The National Ice Centre houses two Nottingham ice rinks in the city centre. Both rinks are Olympic-sized, and the facility is a centre of excellence for a number of ice sports.
Motorpoint Arena is a multi-purpose arena and home to the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The arena is one of the largest and most comfortable in the UK and has excellent food options.
The second Nottingham ice rink is often referred to as the National Ice Centre rink. It also has an Olympic-sized ice surface, but seating here is limited. This rink is home to the Nottingham Lions and Nottingham Lions 2 ice hockey teams.
The National Ice Centre is just one of 41 ice facilities in the UK that are home to competitive ice hockey teams.
Information For Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
Nottingham Ice Rink Parking
Nottingham Ice Rink’s city centre location means numerous parking options, although most come at some cost.
Our personal preference is for Nottingham Station Car Park off Queen’s Road. It is clean, with good lighting, plenty of security cameras and we haven’t ever had a problem finding a space there.
Prices are very reasonable. If you arrive after 6 pm, it will cost you £3, or it is £5 for the whole day at the weekend. It will take you 10-15 minutes to walk to the arena.
If you would prefer somewhere closer to the arena and don’t mind paying a little more, Lace Market Car Park is another option. This car park is off Pilcher Gate and around a 5-minute walk from the rink.
It is also more central if you want to spend time at the shops or bars/restaurants. The regular rate at Lace Market for 4 hours is £7.10, but you will only pay £5.50 if you arrive between 3 pm and 5 pm and leave within 5 hours. If you arrive after 5 p.m. and need to stay for more than 4 hours, your charge will be capped at £8.50.
Sundays are £6.50 for the day.
For anyone who doesn’t want to battle the traffic (and Nottingham’s one-way city centre streets!), there are park-and-ride options. For example, you can park free at Phoenix Park and get a tram to Lace Market. A group day pass for up to two adults and three children will cost you £8.
I have also heard people suggest parking at Lidl’s on Carlton Road. It’s around a 15-minute walk to the rink, and apparently, parking is free.
Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey Team
The Nottingham Panthers is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). The team is based at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham.
The EIHL is the highest-level professional league in the UK, with 10 teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) Teams
| Belfast Giants | Glasgow Clan |
| Cardiff Devils | Guildford Flames |
| Coventry Blaze | Manchester Storm |
| Dundee Stars | Nottingham Panthers |
| Fife Flyers | Sheffield Steelers |
The season runs from September to March/April, and the teams will play two (sometimes three) games a week, one home and one away. The most common days for games are Saturday and Sunday, but the team will play some on Fridays or mid-week.
These games include those played in the league and for the Challenge Cup. Most of the cup games are played early in the season.
Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey Team Contacts
| Nottingham Panthers | Contacts & Social Media |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.panthers.co.uk |
| info@panthers.co.uk | |
| Phone | 0115-9413103 |
| @thenottinghampanthers | |
| @panthersihc | |
| @thenottinghampanthers | |
| You Tube | TheNottinghamPanthers |
| HOME GAME TICKETS | Buy Tickets |
Nottingham Lions Ice Hockey Team
Nottingham Lions is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s NIHL 1 North (Moralee) division. The team is based at the National Ice Centre Nottingham rink.
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.
Nottingham Lions 2 Ice Hockey Team
Nottingham Lions 2 is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s NIHL 2 North (Laidler) division. The team is also based at the National Ice Centre Nottingham rink.
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 The Motorpoint Arena?
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.
For those with some experience of UK rinks, you will find that the Motorpoint Arena is warmer than most rinks in the country. You probably won’t even need a coat unless you are seated very close to the ice.
How Cold Is The National Ice Centre Rink?
The National Ice Centre’s second rink is significantly colder than Motorpoint Arena and probably one of the coldest in the UK.
This is because the seating runs along the side of the rink, close to the ice surface. If you are planning on watching a game from here, then wrap up warm.
Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Seating Plan & Away Fan Blocks
Nottingham Panthers tickets give you assigned seating (Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Seating Plan), and the away fans are seated in blocks 1 and 2.
Based on our experience, all seats at this arena will give you a good view of the game. However, some people may feel too far away from the action in the upper sections.
You should also note that block 19 is assigned as “noisy” seating, which means the fans will probably be chanting for much of the game and may even have drums. If this isn’t for you, avoid this block and also neighbouring block 18.
National Ice Centre Rink Seating
The National Ice Centre has some limited seating around the edge of the rink. As discussed, these seats are very close to the ice surface, which means that you will need to wrap up.
However, as a spectator, you can normally watch games from the Sub Zero Cafe or Encore Bar and Restaurant.
12 Best Ice Rink Activities To Do At Nottingham Ice Rink
Watching an ice hockey game is just one of many things to do at Nottingham 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.
- Join a women’s ice hockey team.
- Ice dancing or figure skating
- Speed skating
- Synchronized Ice Skating
- Ice skating birthday parties
- Try an ice disco with music, a DJ and disco lights.
- Wheelchair ice skating / disabled ice skating
- Watch an ice show.
