REGION OSTRAVA

Matches were allowed, then prohibited,

we could not practice, and we even had

to spend some time in quarantine. We also

encountered myriad complications, match

rescheduling, venue changes, searching

for available dates, practice opportunities.

It was truly a strenuous year. Having to play

matches without an audience is a whole

chapter on its own. We really missed our

fans, which makes us even more excited

for this season now that they can finally be

present in the venues again and I believe

that seats will be packed.

Throughout September, the OSTRAVA

ARENA hosted many big sports events,

such as the volleyball European

championship as well as a prestigious

women’s tennis tournament. Was it

difficult to prepare the team, and the

whole club for a month of matches not on

home ice?

Prepare the team? The preparations the

team made were no different to ones we

would undertake when playing on home ice.

There were no changes made there. I already

mentioned that we take things as they come.

We do not deliberate over whether or not

playing six back-to-back road matches will

be difficult. That is simply the way it is; we

do not have access to a winter stadium

and so we had to make due. We tried to

alleviate the situation by rescheduling and

making organizational changes. Speculating,

however, over whether it will be easy or

difficult is something we will not do. We enter

every match with the desire to win and the

location of the match is irrelevant to us.

Financing plays a very important role in

managing a sports club. What are some

reasons companies should sponsor HC

Vítkovice?

You are indeed correct. Sport, at the highest

level, cannot be done without sponsors, and

that is true even under regular circumstances,

even without considering the complicated

times we face now. This is the reason why

we at HC Vítkovice approach each of our

partners individually, so that we can tailor fit

the terms and conditions in order to reach

the expectations of the partnership. For

some, partnering with the well-established

brand of our hockey club is a matter of

prestige, as HC Vítkovice has been the heart

of Ostrava’s hockey culture for over ninety

years. Others value that, with us, they can

reach hundreds of thousands of people,

whether directly in the stadium, through

our club’s web page, social media, or other

communication networks. In this way, we

help present their brand to more people and

so gain new customers, business partners or

even employees. During match days, we

also offer the use of our exclusive VIP area

in the OSTRAVAR ARENA for networking

meetings, teambuilding, employee days,

seminars or employee training, all livened up

by a good ol’ hockey match. We offer our

resources not only to season-long partners,

but also ones that decide to sponsor only

specific matches. Some companies also

support us by purchasing season tickets to

home matches as part of their employee

benefits, allowing employees to come

cheer, shout and let off some steam, which

is something they may not easily be capable

of at work. As you can see, there are many

reasons to partner up with our club and we

wholeheartedly thank those who already

have. I believe that the number of people

choosing to become part of our team will

continue to increase.

You won the 1999 World Championship,

at a time when Czech hockey was at

its peak in making a move for a gold

medal hattrick. What is the current state

of Czech hockey? Is nurturing young

talent part of the HC Vítkovice club’s

philosophy?

Of course, this is part of every club’s

philosophy, we are not alone in this. Raising

young talent has been an inseparable part of

HC Vítkovice since its conception. A recent

example of our success in this endeavor

has been the defender Tomáš Machů, who

succeeded in this year’s NHL draft. He was

selected by a team that has been in the

top four teams of the NHL for the past two

seasons. We also have a couple more very

promising players in store. Personally, I am

very glad that Tomáš Machů decided to

stay with us and play for our A-team instead

of leaving for a team abroad. It is not easy

competing with the enticing offers made by

other countries, especially overseas, but we

still make a very strong effort and I believe

that Machů made the right choice, that

soon we will be hearing a lot about not only

him but also the others. Nurturing talent is

one of our top priorities.

How is recruitment of your youngest

members going? Are there going to be any

recruitment events in the near future?

It was actually not too long ago that we held

a big recruitment event called Come Play

Hockey. Generally, though, we do not limit

the recruitment of our young members to

specific dates; the doors to our recruitment

and training center are open all year long,

so all it takes is for the kids to be interested

and for their parents to drop them off for

training. I must say though, that we are lucky

in this regard, in recent years, there has been

no shortage of kids wanting to join our club,

and I hope that this will continue in not only

this season but in those to come.

You spent a large part of your career

as a player at HC Vítkovice: you played

for fourteen seasons, totaling 575

tournament matches. Has Ostrava always

had a pleasant atmosphere? What do you

think makes it so?

I was very fortunate as, throughout my career

as a player, Vítkovice always maintained

an electrifying atmosphere. I remember

times when the stadium’s glass panels were

cracking, spectators sat or stood on the

stairs between the seats, and the Palace, as

we used to refer to today’s arena, was filled

to the brim with fans. It was exhilarating. Of

course, times change. Back when I played,

Ostrava had football, hockey and maybe

basketball and volleyball, so the people

found their way to us. Nowadays, there are

many different options for entertainment,

however, it would make me incredibly

happy to see fans return to the bleachers in

our arena and spark that same atmosphere

once again. Naturally, we also have our

part to play in this, putting up a great

performance with good results. Logically,

if we do not show the people some good

hockey, we cannot expect them to provide

us with the atmosphere. Therefore, it all

stems from us, from our efforts; we will

do everything in our power so that the fans

will once again find their way to us.

What is something about this new season

that you think the fans cannot miss? Is

there something that you are personally

excited for?

Personally, I am very excited for the hockey

itself, hockey with a live audience especially.

The preparations were long and difficult, all

culminating in this new season and that is

the exciting part. I also cannot wait for the

packed stadiums and great atmosphere. As

for what the fans can look forward to? Like

I said, a lot of quality performances. Not all

matches can be won, but if we pour all we

have out there, the people will notice and

leave with the knowledge that the players

played their hearts out on the ice. We need

to strive and fight for that big achievement.

Really show that we are playing for our

fans—I believe they will appreciate it.

Thank you for the interview, Mr Šimíček.

Text: redakce

Foto: Petr Kotala, Lukáš Kaboň

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