As the Ford Ice Centers jointly look back over the past 10 years, there are many moments to highlight along the way, starting with the grand opening of Ford Ice Center Antioch on Sept. 12, 2014.
Since then, the Ford Ice Center footprint has expanded further into Middle Tennessee, with locations in Bellevue and Clarksville opening in 2019 and 2023, respectively. All three locations share a common goal: growing the love for the ice in SMASHVILLE.
“The reason that the rinks were ultimately created was to give the opportunity for people to try hockey and other ice sports.” Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations & Relations Danny Butler said. “The goal was to grow the love for getting on the ice, and then for the sport, and then to ultimately love the team, but really giving them the opportunity to try it.”
Consider the goal accomplished.
Since their openings in 2014 and 2019, Ford Ice Center Antioch and Bellevue have welcomed 1.5 million visitors annually, while Ford Ice Center Clarksville (a part of the F&M Bank Arena buildout in downtown Clarksville) saw 300,000 guests come through the doors in the facility’s first year.
Those millions of visitors have enjoyed countless events and programming at each Ford Ice Center location, including two Nashville Predators Training Camps and the 2024 NHL Rookie Showcase presented by Ticketmaster.
Those visitors have additionally enjoyed a multitude of ice-skating programming developed at the Ford Ice Centers over the past decade to meet the rapidly growing demand. Founded by the Olympic gold medalist and four-time world and U.S. champion figure skater, the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy has established several programs, including Learn to Skate presented by CAT Financial.
“I remember our first Learn to Skate, we had four kids registered and we had Scott Hamilton and Bill Fauver and these [other] unbelievably amazing skating coaches.” Butler said. “With four kids registered initially to now, year after year, we've been one of the top and busiest Learn to Skate programs in the United States.”
Ford Ice Center’s Learn to Skate program ranked 15th in the United States and first in the South in 2023 amongst other Learn to Skate programs, with 1,043 unique participants.
The Academy has also hosted Scott Hamilton’s Skating Club Holiday Ice Shows which have welcomed 828 participants since the first show in 2015. Skaters from the Freestyle and Synchronized Skating programs have achieved new heights in competitions and some even attended the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Additionally, the Academy has introduced programs such as Camp Ultraviolet to empower young athletes and Scott Hamilton All Stars to promote inclusivity. They host numerous skating competitions each year, including Dreams Begin Here, Music City Adult International Skating Camp and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships to elevate the competitive nature while allowing others to share their love for the ice.
Along with ice skating programming, Ford Ice Center has fostered the growth of hockey through initiatives like G.O.A.L! (Get Out and Learn!), which offers free hockey classes, and the NHL/NHLPA-supported Little Preds Learn to Play program presented by CAT Financial, which provides young athletes with a low-cost opportunity to learn and develop in the sport. Since its inception in Antioch eight years ago, Little Preds Learn to Play has engaged 2,249 athletes across all three Ford Ice Center locations.
Ford Ice Center has also offered “continue to play" programs, such as PREDecessor and Youth Hockey, which together have seen 5,666 participants. Additionally, Advanced and Developmental programming has been provided to enhance skill levels. Travel programming such as Nashville Jr. Predators and Preds Select is also available at the Ford Ice Center locations.
“There's still something different about skating, whether you skate once at Learn to Skate under Scott Hamilton or you go through the G.O.A.L! Program or maybe you're a PREDecessor or you play triple A hockey, or you even play college hockey.” Nashville Predators Chief Executive Officer Sean Henry said. “The moment you put those skates on, whether you did one session or played for 15-20 years, you're a hockey player and you're a hockey fan because you've done it and you've touched it.”
To further promote the game in the community, programs such as Street Hockey, Middle School League and Scholastic League have been established. Ford Ice Center has hosted various tournaments and showcases, including the Smashville Women’s Collegiate Hockey Showcase, Preds Girls Classic, Honky Tonk Showdown, Turkey Tourney and Elfin’ Awesome Tournament, which combined have welcomed over 1,200 participants since 2017. To keep momentum going in the summer, Ford Ice Center hosts summer hockey camps, which saw 183 participants come through the doors this year. Recently, efforts to expand girls' and women’s hockey have included clinics, learn-to-play sessions, girls-only grassroots programming and an Adult Women’s League.
To further engage with the community and enhance its programming, Ford Ice Center launched the Smashville Street Team and Preds & Pixels Gaming Experience during the Nashville Predators’ 25th Anniversary season in 2023-24. These initiatives visit community events such as Middle School Field Days, Plaza Parties, County Fairs and various festivals and activations around Nashville.
Throughout the years, Ford Ice Center has also hosted community events such as food drives, blood drives, and the Player Inclusion Coalition. Ford Ice Center is committed to inclusion and proudly hosts organizations such as the American Special Hockey Organization and Sled Preds.
“It's funny, when we opened Antioch 10 years ago, Bellevue five years ago, and Clarksville a year ago, it changed what we could do. These ice rinks put a golden shadow in different parts of the community.” Henry said. “When we partnered building the first one, the idea wasn't just to create fans, it was also to change the outcome of that community.”
Through the past 10 years, five years and one year with each of the Ford Ice Centers in their respective neighborhoods, they have been able to drive economic impact in their surrounding community with growing the game and that love for the ice.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding,” Henry said.
