“Taking over a well-struc­tured feder­a­tion” – Bern­hard Friedrich in inter­view

In the interview, the Carinthian provides an insight into the goals he has set and the prospects he sees for Austrian ice hockey.

Bernhard Friedrich: “A great deal has happened in the past 17 months under my predecessor Friedrich Nikolaus. He brought his management qualities to bear and made the federation fit for the future on many levels. I am taking over a well-structured federation with committed staff and am looking forward to working with the Executive Committee, the staff, Men’s Sporting Director Roger Bader and his team, Women’s General Manager Martin Kogler, as well as the regional associations, leagues and clubs.”

“Essentially, this includes the economic, financial and organisational affairs of the ÖEHV. In detail, the operational management of the federation’s business, as well as its external operational representation, implementing Executive Committee resolutions, drawing up an overall annual plan and budget, supporting the Executive Committee in its duties, and communicating and working with the regional associations, leagues and clubs, among much else.”

“For the time being, I have defined two goals for myself, which may naturally be expanded or supplemented in the coming weeks. The No. __OEHV_NUM_B_A__ goal will be to find sponsors. The No. __OEHV_NUM_L_A__ goal, which goes somewhat hand in hand with the first, is to create a good foundation for the national teams. And of course, we want to increase media coverage and awareness.”

“This involves analysing the market and creating a product in order to define what the federation can actually sell and offer companies that also fits their corporate communications. Ultimately, sponsorship is about companies reaching their own target groups. And that is precisely where we need to define which part ice hockey as a whole – the national teams as well as the leagues – can play.”

“Above all, I would like to build several ice rinks straight away, so that as many children and young people as possible can get on the ice in the first place and inspire as many of them as possible to take up ice hockey. We need a strong youth system and, through the youth system and the clubs, a strong national team. One cannot work without the other. One goal must be to offer young players prospects in ice hockey and integrate them into senior teams as early as possible. Reducing the number of import players is an important step in this regard. We must ensure that we do not lose any talent. And as a federation, we must do everything we can here.”

“Our primary goal is to inspire and secure new partners and sponsors for ice hockey, thereby creating the economic conditions required for professional sport. This means holding training camps and sending national teams to tournaments and major events, among other things, beyond the current level. We want to create the conditions that will enable both Roger Bader with the men and Martin Kogler with the women to fully implement their plans for the national teams.”

“It is always about the bigger picture. It is about ice hockey. We want to continue on the path we have taken, and to this end I will implement our strategy in coordination with the Executive Committee. At the same time, we need to further develop the dialogue we have established with the ICE Hockey League. We want to work with the league to achieve our shared goals. A strong national team requires domestic players and talent on the game sheet and on the ice. This requires good youth development. These talents must be brought through to the senior teams and integrated there. At the same time, this creates an identity between fans, partners, sponsors, the club’s own youth players and the club. A win-win situation for both sides. It is about finding a joint solution. In this respect, I also see myself as an interface between the federation, regional associations and clubs.”

Born on 2 February 1976
Place of birth: Klagenfurt
Clubs: KAC, WEV, CEW and Wiener Wölfe
National team: 1990 – 1994 member of the youth national team for the 1976 age group
Qualifications:
Master of Science in Business and Management Skills
Diploma from the WIFI Wien Advertising Academy
Real estate agent and property manager
Professional experience:
2007 – 2012 ORF Enterprise GmbH & Co KG: marketing of sports broadcast slots
2013 – 2022 MediaCom: Head of the “Sport & Entertainment” division