What a difference a Dollar Makes

SALZBURG , AUSTRIA – What can other countries learn from the recent emergence of the Austrian EBEL as a leading European league and in particular from the heavy investment in the EC Salzburg club now as EC Red Bulls Salzburg.
A visit to the beautiful city of Salzburg with a hotel next to World Headquarters of Red Bull GmbH prompted this writer to delve a little more deeply into the Austrian league and the team in Salzburg.
Re-wind the clock five years and the Austrian league was a fair to middle ranked league in Europe and the Salzburg team were languishing in Division 1 after some historic years of glory some years earlier. The rink, based centrally in “Old” Salzburg close to the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart, was in a state of dis-repair and required an upgrade.
So, enter Dietrich Mateschitz, the Founder and CEO of Red Bull Worldwide. Already the owner of Red Bull Racing and Torro Rosso in the Formula One circuit, Mateschitz turned his attention to his hometown purchasing both FC Red Bulls Salzburg and the club that would become EC Red Bulls Salzburg.
After bringing the Arena up to the standard it enjoys today with only one sole sponsor (Red Bull), the 3000 seat arena resembles the Blackburn Arena in the UK. At a cost of approximately £400,000 the ice is still relaid every year. The difference in standard can be seen by looking at the swimming centre adjacent to the rink which didn’t receive the same upgrade (sadly there is no Red Bulls Swimming Club) and the difference made.
Mateschitz then set about re-branding the club as a Red Bull franchise giving it all the marketing and logistical support his global organization can muster and acquiring players from far afield to get the team promoted into the top division of Austrian Ice Hockey once again.
The introduction of, and marketing power of, Red Bull helps attract TV coverage, starting with Salzburg’s Red Bull TV, and in turn helped attract in other major sponsors allowing teams such as Vienna Capitals and Linz Black Wings to compete at similar levels to the Salzburg club.
The Salzburg club has attracted many former NHL players to the club and the stable league retains many of these players each year. Of course the current Continental Cup champions aren’t infallable they were all-but knocked out of the Cup in 2006 by Coventry Blaze who beat an NHL heavy line up 3-2 in overtime.
By the way, how can Red Bull afford this? Well, the price of Red Bull less than a mile from where it is produced is 6 Euros. That’s around 5 pounds in a country that drinks more Red Bull than Coca-Cola.
Contact the writer; phil.andrews@prohockeynews.com