Spectator record for women's ice hockey: a signal for visibility
4,997 spectators watched the ZSC Lions Women’s championship game against EV Zug at the arena—a new league record in the PostFinance Women’s League. The event, organized by EqualVoice, Blick, and the ZSC Lions, sent a strong message about visibility and recognition in women’s sports.
Zurich's women's ice hockey scene set a historic mark on Saturday, January 24: The ZSC Lions women's championship game against EV Zug was watched by 4997 spectators in the arena. This set a new league record in the PostFinance Women's League - and was a milestone for women's ice hockey in Switzerland and for Zurich in particular.
3920 tickets had already been sold in advance. The previous record of 4136 spectators came from the playoff semi-final between EV Zug and HC Davos Ladies on March 15, 2025. Prior to that, HC Fribourg-Gottéron Ladies had held the record with 3037 spectators.
Common signal for visibility
The record-breaking match was embedded in a joint event organized by EqualVoice, Blick and the ZSC Lions with the aim of combining top sporting performance with the overarching issue of visibility, role models and sustainable structures in women's sport. The focus was on several EqualVoice panel discussions.
Nora Wieloch (Senior Physician Sports Medicine Balgrist University Hospital), Andreas Badertscher (Medical Advisor GCK Lions), Monika Waidacher (Head Women's Teams ZSC Lions), Lea Eberle (CFO Ringier Media Switzerland and COO EqualVoice) and Annabella Bassler (CFO Ringier and Initiator EqualVoice).
More than just a well-attended game
"What we experienced on Saturday is more than just a well-attended game. It is a strong signal of the growing relevance, increasing visibility and social recognition of women's ice hockey in Switzerland," says Annabella Bassler, CFO Ringier and initiator of EqualVoice.
The fact that the league record has now been broken in Zurich is no coincidence, but an expression of a clear development: women's ice hockey is gaining in audience, relevance and appeal. The joint event not only made this dynamic visible, but also demonstrated the potential of this sport - in sporting, social and economic terms. January 24 was therefore not only a record-breaking day, but also a reference point for what is possible when visibility is strategically conceived and consistently implemented.
