Billingham Ice Rink (known as Billingham Forum Ice Arena) is based in the centre of Billingham, just 5 minutes off the A19. It is an older rink, originally built in 1967. However, it underwent a major refurbishment between 2009 and 2011.
The Billingham ice rink is home to several ice hockey teams, including the Billingham Stars of the NIHL 1 North League and the Billingham Buccaneers of the NIHL 2 North League. It is just one of 41 ice rinks in the UK that are home to competitive ice hockey teams.
Information For Billingham Forum Ice Arena
Billingham Ice Rink Parking
Billingham ice rink parking is free; there are around 115 spaces at the side of the building. In addition, the following car parks in the area are reported to be free.
- Forum House Car Park
- Kingsway East Car Park
- Kingsway West 2 Storey Car Park
- Rothbury Street Car Park
Billingham Stars Ice Hockey Team
Billingham Stars is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s NIHL 1 North (Moralee) division. The team is based at Billingham Forum Ice Arena.
The amateur NIHL 1 league is the third-highest in the UK, behind the EIHL and NIHL National leagues. Nine teams compete in the northern division (see below), and eight teams compete in the southern division.
NIHL 1 North (Moralee) Teams
| Billingham Stars | Sheffield Scimitars |
| Blackburn Hawks | Solihull Barons |
| Deeside Dragons | Whitley Warriors |
| Hull Jets | Widness Wild |
| Nottingham Lions |
The teams charge for entry for games, generally £5-£10 for a non-concessionary adult and reduced rates for children and OAPs.
NIHL 1 North teams compete for the regular season, playoff and national titles, and the Moralee and Challenge cups. The regular season runs from September to late March, and the season concludes in mid-April with a final between the northern and southern playoff champions.
Billingham Buccaneers Ice Hockey Team
Billingham Buccaneers is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s NIHL 2 North (Laidler) division. The team is based at Billingham Forum Ice Arena.
The amateur NIHL 2 league is the fourth-highest in the UK, behind the EIHL, NIHL National and NIHL 1 leagues. Nine teams compete in the northern division (see below), and thirteen teams compete in the southern division.
NIHL 2 North (Laidler) Teams
| Altrincham Aces | Nottingham Lions 2 |
| Billingham Buccanneers | Sheffield Titans |
| Bradford Bulldogs | Sutton Sting |
| Coventry NIHL Blaze | Telford Tigers 2 |
| Kingston Sharks |
The teams charge for entry to games, generally £5-£10 for a non-concessionary adult and reduced rates for children and OAPs.
NIHL 2 North teams compete for the regular season and playoff titles and for the Laidler Cup. The regular season runs from September to late March, and the season concludes in early April with a playoff weekend for the semi-final and final games.
How Cold Is Billingham Ice Rink?
If you haven’t been to a hockey game before, you need to know that ice rinks are cold places (not a surprise!). And the closer you are to the ice, the colder you will be.
Also, hockey rinks in the UK aren’t heated, so temperatures in the arena drop in line with outside temperatures. Compared to other UK rinks, we would rank the Billingham ice rink as colder than average.
Billingham Ice Rink Seating
Billingham Forum Ice Arena has around 650 seats. The seats are raised and run along one side of the rink and generally give a good view.
8 Best Ice Rink Activities To Do At Billingham Ice Rink
Watching an ice hockey game is just one of many things to do at Billingham Ice Rink. There is a wide range of ice rink activities on offer, including:
- Public ice skating sessions
- Ice skating lessons
- Ice hockey lessons
- Join a recreational ice hockey team.
- Ice dancing or figure skating
- Ice skating birthday parties
- Try an ice disco with music, a DJ and disco lights.
- Wheelchair ice skating / disabled ice skating
