Roof of the EVZ arena to be raised at the end of July

Major construction work is underway at the OYM Hall in Zug, with the opening of two restaurants planned for the 2026/27 season. The date for the first EVZ home ice hockey game has now also been set.
 

The expansion of the OYM Hall is a top priority for the Eissportverein Zug (Ice Sports Club), and CEO Patrick Lengwiler is closely involved in the project: at a press conference including a tour of the construction site, he didn't mince words, stating: "The OYM Hall must be ready by the 23^rd October, so that the first home game of the 2026/27 ice hockey season can take place there." The season begins on 15th September. This means that the EVZ ice hockey club will play all of its opening games away from home at the start – and, in return, will later play several consecutive home games.

The Iten specialist company from Morgarten is making a significant contribution to the success of the stadium expansion. They are ensuring that the roof of the Zug ice stadium can be raised by five metres, as planned, and this challenging work is scheduled to begin at the end of July. The company from the Ägeri Valley has already started the preparatory work: they have extensive experience in this sensitive construction environment.

The lifting specialists cannot yet proceed with their work, as the opening ceremony of the National Summer Games will take place in the OYM Hall on the 28th May. The largest sporting event in Switzerland for people with intellectual disabilities runs until 31st May.

320 seats in the premium segment
The actual countdown to the expansion of the OYM Hall begins on the 1st June. Raising the roof will allow the construction of a third tier of stands on the side facing the football stadium. As Patrick Lengwiler explained to the press, access to these new seats will be very steep.

The new "Herti Club," a premium offering with 320 seats, will also be created here. According to Patrick Lengwiler, this club will not compete with the existing donor and sponsor associations. The individual users will enjoy amenities comparable to those in the VIP boxes.

This offering will be available from the 2027/28 season, but it remains unclear how much revenue it is expected to generate for the EVZ. When asked, the CEO declined to comment on the ticket price for this category.

We can do it! CEO Patrick Lengwiler leads a tour of the construction site
The first game in Zug is scheduled for 23rd October.
The roof on the north side will be raised this summer
New restaurants will be built on the south side by autumn
Patrick Lengwiler shows a presentation of the new fan shop      Photos: Boris Bürgisser

Further gastronomic options are planned for the north side of the OYM Hall, where a restaurant will be given the historically significant name "Pögg." The original establishment with this name disappeared with the demolition of the Herti stadium in 2010.

The sports bar is now located on the ground floor
The two restaurants on the south side, facing the Arenaplatz, are scheduled to open at the start of the upcoming season, coinciding with the first home game at the end of October. The "Tugium" (Latin for Zug) will occupy the space formerly occupied by "67." Former EVZ player and photographer René Schädler is responsible for the interior design of the restaurant, which will feature photographs.

As EVZ CEO Patrick Lengwiler explained, the newly created "67" ground-floor sports bar will showcase events that occurred in EVZ's founding year of 1967. At that time, the second-division team EVZ defeated top clubs Arosa and Bern in the opening tournament of the Kunsteisbahn Zug (Zug artificial ice rink). The EVZ fan shop, which is now part of the OYM Hall, is also slated to open at the end of October. In order to prevent any potential delays, the construction company has obtained permission to work until midnight if necessary.

No ice can be prepared in the stadium during the construction work in late summer,. According to Patrick Lengwiler, this will only be possible "once the arena roof is watertight." The EVZ construction manager thereby does not expect ice to be available before October. Until then, several teams will primarily train at the Leistungszentrum OYM (OYM performance centre) in Cham. Ice will also still be available in the training rink.

The allocation date for stadium seats is still open.
The expansion work should be completed in the autumn of 2027, and will cost approximately CHF 60 million. This sum corresponds to the original construction cost of the Bossard Arena, as the stadium was previously known, which opened in 2010. The timing is unintentionally perfect: the EVZ will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2027. The Zug ice stadium is then expected to have a capacity of 9,000 spectators.

It’s still unclear when the allocation of seats will begin, and the EVZ is proceeding step by step. The initial focus is on the process of raising the arena roof.