San Francisco’s only year-round indoor ice rink has reopened after major upgrades and a change in management, but the transition has sparked a dispute with adult hockey players.
Players say the new management has shifted games later, reduced ice time and proposed changes to the league’s team structure without adequately consulting team captains. But the operator contends the changes are necessary to make more ice time available for public skating, youth programs and figure skating.
The Yerba Buena Gardens Ice Arena reopened Aug. 1 after the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy took over operations from VSC Sports, which had managed the facility since it opened in 1998. The conservancy also assumed management of the adjoining bowling center.
The adult hockey league has operated at the rink since 1998 and includes hundreds of players across four divisions.
Players say they were initially told the adult program would remain largely unchanged after the summer closure. They later learned that management was considering eliminating teams, restricting which players could participate in different divisions and moving games later into the night.
Some of those proposals have since been withdrawn, according to players and management. But players say the league will still lose ice time, some teams may play every other week and changes to the lowest-level division remain under discussion.
Skaters enjoy the Yerba Buena Gardens Ice Arena on Sunday, December 31, 2006. The city’s only year-round indoor ice rink reopened Aug. 1 after major mechanical upgrades and a change in management. (Lea Suzuki/SFC)
Scott Schulman, who has played at the rink since 1999 and is speaking on behalf of league participants, said he supports the conservancy’s effort to create a beginner division and expand access to people who are new to hockey.
But he added that players should have been consulted before management changed the league’s structure and schedule.
“The part that blows my mind is all I was asking for was a direct line of communication,” Schulman said.
The biggest remaining concern is the timing of games. The current schedule posted by Yerba Buena Gardens includes adult hockey games beginning as late as 11:30 p.m. Players say those games can keep them at the rink until about 1 a.m., making it difficult to work the next day or manage family responsibilities.
Schulman said some players already struggle to attend 11 p.m. games. He said one of his goalies has told him he will not be able to play in 11:30 p.m. games because of his day job.
Subhajeet Seve Ghose, the conservancy’s executive director, said the later starts were necessary to create more public-skating opportunities, particularly for children.
“Kids are not going to skate at 10 p.m.,” Ghose said.
He did note, however, that the conservancy is trying to balance adult hockey with public skating, youth programs and figure skating. Adult players, he pointed out, have more flexibility to adjust their schedules than children and families.
Skaters at Yerba Buena Gardens Ice Arena on Monday, November 7, 2022, in San Francisco, Calif. The city’s only year-round indoor ice rink reopened Aug. 1 after major mechanical upgrades and a change in management. (Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle)
Ghose also said the conservancy has signed an agreement with the adult hockey league and that no teams are being eliminated. He said the organization hopes all 30 teams will be operating within about three months, although some teams may initially play less frequently.
“Our goal was not to hurt anybody,” Ghose said. “We’re trying to grow the community.”
Schulman said players have proposed alternatives, including using Friday or Saturday night ice for some adult games. He said players are also asking management to move the latest start times earlier, even by 15 minutes.
“We just want an open dialogue,” Schulman said.
He said team captains have struggled to get a meeting with conservancy and rink officials, despite sending emails and requesting a formal discussion. Management’s decision to change the league without consulting captains has contributed to the distrust, he said.
The dispute prompted the group to launch a petition in July that now lists more than 500 signatures. Players say pressure from the petition, emails and media attention led management to reverse some of the proposed changes.
The fight over ice time comes as the conservancy is making substantial investments in the aging facility.
The organization allocated $650,000 to the ice arena and $150,000 to the bowling center, funded through the conservancy’s reserves, Ghose said.
At the rink, two compressors that keep the ice frozen were completely rebuilt. The cooling tower was activated, the snow pit was cleaned and the dehumidification system was restored to full operation, he added.
“It’s pretty major,” Ghose said, describing the work as maintenance that facilities typically need every 10 or 15 years.
A skater puts on her ice skates before a session at the Yerba Buena Gardens Ice Arena on November 7, 2022, in San Francisco, Calif. The city’s only year-round indoor ice rink reopened Aug. 1 after major mechanical upgrades and a change in management. (Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle)
But Schulman questions whether the rink’s ice quality has improved. After playing in a recent Tuesday game, he said the ice was wet and soft even during a 7 p.m. session.
The conservancy says its takeover was driven by concerns that the facility was not fulfilling its original community-building purpose and that some equipment had not been adequately maintained.
Some of the board’s discussions took place in closed session, Ghose said.
“It felt like the original premise of the development was community building,” Ghose said. “The board felt like that wasn’t happening.”
The conservancy’s 2026-30 strategic plan calls for the ice arena and bowling center to operate as year-round community recreation hubs. It also emphasizes maintaining accessible facilities, responding to community needs and developing a long-term financial strategy for the two facilities.
To that end, the adjoining bowling center also received new equipment from AMF, including an interactive scoring system operated with iPads instead of push buttons. Ghose said the upgrades were intended to appeal to families and bowlers of different ages.
Other upgrades include new bathroom fixtures, improvements to the showers and a new scoreboard, according to Ghose.
In addition, Ghose said the conservancy is offering $50,000 in scholarships for households participating in its learn-to-skate program. The scholarships are capped at $500 per household and $300 for an individual, he said.
For now, the rink is open, the upgraded systems are operating and adult hockey is continuing under the new management structure. But players and the conservancy are still negotiating how the league will fit into the arena’s broader plans.
“We’re hockey players,” Schulman said. “We dig. We grind. We play.”
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This article originally published at San Francisco’s only indoor ice rink reopens after major upgrades – not everyone is happy.