In the wave pool of emotions

Gottéron is a construction site. And the officially. The BCF-Arena, a belt made of scaffolding, pipes, concrete walls, and rubble is strapped. Truck constraints in the chord due to narrow access roads. In Barack's restaurant, Le Dépôt Raphaël Berger sits. The Director-General of Gottéron says: "Freiburg is in need of this new hall. The competition has made forward, we stagnate."

Freiburg is handling a big project. 95 million Swiss francs for the modification of the BCF-Arena, swallows. 30 million to make the city and the Canton. The 65 private investors to the group, the HC Fribourg-Gottéron SA 8500 courts, Expansion of the catering and Hospitality sector, belongs to, more Lodges, more comfort: The new home is a promise. It is not on the Barrens, but due to space and cost reasons, around the existing hall. Before each game, the site is secured and of the authorities decreased.

What is Gottéron?

The case is renewed, the core pulsates. On Tuesday coach Mark French is driving the players in the Rink, up and down. Defenseman Marc Abplanalp occurs from the ice, runs into a gang that looks on the black rubber floor and says: "I don't want to know what grows in this soil, in the meantime, everything." 16 years ago, best ride of the Bernese from Grindelwald, his first games for Gottéron. "The stadium is not in accordance with more time. The new ice rink is good for all – not only in financial terms."

The researchers from Freiburg have something to Hold on to; a project that is associated with the Faith at Large. In the table of the National League the selection flippert up and down from rank 3 to rank 10, everything is still possible. The snapshot fits to the wave pool, the highlights of the Club times up, times down tears and the mood of the spectators clocks. Since 1980 Gottéron in the highest League, longer than any other organization. The title of master except, have experienced the Fribourgeois almost everything. Since the magic times: Merci, Slava Bykov and Andrei Chomutow. The gloomy years from 1995, five times in the quarter-final, six times the playoffs will be missed. The Near-bankruptcy in 2007, this debt of three million francs, and the restoration of the cantonal Bank. The seven fat years to 2014: a Final, four semi-finals. Since then, the curve is again downward: in 2015 and 2017 took place in the Playoff without Freiburg.

so What Gottéron: title contender or Playoff-Aspirant? Defender Abplanalp says: "In the table, we are where we belong." On rank eight.

The wave motions associated with the financial possibilities. After the renovation in 2007 made it difficult for the Club, loss of sources of income in the Marketing and catering sector, invested more into the Fanionteam. Already a number of competitors have the Freiburger or obsolete; thanks to modern infrastructure or of Dr. med. Patron of the arts, administered by injection.

The "half-SCB"

Last Gottéron had to make savings in the area of sports. The investments into the project bind more staff and funds. "We are preparing ourselves for a long time on the tag. Therefore, we have reduced two years ago, the Budget for the first team," says Berger. While Freiburg played this season, costly Transfers from Switzerland (Furrer, Schneeberger, Walser), but the depth was not invested.

What is flown down, will flow back with the opening of the new home 2020/21 site. The Director-General is hoping for more revenue in the areas of sponsorship, Marketing, Ticketing, catering. "We want to make in all areas of a step forward. In order to do that, we need to invest more money in the first team," says Berger. "But there are limits. Alone if we look at the dimensions of the new hall, so we will always be a half-SCB."

Such words are likely to go to the Freiburg Fans down like sour milk. The emotional Appendix wants nothing more than the first championship, dreams of glory in the past, mixed with a desire and dream to claim Gottéron had to be every year a title contender. "We have a Team that can be Champions," says Berger. "Even in 2013, we were far away from the title. Bern won the Final 4:2, but the difference was big."

the desire is to claim

seems to have clouded in the haze of this final participation in the environment of the senses. "Since 2013, many people have a wrong image," says Abplanalp (34). "Gottéron leaves no one cold. Of course, we players want the title, we also have ambitions, but others have higher Budgets."

As Gottéron in the previous week after the start of third against Geneva 0:2 behind, were the players booed. After the break, there was again whistles. Freiburg have won 5:3, remained at Abplanalp but the Trouble. "We are experiencing the most balanced season in the history. Apparently some do not understand," he says. "In the past, we fought until the last ums Playoff, the audience moved Gottéron was home. This home we are no longer in power."

victories, and emotions On Friday have to prove to the Freiburg away. In Bern, the geek is in need of points. The is ahead by ten, and Lugano is a single counter. The Miss of the Playoff would be for the club's leadership is not a fiasco. "Of course, it is important to stay on the line," says Berger. "But people need to learn that a missed Playoff in this League does not automatically mean that the team has played a bad season."

The 40-year-old Director-General knows that The Fans will share this view. Berger played for seven years as a defender with Gottéron. After the resignation he moved in 2007 to the Management of the club. He knows the stories, the latent unrest in the Appendix. "In sports in General, and in Gottéron specifically, you can sell two things: victories and emotions," says Berger. His task was to keep a cool head.

That seems to be in the heated environment to be a good counselor.

(Berner Zeitung)

Created: 08.02.2019, 10:32 PM