Nottingham Arena facts for kids
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| Full name | Nottingham Arena |
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| Former names | Trent FM Arena (2008–2011) Capital FM Arena (2011–2015) |
| Address | Bolero Square The Lace Market Nottingham NG1 1LA England |
| Location | National Ice Centre |
| Coordinates | 52°57′10″N 1°8′22″W / 52.95278°N 1.13944°W |
| Owner | Nottingham City Council |
| Operator | Nottingham Ice Centre Ltd |
| Capacity | 10,000 without standing room (15,865 with standing room) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 1998 |
| Built | 1998–2000 |
| Opened | 1 April 2000 |
| Expanded | 2011 |
| Architect | FaulknerBrowns |
| Project manager | Gleeds |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup |
| Services engineer | Ove Arup |
| Main contractors | John Laing Group |
| Tenants | |
| Nottingham Panthers (2000–present) Nottingham Forest Netball (2025-present) | |
The Nottingham Arena is a large indoor stadium in Nottingham, England. It is also known as the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham because of a sponsorship deal. This arena is part of the National Ice Centre complex.
The arena is located in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. It was officially opened on April 1, 2000, by Olympic gold medalist Jayne Torvill. It is the biggest place for live entertainment in the East Midlands region.
Contents
Building the Arena: A Look Back
How the Idea Started
The Nottingham Arena is part of the National Ice Centre. This new center was built where the old Nottingham Ice Stadium used to stand. The old stadium opened in 1939 and was getting very old.
Because of this, plans were announced in September 1995 to replace it. By October 1996, detailed plans for a new ice rink were shared. The British Olympic Association supported these plans.
Construction and Discoveries
To build the new ice center, several old buildings had to be taken down. This included an Art Deco warehouse and a pub called "The Old Cricket Players." The old Ice Stadium closed in March 2000. By May 2000, it was almost completely demolished.
During the digging for the new building in July 1998, something amazing was found. Workers discovered a rare 1,100-year-old Saxon jug. This ancient jug is now on display at the Nottingham Castle Museum. A graveyard from the 1800s was also found under the car park. The bodies were carefully moved from there.
Opening the Doors
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On April 1, 2000, the National Ice Centre officially opened. Jayne Torvill, an Olympic gold medalist, did the honors. The second part of the project, a family ice rink, opened early on April 7, 2001. The National Ice Centre was the first place in the UK with two Olympic-sized ice rinks. The whole project cost £43 million.
The arena's first concert was by the English band Simply Red on April 29, 2000.
Growing and Changing
When it first opened, the arena faced some challenges. It lost money in its first year. Many concert promoters chose other cities like Sheffield or Birmingham instead of Nottingham. However, things started to improve.
The Queen visited the National Ice Centre and the arena on July 31, 2002.
In 2007, a radio station called Trent FM bought the rights to name the arena. It became the Trent FM Arena Nottingham for four years. Later, when Trent FM was bought by Global Radio, the naming rights went to Capital FM. The arena was then known as the Capital FM Arena Nottingham.
In 2011, the arena added a special curtain system. This system can make the venue smaller for more personal shows, reducing the capacity to 4,000 people. The arena's total capacity also grew from 9,000 to 10,000 people.
Exciting Events at the Arena
The Nottingham Arena is home to the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team. They play all their home games here.
Many famous artists and events have taken place at the arena. Little Mix holds the record for the biggest concert, with 15,685 fans attending. Westlife has performed there the most, with 22 shows between 2001 and 2019.
Other stars who have performed include Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, The 1975, and One Direction.
The arena has also hosted popular tours like The X Factor Tour and Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Even big stage shows like We Will Rock You: 10th Anniversary Tour have been performed here.
Besides music and shows, the arena hosts sports events. On November 17, 2012, Nottingham boxer Carl Froch fought Yusaf Mack here. Froch successfully defended his world title.
In 2023, the arena hosted the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A ice hockey tournament. The Great Britain team won all five of their games. This victory helped them get promoted back into the top division for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
See also
In Spanish: Nottingham Arena para niños
