The Swiss Life Arena is an ice hockey and entertainment arena in

Altstetten Altstetten may refer to: * Altstetten, Erdweg, Bavaria, Germany * Altstetten, Rennertshofen, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten (Zürich) Altstetten is a quarter in district 9 of the city of Zürich in Switzerland. It was formerly a municipality in it ...

, Zurich,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It is located approximately 7 kilometers west of Downtown Zurich. The arena officially opened in October 2022. The arena currently serves as the home for the

ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and play ...

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL) and seats up to 12,000 spectators for hockey games.

Background

Starting in the 2022/2023 season, the Swiss Life Arena will be the new arena of the

’ national league A-team, which will play as many as 40 national and international matches there every year. The arena will also host games of GCK/ZSC Lions young talent. The Swiss Life Arena is planned as a multifunctional event space and is to enjoy modern infrastructure. With its steeply graded seating and compact construction, the arena will be a “cauldron”, with a focus on sports and corporate events. Swiss Life, a Swiss provider of pension and financial solutions, will lend its name to the arena. The former Swisslife Arena in Lucerne has been operating under the name "Eiszentrum Luzern" since 2014. The name sponsorship with Swiss Life expired at the end of 2012.

Funding

The estimated cost for the Swiss Life Arena is about CHF 169 million. The funding is as follows : CHF 30 million from equity, CHF 19 million from third parties and the remaining CHF 120 million come as a loan from the city of Zurich. The ZSC Lions will also receive, along with operating income, an urban operating contribution of CHF 2 million per year. Profits will mostly be used for amortization and strengthening of equity.

Opening

The Lions played their inaugural game at Swiss Life Arena during the regular season against

HC Fribourg-Gottéron HC Fribourg-Gottéron is a professional ice hockey team based in Fribourg, Switzerland, which competes in the National League (NL). The team is the sixth most attended team in Switzerland for the 2015/16 season with 6,156 spectators. History The ...

on October 18, 2022. They won the game 2-1 in a sellout arena.

Events

The venue will host matches for the 2028 European Men's Handball Championship.

References

External links