Bradford Ice Rink (Bradford Ice Arena) can be found in the centre of Bradford. The rink is one of the oldest in the UK, opening in 1966. It needs some updating, but the staff are friendly, and prices are lower than at many UK rinks.
Bradford Ice Arena is home to a number of ice hockey teams, including the Bradford Bulldogs of the NIHL North 2 league. It is just one of 41 ice rinks in the UK that are home to competitive ice hockey teams.
Information For Bradford Ice Rink
Bradford Ice Rink Parking
The best Bradford Ice Arena parking is at Sharpe Street Car Park, around 200m from the rink. It is a public car park, and charges apply seven days a week (apart from Bank Holidays). However, from 6 pm onwards you will pay just £1.
If Sharpe Street Car Park is full, Wilton Street Car Park is also close to the arena.
Bradford Bulldogs Ice Hockey Team
Bradford Bulldogs is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s NIHL 2 North (Laidler) division. The team is based at Bradford 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 Bradford 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. We would rank the temperature of the Bradford Ice Rink as very cold compared to other rinks in the UK.
Bradford Ice Rink Seating
Bradford Ice Rink is not the greatest rink to watch a hockey game. Some seating is at ice level, and some are above the arena, mainly near the bar area. However, we struggled to find a seat with a good view of the ice.
8 Best Ice Rink Activities To Do At Bradford Ice Rink
Watching an ice hockey game is just one of many things to do at Bradford 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
- Speed skating
- Synchronized Ice Skating
- Ice skating birthday parties
