Due to the worrying events, the Austrian Ice Hockey Association has now issued a statement on the development of ice rink closures and at the same time made an appeal to politicians.
Due to increased energy costs, savings measures and the still high inflation, more and more communities are deciding to close ice rinks or ice rinks or to significantly limit their operations. The Austrian Ice Hockey Association is following these developments with great concern and is calling on politicians to take action.
Children, young people and adults are gradually losing opportunities to do sports due to the closures. The effects on public health caused by a lack of exercise have been widely documented and, in turn, are financially at the expense of the health system.
Last week, on January 14th, Sport Austria once again made it clear that without prevention, any health reform will fail. (Source: https://www.sportaustria.at/de/ueber-uns/fragen-und-geschaeftsstelle/presse/pressemeldeen/niessl-ohne-praevention-wird-jede-gesundheitsreform-scheitern)
In recent months, the planned closure of the Frohnleiten ice rink after this season and the closure of the Mödling ice skating rink have raised eyebrows. The ice rink in Radenthein, which only opened in 2008, was closed again in 2023.
The Austrian Ice Hockey Association has been working for years to get children into ice hockey at an early age through recruiting projects such as “PEER – Program for the Development of Ice Hockey Regions”. And with great success. In the 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons, a total of 657 children were brought into ice hockey. The ÖEHV gained 115 new members as a result.
However, due to current developments, there is a risk that efforts to encourage children to play sports will come to nothing.
The trade association has been calling for improvements to the infrastructure for years. The federal performance center for women’s ice hockey is currently being built in Villach. Thanks to private initiative, an ice rink was built in Ferlach in 2021 and a second in 2024. Apart from that, the domestic infrastructure is getting old.
A look at the completion of all ice rinks or ice surfaces in the first three men’s leagues in Austria, win2day ICE Hockey League, ALPS Hockey League and Ö Ice Hockey League, shows: the last time a new ice rink was opened was the Sportpark Kitzbühel over 19 years ago. The oldest ice surface at Vienna’s Heumarkt is already 125 years old.
Between 1959 and 1977, nine ice rinks were opened within 18 years. In the 80s, today’s STEFFL Arena (construction began in 1989, opened in 1995), the LINZ AG Eisarena, and the ice rinks in Gmunden and Hohenems followed.
Most recently, investments were made in the ice rink infrastructure around the 2005 World Cup, which was held in Vienna and Innsbruck. This is how the TIWAG Arena was created in Innsbruck. The Kufstein ice arena opened in 2005 and the Kitzbühel sports park in 2006.
In 2008, Radenthein got its own ice rink, where the U18 women’s World Cup Division IB was held in September 2022. However, these doors have been closed again since 2023.
Ferlach and Villach stand out positively. A year-round ice rink opened its doors in Ferlach in 2021, and a second one in 2024. This is made possible, among other things, by a private investor. The foundation stone for the women’s national performance center was laid in Villach in June 2025. Completion is scheduled for 2026.
A lot of private money was also invested in the renovation of the EC-KAC’s hometowns in 2022/2023. The Heidi Horten Arena has been completely renovated. The hall was built in 1959.
In addition, there is the situation affecting many sports that Austria does not have a multi-purpose arena with 15,000 seats or more, which is now required by a number of international associations for the organization of major events. Hopes rest on the planned arena in Neu Marx in Vienna. It is currently not known when the groundbreaking ceremony will take place. On the City of Vienna website, concept creation is noted next to the “Stand” item.
Speaking of Vienna: The ice rink at Heumarkt was built in 1901.
IIHF initiative SMALL ICE should be promoted
In January 2023, the then U16 men’s ice hockey national team took part in the 3×3 competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Korea. This is a new format that was held for the first time at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne (SUI). Here, 3 vs. 3 field players plus the goalkeeper play across the field.
One of the ÖEHV’s approaches to this, which has already been discussed with Sports State Secretary Michaela Schmidt, is to promote this format. Austria would like to take a pioneering role here. Appropriate infrastructure required.
As early as 2018, the ÖEHV developed a concept that states that ice surfaces equivalent to a third of ice are sufficient for recruiting young talent. The advantages:
- Significantly less space required
- Lower building requirements (parking spaces,…)
- Much lower planning and construction costs
- Easier financing – lower investor risk
- Lower operating costs
- Easier utilization options
- Etc.
An offer received at the time showed that around 20 such small halls could be built for the price of one large hall. This in turn would mean seven times the area.
The cost estimate, adjusted for inflation, is around €250,000 for a small hall in which the 3×3 format can be played.
Due to the smaller ice surface, the running costs would also be significantly lower and borne by the respective community. With 20 to 25 such smaller ice rinks or open spaces, we see a real perspective for domestic ice hockey, as well as for other sports. Existing halls could also benefit from these small halls:
- More children are coming to the clubs based there
- There are more practice times for those age groups and teams that require all the ice
- Instead of youth training sessions, ice time in the large halls could be used more for matches and tournaments
- This in turn would bring more people into the halls than is the case during training times
- Positive effects for the catering industry
- Better marketing opportunities for ice rink operators
PondHockey tournament at Weissensee shows how it is done
From 16.-18. In January 2026, Lake Weissensee was home to the first international pond hockey tournament held on such smaller ice surfaces. Around 1,000 participants and 2,000 spectators ensured that the tournament was a complete success both in terms of sport and tourism. The ÖEHV leadership with President Klaus Hartmann, Vice President Nicolas Stockhammer, sports director Roger Bader and managing director Alexander Helwig also took part in the tournament.
Positive effects on the healthcare system
The importance of regular physical activity for health is proven in numerous studies. Positive effects of exercise can be seen in relation to the cardiovascular system, breathing, digestion and metabolism, musculoskeletal system, nervous system, immune system, endocrine system and the psyche. However, physical health represents a fraction of what exercise and physical activity can achieve. Other areas that determine human well-being are also positively influenced by exercise, such as: E.g. emotions, social capital or intelligence.
Why exercise offerings need to be further expanded: Physical inactivity in Austria already represents a risk to prosperity! The resulting annual costs now amount to 2.4 billion euros (Figures from SportsEconAustria)! Through sport and exercise, medical costs amounting to 527 million euros are already avoided every year. If the number of people in Austria who exercise sufficiently (150 minutes per week) could be increased by 10%, savings of a further 120 million euros per year would be possible.
(Sources: https://www.sportaustria.at/de/interest representatives-und-sportpolitik/gesundheitsmotor-sport / https://www.sportaustria.at/de/ueber-uns/fragen-und-geschaeftsstelle/presse/pressemeldeen2014-2023/warum-in-das-gesundheitssystem-mehr-movement-kommen-muss)
The Austrian Ice Hockey Association is calling on politicians at all levels to counteract the current “dying” of ice surfaces, for the benefit of public health and so that successes like those of the national teams in recent years can continue to be celebrated in the future.
Free to Molière: “We are responsible not only for what we do, but also for what we don’t do.”
www.eishockey.at, Image: BüKo
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