opening an ice skating rink in limerick

jojo4_you

hi everybody from limerick, just need your opinion on this, i m thinking to open the ice skating rink, which will be for the whole year where ye can learn how to skate + ice hockey as well, and other complimentary stuff. Any suggestion that will it work in limerick because there is not really fun places in limerick for kids and for adults at all, any feedback will be appreciated...
Thanks in advance.

Berty

I suppose check this out.

http://www.dundalkicedome.com/

Ask them for a meeting in person in Dundalk to find out all about it. Speak to the Irish sports council for a grant as you could try to get a Limerick Ice Hockey team to use it as well.

Also speak to

Limerick City Council for grants
Limerick Co-ordination office for support
University of Limerick Sports and Science Office for suggestions

Pushtrak

You'll need good security, otherwise it'll get turned to **** fast. Had you anywhere in mind for where you were going to put it?

jojo4_you

thanks a mill ....really useful info..i will try to contact them next week and see how it will goes....wht ya think abt the idea of opening one?

Pushtrak

Well, personally, its not my thing but then I'm a lazy git. I can see there being a demand for it. With one important addendum, of course, Location. Wish I could offer some wisdom in that direction.

itsmine

I don't live in Limerick, so I can't offer a local opinion, but I think it's a good idea. The Christmas rinks seem to be packed out, so there would appear to be good demand out there for skating rinks.

I'm hoping a permanent one opens in Dublin soon, so I won't have to drive to Dundalk!

Berty

Why not? As long as it is a good business prospect financially.

Dundalk is only considered a provincial town, albeit the countries largest and it works for them out in a lonely retail park.

Depending on your background this sounds like a steep learning curve.

jojo4_you

you are rite...it will be my first own business experience thats y dont want to take a big risk but thinking it would be gud profitable business, thats y asking everybody for their opinion

itsmine

Some further thoughts:

You'd need to find some coaches to teach the skating and hockey - might be worth asking around the Eastern European community (as they have much better skating facilities and an interest in the sport from back home).

Presumably utilities (water and electricity to maintain the ice) and insurance are expensive for that kind of facility, so you'd need to check if it's cost prohibitive.

Shop around for pricing on the equipment (chillers, barriers, skates, lockers, goals, sticks etc. etc.). It might even be possible to pick them up secondhand from some of the Christmas rinks around the country?

Ideally your location will have plenty of parking and be easily accessible by public transport, in order to attract the widest audience.

Research pricing and packages (school outings for instance) offered in other rinks in Ireland and the UK when building your cost and price models.

(p.s. Please don't use txtspk in your posts)

Berty

itsmine wrote: »

(p.s. Please don't use txtspk in your posts)

Or when asking the bank manager / agencies for investment.

highlydebased

Provided you dont charge what the rip-off merchants at the Christmas one do, I'll go =D

jojo4_you

i promise it wont be like that but it will be only 10 euros...for sure or even less...

Jumpy

If its a proper full size rink then I am right behind you on this one. Ill probably be the person spending the most time in there. I have missed my sport something shocking since I left Australia.

Jumpy

Pushtrak wrote: »

You'll need good security, otherwise it'll get turned to **** fast. Had you anywhere in mind for where you were going to put it?

I second this, if it gets known as a scummer hangout then your average person wont go.
If you need any ideas (non security related, cant help with that) give me a PM. I have spent most of my youth on skate rinks of some description.

jojo4_you

ill probably need you or your opinion alrite....becuase i do need the trainers and ya i will make sure it will have a good security ...SCUMBAGS....**** OFF....HAHA

tinsop

Definately a great idea once the scum are kept out.We have 7 children and they would love a rink all year round,at reasonable rates.Maybe unlike the rest you might cater for a large family price,most price guides are 2adults 4children at most.It would be great instead of cinema for party treats:D

Mc Love

Would be cool if Limerick had an ice hockey team!

Jumpy

sparkysrovers wrote: »

Would be cool if Limerick had an ice hockey team!

No way helmet heads. Speed skaters all the way.

jojo4_you

look i am a foreigner so all i need is your help in all cases so please help me with this, i emailed county council and irish sporting society for grants ....any other ideas because it worth almost 3-5 million .. i am doing it because i love ice skating , last nite i was in aurthurs quay , which really made me think that ya we do need our own ice skating rink permanent one(i am a tax payer and been here from last 8 years ) and i love limerick more than my home city....

Jumpy

As much as i would like to see one here, the capital required for this would be huge.

Land, Building, Surface, insulation, Zamboni, skates + ongoing maintenance, security, insurance and finding staff who can skate. These would all be hurdles.

Unless you already have it, I cant see any banks or investors lending at this current stage.

jojo4_you

cheers mate...

Limerick Dude

I think its an absolutely brilliant idea and I think that it could be successful as long as the current business plan is carried out. I also think its great that a foreign national such as yourself is coming up with such a great idea.

There is such a huge market for this; school trips, college trips, something for people to do considering Limerick has very few social activities to take part in (which is the same that could be said for Cork and Galway), the idea of creating an ice hockey team only fuels the potential success of this idea.

With regards to scumbags...let them in anyway, money is money and you will need as much business as you can get, especially at the beginning of the business. Just employ a strict policy with regards to rules and ban their asses if they get out of line. Word will soon spread that these kind of people cant ruin it for everyone.

Unfortunately a good idea rarely gets put into practise, i cant imagine any financial institution giving you any backing, especially in this current economic climate.

However, I wish you the best of luck in this venture of yours and hopefully sometime in the future this idea of yours becomes a reality.

jojo4_you

thanks mate for encourging my idea....likewise as u said theres no social activity to do in whole limerick, but i do need a great financial support, if the bank can give the mortgage of 3 or 4 million then why not for the ice skating business, and i think so irish sports council and limerick county council should come forward as well... i am not really worried about the profit but i want to see limerick as a developing city with all mod nd cons including trams, parks, leisure clubs...i wish i can do something for limerick because this city gave me alot...and i do want to give back something to this beautiful city.

Limerick Dude

jojo4_you wrote: »

thanks mate for encourging my idea....likewise as u said theres no social activity to do in whole limerick, but i do need a great financial support, if the bank can give the mortgage of 3 or 4 million then why not for the ice skating business, and i think so irish sports council and limerick county council should come forward as well... i am not really worried about the profit but i want to see limerick as a developing city with all mod nd cons including trams, parks, leisure clubs...i wish i can do something for limerick because this city gave me alot...and i do want to give back something to this beautiful city.

Thats great to hear someone say something positive about our city, please keep us up to date with your progress, especially feedback from the county council and the irish sports council.

Please don't hesitate to ask for opinions or ideas, i think everyone here would like to offer some advice to make this as successful as it can be.

argosy2006

jojo4_you wrote: »

hi everybody from limerick, just need your opinion on this, i m thinking to open the ice skating rink, which will be for the whole year where ye can learn how to skate + ice hockey as well, and other complimentary stuff. Any suggestion that will it work in limerick because there is not really fun places in limerick for kids and for adults at all, any feedback will be appreciated...
Thanks in advance.

Would you buy some coal for a person who needs it,and who has no heating as there boiler is broke,and they have no money to buy coal,

ninty9er

Berty wrote: »

I suppose check this out.

http://www.dundalkicedome.com/

Ask them for a meeting in person in Dundalk to find out all about it. Speak to the Irish sports council for a grant as you could try to get a Limerick Ice Hockey team to use it as well.

Also speak to

Limerick City Council for grants
Limerick Co-ordination office for support
University of Limerick Sports and Science Office for suggestions

No such office exists, however the University Arena Limited which operates the University Arena on behalf of the Sports Department may be interested if you have a plan. However, due to the operations of the University and it's subsidiaries, you would be no more than an operator.

I imagine Limerick City Council would be in a similar position, in that they would wish it to be a civic amenity, so they would want to own it.

If you are looking for grants the places to go are Enterprise Ireland/ City Enterprise Board.

jojo4_you wrote: »

thanks mate for encourging my idea....likewise as u said theres no social activity to do in whole limerick, but i do need a great financial support, if the bank can give the mortgage of 3 or 4 million then why not for the ice skating business,

Unless you have an income of over €250k p/a in a job that cannot possible be lost, you won't get a €3 million mortgage. In terms of a business plan, you would need to present a bank with capital costs, projected running costs, staffing costs, maintenance and insurance costs. A building big enough would also attract a fairly hefty commercial rate.

When a bank grants a mortgage, the incentive is that you will lose your home if you fail to repay, with a business, they generally want to see a significant personal risk to assure them you are serious. So if you are looking for a €4 million loan, be prepared to put your house and family on the line for it.

More info on starting a business here:
http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/StartBusiness/

I've been meaning to go skating, but it's so cold outside right now, there's a slight disincentive. I imagine something like that would do very well in the summer months. If you do decide to go ahead, I wish you luck with it.

I would love to see something like this in the city, but more than likely, an abandoned suburban factory in Plassey or Raheen would be more suited.

ninty9er

Berty wrote: »

1/2 of EMF2 for example or Flextronics/Cabletron.

They were what I was thinking, or somewhere up around Roselawn near UniGolf, the cluster effect would benefit both facilities.

Berty

ninty9er wrote: »

No such office exists,

Sorry I meant Physical Education and Sports Sciences

http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Faculties/Education_%26_Health_Sciences/Departments/Physical_Education_and_Sport_Sciences/

I would love to see something like this in the city, but more than likely, an abandoned suburban factory in Plassey or Raheen would be more suited.[/QUOTE]

1/2 of EMF2 or Cabletron/Flextronics.

RHunce

great idea i think

just dont forget the student discounts

without discounts in europe ive paid as little as 4euro for an hour, 17 is ridiculous for xmas skating in my opinion, i think 7euro is a price you should be aiming for but definitely include the student discount

TEMPLAR KNIGHT

i could see ice hockey being a massive hit, its better than playing on the roads with hurleys and roller blades anyway.....which is what i used to do haha

gaf1983

Great idea, best of luck with your venture.

Regarding location, would that half-completed shopping centre between the Parkway Retail Park and Castletroy be a good option? I'm sure the original developers are in trouble so you might be able to get a site for cheapish... or would you be more interested in taking out a lease on a site?

Another potential site might be at the Coonagh Cross Shopping centre: I know the original developers were hoping to put a cinema in there, now that that seems to be a non-runner they might well be able to accomodate an ice-skating rink.

jojo4_you

wow.....honestly i didnt think i will get such a quick and postive responses from all of ye... i will keep you inform about all the situation , espacially county council and sporting socities...and as far as students are concerned, obviously they will have a discount..but for those things its too early to say anything,
Thanks for your suggestion on location, i think so coonagh cross will be out of town??(what ye think) at the moment i am thinking about raheen or then uncompleted building near parkway any opinions on this???

Jumpy

jojo4_you wrote: »

wow.....honestly i didnt think i will get such a quick and postive responses from all of ye... i will keep you inform about all the situation , espacially county council and sporting socities...and as far as students are concerned, obviously they will have a discount..but for those things its too early to say anything,
Thanks for your suggestion on location, i think so coonagh cross will be out of town??(what ye think) at the moment i am thinking about raheen or then uncompleted building near parkway any opinions on this???

There was already an ice rink planned for that uncompleted building. But the chances of that ever being finished is next to zero.

limerick_man

Man, as a business student... I would just hope you realise that this is a near to impossible venture! Building and operating an ice rink isnt the same as opening a shop. This will cost millions of euros, will need years of planning andyou will need very wealthy backers. I suggest you study business at some level for a year or two before attempting to fight your way into the world.

Saying that it would be really cool to have a proper ice rink and i was so sad to see the last one stop! I wish you the best of luck but make sure you study every aspect of what your getting yourself into before you start spending money on plans, etc. Good luck man

keane2097

I'd second the idea of putting it out beside the Unigolf - as mentioned the cluster effect could be a great help.

Best of luck with this venture - I'd love to see you get it off the ground and would visit to support if you did.

oh well

Think it would be a great hit - limerick teenagers badly need an activitiy like this. Location must be near good bus routes or walking distance of major bus routes. Price must be around the 10e mark I'd say - the price of this year's skating was way too high for many people to go more than once or twice. I can see school tours, kids birthday parties, work social gatherings all using this facility. Getting staff wouldn't be that hard surely - most people learn to skate relatively easily and theres hundreds of college students in the city for the part time work that nights and weekends would need servicing. Good luck with it.

separately, I see there is yet another application in for a cinema in the Ennis Road Retail Park - I'm guessing thats the area across from Dunnes Jetland. Good location - 20 mins walk from city centre and on bus route too. Hope the muppets in City Hall grant approval this time.

zuroph

The site of the existing planned one near UL was the best option, a good club set up there would bring in some revenue, and get a few local teams off the ground.

CrazyChick18

Think u came up with a very good idea but you really need to put alot of planning into it especially first of all where its going to be you need a place where its going to be easy access to the whole of limerick and not just one side of town if ya get me.

Prices then not to charge like what they charge now for the ice rink its a disgrace but other than that its a really good idea and limerick would def benefit from it in the long run as there is not much for families or youngster to do at weeknights and weekend so would def benefit from it.

D-A-V-E

Aw fantastic idea! if i was building it tho id have it as close to town as possible, the city developers are trying to focus more on town rather than suburbs so u might get a good rate there?

MysticalSoul

First of all, best of luck with this venture.

A skating shop, and a place to get skates sharpened is a must. Also, the zamboni should be used between each session - want to skate on ice, not snow . It is a huge investment financially - think rink in Charlestown in Dublin which opened in June, have now closed, partially due to mounting debt. Although I think part of the problem was that they priced it too high initially at €14. Also sessions of an hour can sometimes be too short - maybe slots of an hour-and-a-half would be a better option.

Would a membership option be feasible, that if you pay per annum, that would include so many skates in the cost, and a reduced cost (say 50% of the normal admission). It could be a way of encouraging people to practice.

Also, as someone who has taken figure skating lessons, it would be important maybe to have some sessions for figure skating practice (maybe even the early sessions on a Sat or Sun), as for the exams we have to be able to do things on both sides, and this is nearly impossible during busy public sessions.

Also, it would be worth your while contacting the ISAI www.isai.ie, as they may be able to advice you on coaches etc who are suitably qualified, if any, in the Limerick area.

It is looking likely a permanent rink is coming to Dublin later this year (probably April at the earliest), so keep your eyes out for that one.

Siogfinsceal

Sounds like a good idea if you could get it going as I have only see this type of thing over priced at Christmas. Might be worth putting together a business plan to get thinking about the costs and the market you will need one if you are applying for any funding. You can get free software that will put it all together for you.

05evaughan

i live in limerick mate and there is big demand
for an ice rink id love to do ice hockey and like alot of my mates
would love it and lately there has been alot of talk as to why there isnt a
permenant rink in limerick already

angelll

I think it's a great idea! There is also an ice rink in Cork in supernova. Was down there last year,great fun. Maybe you could do something like that?
http://www.supernova.ie/

billy the squid

please do not drag up old threads. thank you.