PressSplit
The sports committee of the city of Frankfurt votes to change the name of the ice rink on Ratsweg. The Lions’ cash registers are ringing.
Frankfurt – Nico Wehnemann was the first who couldn’t resist the play on words. “Today the Culture and Sports Committee is talking about nothing,” wrote the Frankfurt city councilor from the “Die Fraktion” faction on the short message service X.
The meeting in question had begun shortly before. Not in the Römer, as usual, but in the VIP area of the ice rink on Ratsweg, on whose forecourt the autumn edition of the Dippemess 2024 is currently taking place.
From now on, this hall will be called “Nix Eissporthalle” and will thus bear the name of the car dealership on Hanauer Landstraße – at least during ice hockey games of the Löwen Frankfurt.
Ice rink in Frankfurt gets new name, Lions get a lot of money
The ice rink on Ratsweg in Frankfurt is getting a new name. © Monika Müller Mueller
The committee approved the renaming on Thursday evening (September 12) with a large majority. Only the Left and Ökolinx-ELF voted against the new name. The approval of the city council on Thursday (September 19) is now only a formality. And so the Lions will officially announce the name in time for the first home game of the DEL season. On Friday, September 20, they will play at 7.30 p.m. against the Nuremberg Ice Tigers.
How important the local government’s decision is for the Lions was made clear by their managing partner Stefan Krämer on Thursday (12 September). It is “extremely important” that the ice hockey club is allowed to grant the naming rights. For the next four years, the hall will be named after the car dealership. The club will receive 800,000 euros from the company for this, according to Frankfurt’s mayor and head of the sports department, Mike Josef (SPD) confirmed.
Criticism from the Left and Ökolinx regarding the commercialization of naming rights
That’s a lot of money for the Lions, who were promoted back to the German Ice Hockey League three years ago after many years in lower leagues. They are certainly not one of the rich clubs. This is partly because there is still no sponsor advertising on the team’s jersey chest. And partly because of the conditions in the ice rink in the east of Frankfurt. It does not offer the marketing opportunities of the modern multifunctional arenas in which other teams play.
The Frankfurt Lions, led by coach Tom Rowe, are likely to gain new financial opportunities through the marketing of the naming rights of the ice rink. These could promote sporting success. © Jan Huebner
City councillor Michael Müller (Left Party) said it was “fundamentally problematic when naming rights are sold”. Jutta Ditfurth (Ökolinx) said that companies should pay higher trade tax if they want to get involved with a city. Julia Eberz (Green Party) replied that the Lions depend on the car dealership’s money to remain competitive. Frankfurt needs a strong ice hockey team. (Georg Leppert)
Meanwhile, Frankfurt is also debating a sports park that could provide space for basketball, ice hockey and folk festivals.
