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Full Circle: Bringing Ice Hockey Home to the AO Arena- PROJECT COMPLETE
We don’t often write posts like this. Most of the time, our job is to be the team you don’t see — the people behind the boards, the paint and the machines, quietly making sure the ice is ready so everyone else can enjoy the show. But some projects are too special to let pass without saying something. Bringing ice hockey back to the AO Arena was one of them.
Fans saw the end result. The press covered the occasion. This time, we wanted to share it in our own voice — because behind that record-breaking night was a Marshalls International team that had poured months into making it happen, and we couldn’t be prouder.
What a night...
11,062 people. A record crowd. The arena lit up, the atmosphere electric, and professional ice hockey finally back where it belongs after 24 years away. Standing in that building, watching it fill, hearing the roar as the teams took to the ice we’d laid — it’s a feeling that’s genuinely hard to put into words.
For our Managing Director, Mark Johnson, it was far more than a landmark project. Having helped run this very arena’s ice operations when it first opened, to return decades later at the head of the company delivering its comeback was, quite simply, emotional. Full circle, in every sense of the phrase. We’ve said it before in the build-up — but watching it actually happen was something else entirely.
24 years in the making
Twenty-four years is a long time. It’s long enough for a generation of fans to grow up without top-level hockey in the city, long enough for a building to become known for other things entirely. Bringing ice back to a venue after that long isn’t just an installation — it’s the restoration of something a city had lost. To play a part in that, let alone the central one, is a privilege none of us take lightly.
The reaction blew us away
Since that first game, we haven’t been able to stop watching. The local news coverage, the videos across social media, the sheer number of people sharing their night — every clip, every roar, every first-time skater and lifelong fan. Knowing our team was part of making that happen is a feeling we’ll carry for a long time.
So thank you to everyone who’s shared a moment from that night. We’ve watched more of them than we’d care to admit — and every single one made us proud all over again.
What our team delivered
For anyone who’d like to know what actually goes into bringing an arena back to ice, here’s a look at what our team delivered — because we did it all:
- The full installation — coordinating the complete fit-out, from an empty event floor to a professional rink, all to a fixed and immovable deadline.
- The barrier system — the boards and glass that define the playing surface and keep players and spectators safe.
- The ice — laying and preparing the sheet itself to full professional standard.
- Ice paints — Jet Ice paints for the crisp white base, the lines and the logos that look the part under the lights and on camera.
- SubZero software — used to plan and coordinate the project and its operations from the outset.
- Staff training — training the venue’s team on the Olympia ice resurfacer, so they’re set up to maintain the ice night after night.
- Skate aids — we even gave our skate aids a test run on the fresh new ice.
Every one of those is a specialist job in its own right. Bringing them all together, on time and under one team, is exactly what Marshalls has done since 1984 — though rarely on a stage quite like this one.
The bit you didn't see
Here’s something the cameras didn’t catch — an exclusive, for those who read to the end. When the final whistle went and the fans headed home, our work wasn’t done. A multi-purpose arena has to transform, and post-match our team was straight back out on the floor, setting up the event floor and converting the rink so the building could go on to do everything else it does.
It’s the invisible half of the job, and it’s every bit as important as the ice itself. The show the public sees is only possible because of the work that happens long after they’ve gone home — and our team were there for all of it.
This one's for the team
Projects like this are why our people do what they do. It’s a reminder that behind every great night at a venue is a group who care deeply about getting the details right — and who very rarely get to take a bow. Fans cheer the players, and rightly so. But someone laid that ice, painted those lines, built those boards and trained the team who’ll keep it perfect all season.
So this one is for them: the engineers, the technicians, and everyone who played a part. We don’t say it often enough, but we’re incredibly proud of you.
And next weekend, they do it all again
The best part? It isn’t a one-off. Next weekend, the arena does it all over again — and we’ll be right there behind the scenes, as we will be for many nights to come. That’s the nature of ice: the show only works if someone’s looking after the surface underneath it. We’re proud that it’s us.
To the Manchester Storm, the AO Arena and every fan who made that night what it was — thank you for letting us be part of it. And if you’re planning an ice project of your own, whether it’s a new installation, a refurbishment or bringing ice back to a venue after years away, we’d love to help you create a night like this one.
frequently asked questions
What did Marshalls International do at the AO Arena?
Marshalls International delivered the complete ice project: the full installation, the barrier system, the ice itself, Jet Ice paints, planning via our SubZero software, staff training on the Olympia ice resurfacer, and even a test run of our skate aids — plus the post-match event-floor conversion.
How many people attended the first game?
The first game drew a record crowd of 11,062, as ice hockey returned to the arena after 24 years away.
Has Marshalls International worked with the arena before?
Yes. Our relationship goes back to the venue's opening, when our MD Mark Johnson ran its ice operations — making his return to lead this project a genuine full-circle moment.
What is the event floor conversion?
After a game, a multi-purpose arena needs to convert from ice back to a floor for other events. Our team handles the event-floor set-up post-match — the invisible half of the job that keeps the venue running for everything else it hosts.
Can Marshalls International deliver a project like this for our venue?
Yes. Marshalls delivers new installations, refurbishments and full arena projects across the UK and worldwide, backed by decades of experience, an expert team, and the equipment and support to see any project through.
