We have tots sessions, foam parties, skating lessons, birthday parties and loads more! The National Ice Centre was given the royal seal of approval by HM the Queen on July 31 2002. This topped off £43 million and seven years of hard work, to turn the dream of the UK’s first centre of excellence in ice sports into reality. Nottingham has a long tradition of ice skating stretching back many years. I
t started way back in 1895 with skating on the frozen River Trent to over 60 years of skating in the old Ice Stadium. But it was the 80’s that really saw the glory days for British skating with Nottingham’s most famous couple Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean dominating the World and Olympic Championships. Their triumphs have inspired a whole new generation of youngsters into taking up ice sports. The Arena Rink was opened on the 1st April 2000 by Jayne Torvill and was followed by the Olympic Rink opening just a year later on 7th April 2001. This made the National Ice Centre the first twin Olympic-sized (60m x30m) ice rink facility in the UK heralding a new era in the development of ice skating. The centre now provides top class facilities and coaching staff for a whole range of ice sports from Free Skating and Ice Dance to Synchronized skating, ice hockey and Short Track Speed Skating. The National Ice Skating Association (NISA) has designated the National Ice Centre as a Centre of Excellence for Short Track Speed Skating and it is home to the Great Britain Short Track Speed Skating squad. The Nottingham Panthers also train here and use our venue for their home games. We have many elite ice skaters training at the NIC and run a successful skating academy. Coaches from the NIC also go out to city schools to teach the kids in-line blading and this programme now attracts hundreds of children. As well as boasting two Olympic sized ice pads the National Ice Centre is home to Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. The arena is the East Midlands hottest concert venue hosting live music and sporting entertainment to audiences of up to 10,000 people.
