Ice hockey has recently found itself skating into the UK mainstream, propelled by the success of Heated Rivalry, the breakout television series that has captured the attention of audiences well beyond traditional sports fans. Adapted from Rachel Reid’s popular novels, the show centres on two fiercely competitive ice hockey players whose rivalry on the rink contrasts with a secret romance away from it. That blend of sport, drama and forbidden love has proven irresistible.
After building a devoted following in the United States and Canada—countries where ice hockey is already deeply embedded in national culture—the series arrived in the UK earlier this month. Its impact has been immediate, introducing many viewers to a sport they may never have previously considered watching, let alone playing.
History shows that major TV shows and cultural moments can dramatically shift public interest. Stranger Things famously reignited enthusiasm for Dungeons & Dragons, while Game of Thrones turned filming locations into global tourist hotspots. Ice hockey could, in theory, follow a similar path—but the reality in the UK is more complicated.
Growing Interest, Limited Opportunities
Those involved in running ice hockey across Britain acknowledge that interest in the sport is rising. Attendance at top-level games is hitting record numbers, and participation was already on an upward trajectory before Heated Rivalry arrived on screens.
Henry Staelens, chief executive of Ice Hockey UK and England Ice Hockey, says the sport was in a “healthy” position even before the TV show gave it a cultural boost. “It’s grown to become one of the biggest professional sports in this country,” he explains. “But for a long time it’s been run more like an amateur club, mainly because of funding challenges.”
According to Staelens, demand is not the problem—capacity is. Waiting lists to join teams are common, but many clubs simply don’t have the resources to take on new players. The core issue is a shortage of ice time.
The Ice Time Crisis
“The biggest challenge we face is the lack of facilities and the lack of ice,” Staelens says. With only around 60 ice rinks nationwide and roughly 14,000 registered players already competing for space, the system is stretched thin. He believes participation could grow by as much as 10% year on year if more rinks were available.
Running an ice rink, however, is far from cheap. The energy costs required to keep ice frozen make facilities “insanely expensive” to operate. Staelens estimates that a single rink can cost around £40,000 per month to run. As a result, many venues prioritise public skating sessions, which are more profitable than hosting team training or matches.
“Even if a rink hosted ice hockey teams full-time, it probably wouldn’t cover the costs on its own,” he adds. That financial reality places a hard limit on how much the sport can grow, regardless of public interest.
Life on the Ice: Players’ Perspectives
At grassroots and semi-professional levels, players feel these pressures directly. Great Britain women’s captain Jodie Alderson-Smith, who plays for the Solihull Vixens in the West Midlands, says access to ice remains the single biggest obstacle.
Her team is relatively fortunate, benefiting from sponsorship that allows for longer warm-ups and breaks on match days. Many other teams don’t have that luxury. Despite the challenges, Jodie describes ice hockey as a “very inclusive” sport, which she believes helps explain its growing popularity among women.
“We want more people coming to games,” she says. “At the moment it’s mostly family and friends, but the potential is there.”
Eighteen-year-old Vixens teammate Tahlia Davidson-Wright is hopeful that the buzz around Heated Rivalry will translate into fuller stands. “Hopefully we’ll see more engagement,” she says. “Bigger crowds lift the whole atmosphere—it’s really special playing in front of lots of people.”
A Boom Waiting to Happen?
The success of Heated Rivalry has shown that ice hockey can capture the imagination of a wider UK audience. But without significant investment in facilities and infrastructure, the sport risks being unable to meet the demand it has worked so hard to generate.
For now, the UK’s ice hockey scene sits at a crossroads—fuelled by pop culture appeal, passionate players and growing crowds, yet held back by practical and financial barriers. Whether this moment becomes a true boom may depend less on what happens on screen, and more on what happens behind the scenes.
