Record payments, rewards for youth coaches
The latest KHL board meeting took place in Moscow on Sep. 14. The league celebrated record payments to clubs, highlighted improved financial discipline and introduced a new scheme to reward coaches who develop players that go on to play at the highest level.
The board of directors also confirmed that St. Petersburg will host the All-Star Game on Dec. 9-10. The weekend is set to take place at the new SKA Arena in the northern capital and is set to be the first major event at the 21,500-seater venue. The previous weekend will see the Junior Hockey League’s Challenge Cup and the Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game take place in Tula. The Central Russian city, previously famous for its connections with gingerbread and Tolstoy, got a 3,000-seater arena in 2020 and is now home to teams in the VHL and Junior leagues.
Biggest ever annual payment to clubs
After approving the accounts for the 2022-2023 season, the KHL is able to disburse just under 604 million rubles (about $6.3 million) among the 22 competing clubs. This is the highest figure since the payment scheme was introduced in 2013-2014, beating the 505.3 million rubles shared in 2020-2021.
The funds are generated through the sale of TV and betting rights. In 2022-2023, the KHL sold these rights in nine countries, including Russia. Three international channels broadcast 367 live games, 16 Russian regional channels screened 920 fixtures and Russia’s federal sports channel Match! covered 119. The KHL’s own TV service broadcast 1,520 games.
Payments to clubs are calculated based on their on-ice success and their attractiveness to TV companies. A further 30% of the funds are shared equally among the 22 teams. Gagarin Cup winner CSKA earned the most money, collecting 56.8 million rubles ($583,000). SKA (47 million) and Ak Bars (44.3 million) were close behind. At the other end of the scale, Kunlun Red Star receives the smallest payment of 11.3 million rubles ($116,000).
Clubs are advised to use the funds for infrastructure improvements in their arenas and practice facilities.
Enhanced financial discipline
The board’s committee for financial monitoring had encouraging news. Last season there was a significant improvement in the situation around delayed player salaries. Just six clubs were late in paying their players (compared with 10 in 2021-2022) and the extent of the combined delays was 459 days less.
“The financial situation is better than last season,” said KHL president Alexei Morozov. “Fewer clubs fell into arrears and the amount of delayed payment was also smaller. It is also notable that, at the start of the season, only four clubs failed to meet the salary floor. There will be no situation where a club drags its feet and only manages to meet the salary requirement in December by signing players at the last moment.”
Youth coaches rewarded
With an eye to the future, the board confirmed a program to reward the best coaches in youth hockey as they nurture the next generation of KHL stars. The top 100 coaches will be ranked based on their work in developing players who go on to compete in the KHL. The top ranked coach will receive a million-ruble prize. The league also intends to reward the 50 leading Russian hockey academies.
Looking East
The KHL World Games have gone on the back burner since the pandemic, but the league is still actively looking to forge partnerships with new countries. Mongolia, which recently hosted IIHF tournaments for the first time after building the country’s first indoor ice arena, could be the next to welcome KHL teams.
“We are in contact with the [Mongolian] Sports Ministry,” Morozov told journalists. “We’re looking at the possibility of playing some exhibition games, possibly in April with teams that didn’t make the playoffs. It’s not easy to stage a full KHL game there. It would cost a lot to get the arena up to our technical requirements.”
