Ice hockey referee Veronica Lövensnö, SDHL

News: Spintso Refcom II Pro in SDHL

Starting from the 2025 season, referees in the SDHL – the Swedish Women’s Hockey League – will use Spintso’s communication system Refcom II Pro. Spintso is actively supporting the development of women’s sports and contributes to ensuring that referees have the best possible conditions in their daily work. This means that the league’s referees will have access to a stable, adaptable, and proven system already used in several other elite leagues.

One of the major challenges in the SDHL is that referee team compositions can vary from game to game – sometimes officiating with three referees (one main referee and two linesmen), and sometimes with four (two main referees and two linesmen). The communication requirements therefore vary both from game to game and between the regular season and playoffs. SDHL has chosen to use the same technical solution regardless of whether the game is officiated by three or four referees. This means that in the three-referee setup, the linespersons use a PTT button (Push-To-Talk) to communicate back to the main referee – the same solution as in the four-referee system. However, the system can easily be adjusted if needed, thanks to Spintso’s flexible technical setup.

Currently, PA announcements are not used by referees in the SDHL, for example during penalties, but Refcom II Pro is already prepared for that functionality. Should the league decide to implement this feature in the future, it can be easily added to the existing setup.

– We are very proud to start this collaboration with SDHL. Our goal has always been to make referees’ work easier through technology that is simple, stable, and designed for their everyday needs. The fact that Refcom II Pro is now also used in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League shows the strength of the system and our ability to adapt it to the specific requirements of different sports, says Nicklas Östh, CEO of Spintso.

The SDHL management also sees this as a positive step forward:

– We are pleased to be able to offer our referees the best possible working conditions. With Spintso’s Refcom II Pro system, we have a flexible solution that makes it easier to handle the different referee setups in the league. This strengthens both the referees and, in the long run, the overall game experience in the SDHL, says Angelica Lindeberg, CEO, Swedish Women’s Hockey League.

David Bergman, Referee in Chief at the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, adds:

– With Spintso Refcom II Pro, we gain opportunities to further develop the referee operations in our top women’s league. The system will help referees get into even better positions and provide them with the conditions to make even better decisions, while the communication allows them to cover the ice more effectively as the game evolves. An incredibly good tool that will benefit both the referees and the product in the long run.

See product: Refcom II Pro