Cherries Russian backers interested in Ice Rink?

AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell has said that he and co-owner Maxim Demin could be interested in getting involved in plans for a new Olympic sized ice rink in Kings Park.

Plans for a new sporting venue in Kings Park have been discussed for a number of years. In December 2007 then Cherries Chairman Jeff Mostyn met with the council and discussed plans for a multi-sports facility in Kings Park (click here) and then four years ago Bournemouth councillors approved Kings Park as the designated site for an Ice Rink, the plans at the time also included indoor and outdoor football pitches, an indoor athletics centre, mini-golf and a climbing wall.

At the time the plans were backed by then AFC Bournemouth chief executive Alastair Saverimutto (click here), but the project has failed to progress despite planning for the 5,000-seater ice stadium being granted planning permission by Bournemouth council.

In March 2012 following the end of the tendering process, the council were forced to 'put the plans on hold' after it failed to receive a bid from any interested developers.

This was despite the offer from the council to hand over the site 'to a company prepared to build and operate a rink'.

The scheme however could be resurrected by AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell, who previously spoke of his interest in June 2011 (click here).

Mitchell, who has already invested heavily in the park landscaping the car park in front of the Goldsands Stadium, building new training pitches next to Dean Court and is currently in the processes of landscaping the large car and lorry park in Kings Park could be interested in taking on the scheme and will discuss plans with Russian businessman and Cherries co-owner Maxim Demin after already holding talks with Bournemouth Borough Council leader Cllr John Beesley.

Mitchell told the Daily Echo...

'...I would like to have a year`s exclusivity so that we could make approaches and have the time to see them through. I couldn`t risk the football club being involved in it as it`s a separate entity but I think if I had a year, we would have every chance of putting something together.

"Ice hockey and ice rinks are a big thing in Russia and I`m sure the club`s Russian backers would be interested in something like this.

"But it would take some dedication from the council as well. It`s easy to roll out an idea but when you see how many hoops people have to jump through, it normally takes forever and leaves everybody exhausted."

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