Your Ideal Rink

Thread starter #1
The plans for the new arena are submitted to committee for approval this month. See here - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2931&start=150

We know it will have roughly 2500 seats and probably 500 standing.

Within this criteria I thought it would be fun to have a thread dedicated to your own ideal rink.

I'll get us started :D

I don't have a huge amount of detail in mine, but do have a couple of major requests! :D

1. Get the seating starting by the boards. It means the crowd are closer to the action and will prevent any balls ups with sight lines. It also means we can have a proper concourse for toilets and food (and room to move) and no stairs in the way at the front.

2. Make it a horseshoe shape please.....and have proper terracing down the one end behind the goal!

Having been out to Prague in the last month and watched a Sparta game (in what is an amazing old hockey rink) I'm convinced we must have a proper terracing section behind one of the goals. The Tesla arena has terracing at both ends and the atmosphere is amazing - and it's down to the fans in the terreced section.

I'm sure the football and rugby fans on here would agree what a difference terracing makes to an atmosphere. If we did - a visit to Cardiff would undoubtedly be the most intimidating of any arena in the eihl.

3. The corporate stuff is obviously key - most of which could then be housed above the terracing (a bit like the WNIR)

Not a great pic, but you get the idea (Tesla arena, Prague) - http://static.eventful.com/images/edpbo ... 881-8.jpeg

Terracing at the Vaillant arena in Davos http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _Davos.JPG

Over to you........
 

steve

Active Member
#2
That Davos rink looks awesome. Someone should have shown that to CCC to show what kind of buildings can house rinks - could have been a centre pience for the bay!

I have to say i think we'll end up with a skydome markII - which wouldn't bother me so much if i thought they would maitain it properly. :(

Terracing is always good fun - my worry is not enough of us get involved in the banter as it is, so we wouldn't make the most of it. At WNIR the people who made best use of the tarrace end were Blaze fans!
 
Thread starter #3
Great point about having an iconic design to really take the spots village to the level it should be. I worry that the new rink (if it's as mediocre as most of us expect) will look totally out of place compared to the other stuctures down there in year's to come.

I agree we could do with more people getting involved with the banter now, but I think the terracing would help that rather than highlight current failings.

Just to clarify (noticed this when reading back my original post) - I want a horseshoe shape for seating to allow for terracing at the end without seating.
 
#4
It should be as small as possible, made out of blue plastic sheeting, have poor sight lines and have no working hand driers in the toilets... hold on. :eek:

Should we have a twin pad rink? Would be nice but i suppose someone with access to a calculator needs to decide something like that. An iconic building that can get people interested an inspired would be great. Nothing too nuts but the swimming pool is pretty nice looking so they're going to have to put a bit of effort in.

I love the idea of terracing. I'd never have thought of that, but it would be a great idea. (add cup holders!) Sight lines would be a big issue for me. I don't like that there's few seats where you can see ALL the ice. I suppose most of the sight-line issues will be sorted simply by having stairs that go down through the seats (like most places) rather than down the front.

How come a horse-shoe shape? I'd have thought it would be idea to have seating all the way round. :?:

It would be great to have a 'Devils' bar overlooking the ice, and also have it showing NHL games in the week.

PLEASE: can it not be a giant corrugated shed!
The minute it starts to look like one of those flimsy, grey, 'chuck up in a week' warehouses from the outskirts of some post-industrial midlands grot hole I'm chaining myself to a digger. The new City stadium (aka, ToyTown) only narrowly avoids fitting into this category IMO.

Oh, also, after a nightmare parking last night it will have lots of parking... or a shuttle bus from town/City Stadium parking on match nights.
 
Thread starter #5
Mark666 said:
It should be as small as possible, made out of blue plastic sheeting, have poor sight lines and have no working hand driers in the toilets... hold on. :eek:

How come a horse-shoe shape? I'd have thought it would be idea to have seating all the way round. :?:

It would be great to have a 'Devils' bar overlooking the ice, and also have it showing NHL games in the week.
Great points Mark and thanks for you input. I was thinking we'd have to have a horse-shoe in terms of seating to accomadate the terracing - but it would be a full bowl including the terracing (not like the skydome where it's just a wall)

I'd like a proper terracing section, not the token terracing we had at the wnir.

A bar and corporate area with few rows of seating above the terracing would be great!
 

wildthing74

Well-Known Member
#6
For me the bar and cafe are a must.I'm not a big drinker and also take my family so getting lagered up is not my priority.
Many great friendships were formed over the years in the old rink bar as it was a chance for fans and players alike to get together after the game and have a jar or 2 discussing the nights entertainment.Since the move dow the bay everybody seems to bugger off home as lets be honest there's not really much to keep people hanging around after.
As been said I really hope we get seats up to the boards and decent sightlines.It's much more comfortable going to many of the away rinks/arenas and being able to move around the concourse freely during breaks etc.
 
#7
Thanks.

That makes sense now re: the horse shoe. A stand and a bar would greatly improve the social side of the game. I currently have no desire to 'hang around' in the bar area at period breaks as its just too packed in there. A separate food and cafe bit and then a sports bar area for grown ups to enjoy their 'thinking juice' between periods.

And its a good point about the concourse making it easier to walk round too. And would give everything more space.

The only thing is struggle with is the sides of the ice. I love the option to stand and that some people have their spots on the plexi and whenever I've caught action from the glass its a whole different experience and offers a closeness to the action few sports can (its like watching a car race from the passenger seat!). But having seating right down to ice level (like most NHL pads and the NIC) would guarantee everyone an uninterrupted view. I don't know... I suppose the terracing would go right to the ice so there would still be that option at one end.

Also I'd have somewhere a bit sheltered to store peoples bikes. Its not a massive feature but these days companies like to tick the 'Green' box and cycling down that way is pretty easy. There's lots of cycle lanes and the new bridge to Penarth.
 

E.D.S.

Well-Known Member
#8
The concourse style would be an absolute dream, as would the board level seating but I fear that the concourse set up takes up more room than the old WNIR/Coventry style but then again if they've cut back on the investment in the so called "Sports Village" may be they've got room to spare. Who know's, we may even get two ice pads.........I can dream!
Agree....a good bar area, cafe and a decent facility to host the corporate guests would also be great. It's about time the Devils had a building that compliments the professional attitude and aspirations of the owners as well as a top class facility for Wales' most successful sports team. If Glamorgan can gain support to build up their ground to host an international game once every couple of years whilst accomodating the 500 fans (total guess and being sarcastic) they normally get at each game (not including 20:20) then there is no reason why the Devils should miss out!
 
#9
I have the following simple requests:

1) Full bowl seating - for me it kills the atmosphere with one end being completely empty. I wouldn't mind a horseshoe shape if there was some sort of terracing (it's better than just having a wall!).

2) Seating to the boards - this, in my eyes, is essential. As mentioned above this would allow for great sight lines (I don't think anyone wants a repeat of this rink's sight line issues) as well as a proper concourse. It would make the place feel/look like a small arena as opposed to a rink.

3) Bar - This needs to overlook the ice and be preferably above a section of seating (this would be ideal for entertaining 'guests' as they and the Devils management could freely move between the seating and the bar).

Three things that I imagine are quite simple and inexpensive to implement. I bet none of them get incorporated into the designs though!
 

James

Administrator
#10
you don't have to have seating down to the plexi for good sight-lines. Cov has good visibility, as does edinburgh as does Basingstokes away block none of which go down to the plexi.
James (who stands and would like to continue so thank you :) )
 

DevilDom

Well-Known Member
#11
Can I just ask when we should be able to see plans?

- I think the idea of decent bar overlooking the rink is excellent, but why not go a stage further and have a themed resturant as well? That would be great for corporate entertaining and good for fans with something to celebrate or just wanting a whole evening of the hockey experience! A bar where you can get a drink in a glass would also be nice.

- Totally agree with the comments on the sight lines and the seating, although i'm not so sure about the idea of terracing. I think that would give too much of a football ground feel and atmosphere. Personnally I'd like to see all round seating which is tight to the boards and gives a feel of a small arena, but adds to the intimidation factor. Can't see how this will happen though with 500 standing spaces, so i'm expecting something more like the skydome :cry:

- Toilets that don't stink the whole rink out either must be definite. :roll:

I thought the new rink was supposed to be built by February 2012. It's leaving it a bit fine as nothing has started yet!
 
#12
I'm really hoping for a proper arena - seats all the way around and right down to the plexi, a decent sized concourse. Basically what everybody else has said!

It would be nice to have a special area for the Sky cameras so we don't have to lose 2 blocks when they're here.

I'd also like a proper scoreboard, with huge, awesome quality screens (like in madison square garden).

Also, hopefully some good acoustics in the place!

Doubt we're gunna get any of this with Planet Ice :x
 

Gazza272

Well-Known Member
#13
Just dont do it on the cheap planet ice PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!


I've just got a horrible feeling this rink is going to break my heart to see us playing in it after the wait and work so many put in to get it built. And thats the one thing I want from this and anyone from Planet Ice please listen to this very carefully.

There has been years and years of false dawns and broken promises to us from both management of our own club, yourselves and the council. There have been people who have put the hours of a full time job to ensure the Devils and the skating of community of Cardiff had something to call home and continue their work. We were given a sub standard facility the first time, which was a big enough slap in the face to begin with, but then to see there being absoloutly no investment into it just saddened me further.


If there is an ounce of respect in the Planet ice organisation for what they have been granted then it will be evident in the final build. The Cardiff Devils have given a hell of a lot to the City of Cardiff in our almost 25 years and people who continue to watch week in week out have given a hell of a lot to the Devils, the Juniors, the figure skating and even through public recreational skating. Everyone one of us to a man deserves a home we can be proud of, that we can hold up to the rest of British hockey and say this is how it should be.

We deserve better than a cleaner version of the Skydome to be frank. Planet ice have this one big chance to change my whole opinion of them. Let's see if they can do it.
 
Thread starter #14
James said:
you don't have to have seating down to the plexi for good sight-lines. Cov has good visibility, as does edinburgh as does Basingstokes away block none of which go down to the plexi.
James (who stands and would like to continue so thank you :) )
Ha! That's why I'm giving you an entire terracing section to chose from in my 'design' :D

On the note of a 'football' atmosphere. I think we could benefit from the more continuous noise levels you get with football crowds (as was the case in Prague)

In terms of the less pleasent elements that's largely down to how the fans police themselves and I'm confident Devils fans would keep the same standards on swearing etc that we have now.

They have terracing in other sports and the atmosphere still differs to football.

As you can see I'm a little against going to down the 'let's copy north america' route with a full bowl of plush seating. (by all means have large elements of that) I really think we should be looking a little closer to home and work to keep the intimidation factor you get at a Devils game :D
 

Ocko

Well-Known Member
#15
For me the idea of having only 2500 is a complete backwards step which signals a lack of intent.

Although a rink of 2500 is more than adequate at the moment, is this where we want to be in future? We are always complaining about the 'arena' teams having bigger budgets, better facilities, hosting tournaments and often attracting better players. I don’t want Cardiff to be any different. Whilst I appreciate the fact that we are someway off playing in front of a packed arena I think with the 'new rink effect' ala Cardiff City and their new stadium, will attract new fans just out of curiosity of the new home. In my opinion we need to be looking at something like Braehead, around the 4000 - 4500 mark with a possibility of some standing. I would hate for us to be playing in a morgue like Sheffield but I don’t think 4000 will be like that - getting crowds of 4000 shouldn’t be out of our reach in a longer term plan.

A full bowl with a concourse underneath would be perfect in my mind with a bar over one end of the rink at the top of the seating overlooking the rink. This is essential for corporate and hospitality. Also it would be great to have a 4 sided clock back - is a TV screen on each side too much to ask for?

Seating to the boards is also essential for me. We need to embrace a bit of change and go to the future. It appears we seem to be happy with what was good years ago. All modern rinks have this style; we need to be looking at making the rink attractive to new fans. A rink that is squarish and a horseshoe is not appealing to a new fan that has seen decent rinks on the TV.

Also, some decent food. I use the term decent loosely however. At the moment there is an appalling menu. Admittedly the food in the old rink was far from a Michelin Star restaurant however at least there were the options of fries, burgers, popcorn etc.
 

Koop11

Well-Known Member
#16
The design that the Devils bid was modelling its proposal was perfect. I recall the rink being in France.

I would like to see a design that has a capacity of 3000 people (whether that 3000 bowl or 2500 seating and 500 standing), walk ways at the back of the seating area, great sight lines, hospitality all around the rink, a broadcasting area where a camera can film good quality hockey and the DJ/game announcer can do his thing, a big bar over seeing the ice, a suitable area for setting up stands for club merchandise and plenty of toilets and places to purchase food and drink. Also, decent sized changing rooms for the rink users.

I would love PI to prove me wrong but I cannot help feel the rink will look the nuts on the outside to suit the profile of the ISV but inside will be a gloried Skydome. This is a massive opportunity for the City of Cardiff to add to its already impressive sporting facilities. I fear though that the council have accepted a back hander from an organisation that has a history of not investing into its facilities and rink users will be left with a substandard facility which will be home for the long future. I invite PI to prove us all wrong but the sad fact is they don’t give e rats backside what the user want. They are all about profit. Build a cheap rink and charge the world for using it.
 
#17
I've only been to a few rinks, but based on those:

1 - seats with access from behind not from the front. 2 advantages the first being a good view, the second not having bloody kids running past throughout the game.
2 - edible food. The hot dogs are mediocre at best. Pasties are so nasty they are actually inedible.
3 - nice bar with view of game, plus hospitality boxes on same level. I am sure these would sell quite well for corporate nights out.
4 - car park where you do not risk either drowning in a pot hole or spraining an ankle.
5 - frozen ice that goes over the board line.
6 - enough toilets. After the game the toilets on the one side are shut, and the queue for the ladies is not good.

I'm easily pleased. Just want the basic customer needs fulfilled. The rest is a bonus.
 
#19
I think long term we need to be looking at 4000-4500 capacity, seats to the plexi glass some areas kept aside for those who like to stand, dual pad.
Ample amounts of Parking, better food, better video equipment / cameras and more operators for the high lights and match night DVD and Devils TV to show live games.
Devils bar, café and shop that is open beyond match nights with a lounge, were fans can watch classic matches on "the big screen", may be Giants/Blaze/Capitals TV on away games.
multi channel closed commentary system. (think silent disco) channel one, Brents commentary, channel two aimed at new fans, explaining calls/rules as and when the apply. This multi channel commentary could also be used on match night DVDs and may booster sales of them

some quick stats
Rink capacity at the big blue tent is reported as 2313 and average attendance was 1432.
Last year the giants/steelers/panthers average attendance was 3636 between them.
http://www.sportingintelligence.com/201 ... t-cricket/

So far this year the average attendance for the Devils has been 1596 or 69% of capacity up 7% on the average for last year
http://www.eliteleague.co.uk/stats/sche ... ome_away=h

Highest attendance has been 1856 or 80% (this was Sundays game against the Steelers)
http://www.eliteleague.co.uk/stats/text ... ame_id=577
 

voth26

Well-Known Member
#20
A rink with good sight lines, decent food at a reasonable price!! why not put a standing area at one end eg seats to the board 3/4 way round then 500 spaces for standing that way people can sit with out having their view blocked by people who want to stand. stairs down the aisles would be good we can only wish it will happen as we want i,ll get my coat :lol:
 
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