Jokers and Helsinki IFK meet after a break of more than 12 years in the SM league.
Thursday night’s much-anticipated Stadion encounter in the Veikkaus-arena has been overshadowed by the ticket uproar.
For the first local match of the season in Helsinki, the Jokerit decided to raise ticket prices exceptionally high in Finnish standards.
Among other things, the prices for the long pages of the sub-view range between 149 and 159 euros. The lower stand also sold so-called ringside tickets for “only” 89 euros. In the upper gallery, ticket prices ranged from 75 to 129 euros.
This season, the maximum capacity of the arena for the Jokers’ home matches is 13,144 spectators. By Thursday afternoon, around 11,000 tickets had been sold.
Localization’s exceptional pricing garnered a lot of feedback in the corridors of Veikkaus-arena before Thursday’s match.
“When I heard the prices, the first spontaneous reaction was screaming laughter. Now we’re going to shoot hard,” Jokerie supporter Tero Luotonen updates.
Joker supporter Tero Luotonen famously recognized the color.
Luotonen belongs to the Jokers’ season ticket holders, so he avoided paying an astronomical sum for a single match ticket.
“Yes, the prices have run away really badly. Definitely too high.”
In Luotonen’s opinion, even the best seats in a SM league regular season match should cost no more than 50 euros.
“Especially nowadays, when people are tight on money. You can’t go out and charge crazy prices.”
Jokers has justified the pricing by, among other things, strong demand and the exceptional interest of the local match.
The pricing has garnered criticism from the supporter groups of both clubs. Jokerien EP06 announced that they will boycott the match.
A group of EP06 supporters demonstrated outside the Veikkaus arena.
HIFK’s four supporter groups also announced already in the summer that they would boycott the first local matches of the season.
Supporters of HIFK Esko Pesälä and Ira Vehman however, did not want to miss the expected meeting.
“All the latest encounters have been seen live. This has been expected since it started to look like the Jokerit will come back,” says Pesälä.
HIFK supporters Esko Pesälä and Ira Vehman paid a total of 250 euros for two entrance tickets.
The tickets for the two cost a total of 250 euros.
“Last season, we went around watching every away game of IFK. We saw every game as far as Oulu, so yes, this was a must-see,” says Vehman.
Still, the price tag shines.
“You don’t want to pay much more for this. You have to get an interpreter for this,” Vehman and Pesälä state.
Jokers supporter Teemu Lehtinen also wondering about the pricing.
“Yes, they are quite expensive for the average tramper. If the ticket costs 150 euros, you shouldn’t buy it without a season ticket.”
According to Jokers supporter Teemu Lehtinen, the pain limit for a match ticket is 50 euros.
In Lehtinen’s opinion, the pain threshold is around 50 euros.
“Especially if more people come, you won’t be able to pay such sums.”
Antti Hyttinen arrived at the match his son I did with. It was the boy’s first local match in Helsinki.
“This is a great moment. Twelve long years have been waited for,” Antti Hyttinen enthuses.
As the father of a family of six, Hyttinen brings up a harsh comparison.
“If our family came here tonight to watch hockey, we could get on a cruise for less.”
Hyttinen still also understands the financial realities of the Jokers.
“There is no longer any magic wall from which money comes. There is no longer a godfather to give.”
Antti Hyttinen (right) brought his son Toti to the Helsinki local match for the first time.
Chairman of the Jokers Mikko Saarni announced earlier in the week that the club will learn from the feedback. Cheaper tickets are promised for the local match on January 22, starting at 39 euros.
Luotonen is one of those joker fans who is still cautious about the promise.
“Are there only 39 euro tickets on the top shelf and more expensive ones on the bottom? Time will tell.”