The City of Escondido and The Rinks Foundation together announced today their intent to bring a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to the Escondido City Council to explore the feasibility of developing a community ice facility to be built by The Rinks Foundation, a nonprofit organization that operates eight hockey and skating facilities in Southern California, including The Rinks – Poway ICE in Poway, Calif. and Great Park Ice in Irvine, Calif.
The complex would be fully funded and constructed entirely by The Rinks Foundation, founded by philanthropists and owners of the San Diego Gulls and Anaheim Ducks, Henry and Susan Samueli. All proceeds generated from the complex would go to further the growth of ice sports and activities locally.
The facility is proposed to be built on City land at Kit Carson Park. Design for the complex include three sheets of ice, one of which will feature seating for 2,000 - 3,000 spectators, a restaurant, training and competition facilities. The facility would be home to a bevy of activities, including youth, high school and adult hockey programs and tournaments, competitive and recreational figure skating, sled hockey, public recreational skating, curling, broomball and additional community events. In addition, the complex would be used as a practice facility for the San Diego Gulls AHL team and a home for the San Diego Jr. Gulls, Jr. Gulls Girls and high school hockey as part of the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League.
“We’re incredibly honored to have been approached by The Rinks Foundation to explore this partnership. When Ice Plex Escondido closed, we lost an incredible community asset as it was the largest ice skating facility in the County,” said Sean McGlynn, Escondido’s City Manager. “We look forward to exploring the opportunity to not only bring ice sports back to Escondido but to expand access to ice sheets for the entire southern California region.”
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is planned to be presented to the Escondido City Council at their June 3 Council meeting.
“On behalf of the Rinks Foundation and the San Diego Gulls, we are excited by the possibilities to provide a state-of-the-art ice skating and hockey facility in Escondido to meet the growing demands of ice participation in the region,” said Aaron Teats, President of the Rinks Foundation. “This facility would assist in the growing needs for youth, high school, adult hockey and skating in San Diego, and north county in particular, and provide a community asset for a million visitors annually.”
If the City Council approves the MOU, the City and The Rinks Foundation would jointly host two community meetings to gather public input on the proposal. An online engagement opportunity will be available as well. At the same time, the City would conduct due diligence and seek additional feedback on park facilities Citywide to help address broader park needs.
The proposal prioritizes community benefit by dedicating the Rinks facility primarily to public use, expanding access to ice sports and recreation while supporting local economic activity through year‑round programming. Planned uses include youth and adult hockey, figure skating, open public skating, learn‑to‑skate instruction, and inclusive programs for athletes with disabilities. Demand for hockey and skating in the area continues to grow, while only six sheets of ice are currently available in all of San Diego County, the second-most populated county in the state of California.
The results of the community engagement and due diligence process would be presented to the City Council at a future public hearing for consideration and direction on next steps.
For more information, please visit https://www.therinks.com/community/escondido-ice-project/.
About The Rinks
The Rinks Development Program launched in 2009, and now consists of eight local hockey and skating facilities throughout Southern California: six ice rinks (The Rinks - Anaheim ICE, The Rinks - KHS ICE, The Rinks - Lakewood ICE, The Rinks - Yorba Linda ICE, The Rinks - Poway ICE and Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena), as well as two inline facilities (The Rinks - Corona Inline and The Rinks - Irvine Inline). The Rinks offer a variety of hockey and skating programs for participants of all ages and ability levels and are home to thousands of youth and adult hockey players as well as recreational skaters to competitive Olympic figure skaters. Programs include: daily public ice skating and roller skating sessions, youth and adult hockey programs and leagues, figure skating, learn to skate classes, curling, birthdays and group events.
About Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena
An affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena is one of the nation’s largest public ice facilities, located at the Orange County Great Park. The facility is a part of a public-private partnership with the Irvine Ice Foundation. The $100 million, 280,000-square-foot facility has four sheets of ice and serves sports-related activities that include youth and adult hockey programs, regional and national tournaments, figure skating, and public skating hours. FivePoint Arena has space to seat 2,500 spectators. The complex includes administrative offices, dressing rooms, training facilities, retail space, and concession space. Great Park Ice is an official practice facility of the Anaheim Ducks. The facility is a part of a public-private partnership with the Irvine Ice Foundation and the city of Irvine.
About the City of Escondido
The City of Escondido is located in North San Diego County, California. Incorporated in 1888, Escondido is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County and has grown into a diverse, full‑service city serving more than 151,000 residents. Known for its strong sense of community, historic downtown, and access to parks, cultural amenities, and regional transportation, Escondido provides a wide range of municipal services while maintaining a high quality of life for residents and visitors.
