Blackburn Arena is an Olympic-size ice arena in Blackburn, England. It is the home of Blackburn Hawks and Blackburn Eagles ice hockey clubs. The arena, which was opened in April 1991 by Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill, holds 3,200 people and has an ice pad of 60 by 30 metres (197 by 98 ft).[1][2] The arena was built to coincide with Manchester’s 1996 Summer Olympic bid, with the possibility of boxing contests being held there.[citation needed] It was refurbished in 2005. It is currently operated by Planet Ice.
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  Blackburn Arena Location in Blackburn Town Centre | |
| Location | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°44′34″N 2°28′50″W / 53.74278°N 2.48056°W |
| Operator | Planet Ice |
| Type | Ice Arena |
| Capacity | 3,200 |
| Field size | 60 × 30 m (197 × 98 ft) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1989 |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Renovated | 2005 |
| Tenants | |
| 1991– 2012– 2007–2012 | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The arena was originally owned by Blackburn Council before being sold to the Peel Group. It was subsequently sold to the Silver Blades in December 2015.[3]
WCW (World Championship Wrestling) held a tour event at the arena in October 1993, as did the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) the following year, and rock band Status Quo held the only concert to date there in November 1994 as part of their Thirsty Work world tour.[4]
An independent junior development scheme for ice hockey is based at the arena, with teams for under 10s, under 12s, under 14s, under 16s and under 18s. These teams all go under the name of Blackburn Hawks Academy.
The arena is open seven days a week for public ice skating sessions, and includes a café and hockey shop.
References
edit- ^ "NOSTALGIA: Blackburn Arena taking shape in 1990". www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Olympic champions Torvill and Dean officially opened Blackburn Ice Arena, April 1991". newsprints.co.uk. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Boost for skating after Blackburn Ice Arena sold to large firm". www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Major changes in Blackburn as work building Ice Arena began". www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
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