Council bans ice hockey team from rink in financial dispute
It says it is owed more than £65,000 by the company which runs the Solway Sharks senior men's side.
The Solway Sharks play in the National Ice Hockey League, finishing ninth in the 2025-26 season [David Yule] A Scottish ice hockey team has been banned from playing at a council-owned ice rink in a dispute over payments. The Dumfries senior men's side, the Solway Sharks, plays its games in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) at the town's Ice Bowl. However, Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) said it had shown "considerable patience" with DJR Sport Ltd - which runs the team - but it had now decided to seek recovery of a debt of more than £65,000 through the courts.
A statement from Solway Sharks said the club had operated without access to "key revenue streams" throughout last season and had lodged a complaint with the council about its handling of the situation. The Ice Bowl has undergone a multi-million pound upgrade in the past year [BBC] The Solway Sharks play in the second tier of the sport in the UK - and are the only Scottish side in the sport. Their closest away game is in Leeds - about 160 miles (260km) away from Dumfries.
Home games at the Ice Bowl - which they call the Shark Tank - have proved popular with supporters with big crowds in attendance. The facility was shut in May last year to undergo a multi-million pound overhaul to improve its "sustainability and efficiency". A council statement put out on Wednesday evening said DJR Sport Ltd had defaulted on an agreed payment plan and owed just over £65,000.
"We have shown considerable patience over an extended period," it said. "We have agreed to revised payments and made repeated efforts to resolve the matter. "Despite giving assurances, the company has again failed to meet agreed commitments, which represents a material breach of contract.