A few have asked what I mean by flaws; I feel the whole design is wrong. I get the majority of people in this forum are happy with the view from their seat but is that enough? I don’t think so.
I use the rink for two reasons, as a Devils fan and also as a manager and player of a military team, so I’ll talk about it from that sort of users perspective. It’s not our home rink, we don’t work like that but we tend to have a camp per year at the facility (mostly because the team like a night out in Cardiff). Almost all of our first team players are NIHL1/2 or SNL so have obviously been to a number of rinks. The general consensus on Cardiff is that it’s just alright if the ice availability is there, now the second pad is not used the ice availability is worse than the BBT days. The second pad (when operational) is shite and no one wants to use it, it’s way too small and the ice is crap from public skating. If there is no ice on the main pad available we look elsewhere. The fact it’s shut down proves it’s pretty much redundant and can’t justify costs - that whole pad is completely pointless and a white elephant. The changing rooms are also ridiculously small. You can fit around 7 players in it. Those changing rooms are used for both pads so it’s an issue for both. There is only really one good changing room to be used.
I get IAW looks pretty, shiny and new if your interaction is limited to watching the Devils but for everyone else it’s very, very average at best. Its usability is so limited. We would’ve been better off with a single pad and putting all energy and thought into making a really good single pad rather than a show pony of a twin pad rink. We might’ve been able to have a capacity that has an option for growth, bench sizes that conform to IIHF standards that aren’t bloody annoying to use, changing rooms without pillars, the catering is terrible, shop too small, the list could go on.
IAW doesn’t know what it wanted to be. We wanted something like Ice Sheffield but bigger. Ice Sheffield, whilst much smaller in capacity is immeasurably better. It’s in constant demand and has successfully managed to operate two pads for a number of years.
I know Wannabe and people associated with SORAC take offence to criticism of IAW but the reality is that a lot of money was wasted on it through badly thought out design and ideas. Hockey people (who have played the game) didn’t build or design that rink and it shows.
I’ll hear the it’s better than nothing, better than the BBT etc etc, but the long term viability of the rink is in the balance because it has not proved to be a success as a facility.