"In our club, there are only three or four of our players, apart from the import players and the coach, who can live on their hockey salary alone," HC Sierre's team manager Christophe Fellay tells Le Nouvelliste, adding that the rest has either another job or still lives at home.
HC Sierre pays about CHF 1,7 million in salaries a season. This number includes social security charges. Young players, trying to make the Swiss League, are making at the most CHF 1,200. More established players range from CHF 2,200 to 4,000 in salary (gross pay), though most are between CHF 2,200 and 2,800.
Top players can expect a gross salary of around CHF 6,200. According to Fellay, including the import players, there are about four or five players who have been placed in that income group. However, for the import players, the CHF 6,000 is a net salary. All players can receive a modest bonus by advancing in the playoffs.
Players also have to pay for their own equipment (with the exception of helmets and some T-Shirts). However, depending on their standing within the club, HC Sierre gives them an annual contribution to those costs, ranging from CHF 1,000 to 4,000. This is not enough to cover everything, though.
