 12 April at noon. The first game with Geneva Servette Hockey Club as host is 13 April at 20:00, at Geneva’s Vernets stadium.
Tickets will be sold at the following locations, as long as they are available, with details (in French) on the Geneva Servette club site: C.C. La Praille and Balexert and the Chip Sport shop. Buyers are limited to four tickets. A special sale of 200 tickets in the best seats will be held at McSorley’s Pub & Steak house from 17:00-20:00 Monday evening, with buyers limited to two tickets each.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Geneva Servette Hockey Club defeated HC Ambrì-Piotta 5-2 (2-0; 2-1; 1-1) Friday 16 October at the Vernets ice rink, to a good early season crowd of 6,185.
