Story Summary
Moser Medical Graz99ers general manager Bernd Vollmann has said the club’s decision to move its home game against Pioneers Vorarlberg to Kapfenberg is intended as a public signal over what it sees as Graz’s diminishing support for sport.
The ICEHL champions will play Pioneers Vorarlberg at Stadthalle Kapfenberg on 21 November rather than in Graz. Vollmann said the move was neither retaliation nor a settling of accounts, but a deliberate statement about the place of sport in the city.
The dispute follows a decision by Holding Graz to cut its support for the Graz99ers by 50 per cent immediately after the club won its first title, ending 27 years of successful partnership. Sponsorship for Graz professional clubs GAK, SK Sturm and the Graz99ers is also due to end completely from 2027.
Key Facts
- Moser Medical Graz99ers will host Pioneers Vorarlberg at Stadthalle Kapfenberg on 21 November.
- Graz99ers general manager Bernd Vollmann said the relocation is a deliberate signal rather than an act of retaliation.
- Holding Graz reduced its support for the Graz99ers by 50 per cent after 27 years of partnership, immediately following the club’s first championship.
- Sponsorship for Graz professional clubs GAK, SK Sturm and Graz99ers is scheduled to end entirely from 2027.
- Vollmann said the issue extends beyond the Graz99ers and concerns the city’s wider treatment of sport.
IHM Discussion
A home fixture moved away from its normal setting is an unusually visible step, and the Graz99ers are using it to place their objection in public view. Vollmann’s comments frame the matter as broader than one hockey club’s financial relationship with the city.
The club’s position is that the planned reductions and withdrawal of backing affect sport across Graz rather than merely its own balance sheet.
The timing sharpens the message. The 50 per cent reduction came immediately after the Graz99ers’ first championship, while the move to Kapfenberg gives the club a specific fixture through which to express its position.
Why It Matters
It places their concerns before supporters and the wider sporting community while keeping the focus on a scheduled ICEHL fixture against Pioneers Vorarlberg.
The development also links the club’s first championship with questions over the future of municipal-linked support. With sponsorship for the three named Graz professional clubs set to cease from 2027, Vollmann has presented the issue as one with implications beyond hockey.
Mini Q&A
Why are the Graz99ers playing in Kapfenberg?
The club says it is moving the home game to signal its concern over what it views as declining support for sport from the city of Graz.
Which game will be played in Kapfenberg?
The Graz99ers’ home game against Pioneers Vorarlberg on 21 November will be held at Stadthalle Kapfenberg.
What changes to support have been announced?
Holding Graz cut support for the Graz99ers by 50 per cent after 27 years of partnership, and sponsorship for GAK, SK Sturm and the Graz99ers is due to end from 2027.
What Comes Next
The Graz99ers are scheduled to face Pioneers Vorarlberg at Stadthalle Kapfenberg on 21 November. Sponsorship for GAK, SK Sturm and the Graz99ers is set to end completely from 2027.
IHM Final View
The Graz99ers have chosen a prominent way to register their dissatisfaction: taking a home game to Kapfenberg. Vollmann’s message is that the fixture is meant to draw attention to what the club considers a wider retreat from supporting sport in Graz, not simply to air a grievance on behalf of the reigning ICEHL champions.