Manchester Storm to return to original stadium after 24 years

The Manchester ice hockey team will start next season in the AO Arena after more than two decades away. Manchester Storm to come home to AO Arena after 24 years Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The team reached the play-off finals in April for the first time in 24 years Storm's goalkeeper, wearing white and a black helmet, and an attacker in red trousers and a black and green top, fight for the puck on the ice in front of the net Manchester Storm to come home after 24 years Ice hockey team Manchester Storm is set to return home to its original stadium after 24 years. The team will play next season in the city's AO Arena after leaving their current home ground at Planet Ice in Altrincham. Founded back in 1995, the team played in the then newly opened Manchester Arena as a tenant and became inaugural champions of the Ice Hockey Superleague in 1996. They also set a British ice hockey attendance record when 17,245 fans watched their game against Sheffield Steelers the following season, which still stands. The club left the arena in 2002 but said it was returning to take advantage of a growth in ice hockey's popularity to get more fans to the 23,000-capacity venue. Emma and Ryan Finnerty, representing the team's ownership group, said: "It's about giving our fans a premier stage in the heart of the city and delivering an outstanding live experience." They added: "This marks the start of an exciting new era for the club. The arena's general manager, Gemma Vaughan, said staff were "proud" to have Storm back in the "UK's largest indoor sporting arena". She added: "This homecoming will bring new energy to the city centre, driving footfall for local bars, restaurants, and hotels while creating more opportunities for fans to engage with the sport. "It's a major step forward for ice hockey's growth in the UK and a brilliant moment for Manchester's already thriving sporting community." Tell us which stories we should cover in Greater Manchester Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: email: northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 808 100 2230 Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. . You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. A white ice skate on a blue, white and black marked ice rink Cedric Lacroix of Cardiff Devils and Dennis Busby of Manchester Storm Cardiff Devils secure shootout win over Manchester Storm Vijay Chawla, of Rectory Lane, Bury, subjected his victim to a "terrifying ordeal", police say. Three men are each jailed for 20 months for their part in a rooftop protest at a factory in Shipley. Mohammad Bashir pleads not guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts and three other offences.