A new ice rink development for Tyneside was announced on Sunday 24th August which could see a 3,000 seater arena built on land adjacent to Gateshead International Stadium.

The proposed 7 acre development would offer a range of new sporting facilities to complement the existing International Stadium, Indoor Athletics Hall, sports academy and English Institute of Sport Performance Centre.

The centrepiece of the new development would be a new ice arena catering for public skating, ice hockey and other ice events, with expressions of interest from potential developers and operators currently being sought. by Gateshead Council.

The announcement was made on as part of the Olympic ‘Fly The Flag’ ceremony, where the Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor Maureen Chaplin was joined by two young athletes from Gateshead Harriers to raise Gateshead’s Olympic Flag. The ceremony coincided with the handover of the Olympic Flag to the Mayor of London as part of the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Announcing the start of Gateshead’s search for a developer, Councillor David Napier, Cabinet member for Culture, said:

“Gateshead International Stadium is already a world-famous athletics venue, and its reputation as a major training facility is growing. Our aim now is to capitalise on what we already have here by developing something really special.”

The County Durham Ice Foundation fully supports these plans to bring a new facility to the North East, and we hope that we will be in a position in the near future to be able to compliment this development with a second new ice rink in the region for the people of County Durham.