New Rink

[kettdevil1]

...Who decides how big the ice itself is going to be?
Do we want a small pad still (to help keep our home winning form alive?) or do we want a bigger setup so we don't struggle out on bigger rinks?
Does it even matter much?

That is a really good question...

Personally I like the fact that we have a smaller rink - I always think it produces more excitement and better games. It also means that away teams traditionally struggle to adapt to the smaller pad. Conversely we do tend to struggle away although as almost all teams now play on Olympic sized pads we at least have more chance to get some practice in.

 

[Jones72]

...Who decides how big the ice itself is going to be?
Do we want a small pad still (to help keep our home winning form alive?) or do we want a bigger setup so we don't struggle out on bigger rinks?
Does it even matter much?

That is a really good question...

Personally I like the fact that we have a smaller rink - I always think it produces more excitement and better games. It also means that away teams traditionally struggle to adapt to the smaller pad. Conversely we do tend to struggle away although as almost all teams now play on Olympic sized pads we at least have more chance to get some practice in.

Well if it's going to have two ice pads then why not have both? We can decide which pad we play on depending on who's in town!

 

[osh]

I'm surprised this hasn't got its own thread by now (perhaps it's because we've had so many false dawns)

However, Shannon said on the real sports phone in that Matt Burge has been awarded the build for the new ice rink. They are looking at a couple of options with the council which includes a twin pad. They're looking to get it built in the next two years. It will be at the sports village.

This seems the most positive news we've heard so far regarding the Devils' new home.

Any thougts on this?

What is more surprising is the fact that the club have not covered this item on the website ( apologies if I,ve missed it ).

We are speculating about rink size, twin pads etc, but it's the club who should put out the news officially and intimate their plans and time scale for possible start and completion dates etc. It's a huge PR opportunity that seems to have been missed, other than Shannon mentioning it on a radio phone in show.

 

[Gingers Husband]

Going back to an earlier post, in fact the Sports Village could be seen to have 4 sports facilities either already in place or in the process of being built...Swimming, the Arena, the Canoe thing...and the Marina.

5 if you count the chav motorsports mentioned.

Actually, I'm sure I've seen people jogging along the waterside path as well...6 sporting groups catered for...maybe we should push for re-designation to "Sports Town" ("City" would be pushing the definition a bit).

There are metal posts outside the rink to lock bikes to, so cycling is looked after. Plus Morrisons staff room has a dartboard. Bloody sports everywhere when what it's really crying out for is a Hooters.

 

[Merthyr Devil]

...Who decides how big the ice itself is going to be?
Do we want a small pad still (to help keep our home winning form alive?) or do we want a bigger setup so we don't struggle out on bigger rinks?
Does it even matter much?

That is a really good question...

Personally I like the fact that we have a smaller rink - I always think it produces more excitement and better games. It also means that away teams traditionally struggle to adapt to the smaller pad. Conversely we do tend to struggle away although as almost all teams now play on Olympic sized pads we at least have more chance to get some practice in.

We have a chance to build a proper ice rink here, so why would we keep a small ice pad in a league where everyone has bigger than us? If we can only win on a small pad we're aiming for winning 50% of our games! If we get an ice pad the size of all the other teams we should be able to compete home and away.

 

[Kipper]

Going back to an earlier post, in fact the Sports Village could be seen to have 4 sports facilities either already in place or in the process of being built...Swimming, the Arena, the Canoe thing...and the Marina.

5 if you count the chav motorsports mentioned.

Actually, I'm sure I've seen people jogging along the waterside path as well...6 sporting groups catered for...maybe we should push for re-designation to "Sports Town" ("City" would be pushing the definition a bit).

There are metal posts outside the rink to lock bikes to, so cycling is looked after. Plus Morrisons staff room has a dartboard. Bloody sports everywhere when what it's really crying out for is a Hooters.

GH, you are a genius. If only they had you in charge of London2012 :lol:

 

[Scott]

I think the small rink gives a better atmosphere, also more collisions. But in terms of becoming a successful club maybe a bigger rink would be better as we struggle away from home. Or why have both, we play on the small, but have a nice big one to practise on lol

I don't really mind to be honest, as long as it's tidier than the the tent!

Also, what about seat numbers? In my opinion, we need room for expansion, but we don't want it to be half empty. I'd say about 3500 or something would be good, that way the club could do deals like 'kids go free' every now and again to get more people hooked.