The increasing popularity of figure skating, short track speed skating, and ice hockey across the Netherlands has led to capacity challenges at smaller ice rinks, prompting the Haarlem ice rink to expand its ice surface to accommodate growing demand.
Schaatsen.nl, a Dutch ice sports news outlet, reports on the recent developments at the IJsbaan Haarlem facility.
Figure skating continues to gain momentum, short track speed skating is expected to experience further growth following recent success in Milan, and ice hockey is becoming more popular. These trends have created national pressure on smaller ice rinks, which typically measure 30 by 60 meters to meet ice hockey requirements. Many clubs, particularly those focused on figure skating, face waiting lists due to insufficient ice time to accept new members.
The situation in Haarlem reflected this nationwide trend. Rob Kleefman, the director of IJsbaan Haarlem since 2011, explained that after originally opening a 400-meter track in 1977 and adding the 30 by 60 meter ice surface about 20 years ago, the rink started experiencing overcrowding. This made it difficult to maintain the desired quality on the smaller ice surface.
Since expanding the complex with an adjacent ice hall was not feasible, the facility looked for ways to maximize space within the existing footprint. They found room to increase the ice surface on the central area of the rink, growing to nearly 3,400 square meters. The additional ice measures 30 by 53 meters, slightly smaller than a full ice hockey rink.
Kleefman explained that the extended ice surface includes ice hockey boarding around it, but it is not designed for official ice hockey games. This is not considered an issue since hosting official matches was not a primary need. The larger ice area has already attracted many ice hockey teams, especially from Amsterdam, who are also coping with limited ice availability.
