Rink and Court Area

Closures due to Programs/Events

• Every Tuesday from 6pm-closing, the basketball court area and west tennis court will be closed for FreePlay basketball (register for kids to join!).

  • Rink and east court will remain open.

• Sunday afternoons from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. rink is closed for YegWheel Club. Register to join!

  • Court area will remain open.

• Skateboarding Session dates to be announced in May.

• September 14: Entire area closed for BeerFest by Blind Enthusiasm. Buy your ticket and join flavours from around the province and from across Canada.

Membership Reminder

The Edmonton Federation Community Leagues requires anyone using rink and court area to have a community league membership. Entering the gated area requires a valid membership from any community league.

Purchase an annual Ritchie resident membership or a membership with your home league to participate.

Ice Season

For winter, both the rink and court area (outer rink) is flooded as early as November, typically open by December, and closes typically in March when it melts. The rink and outer rink area is operated by dedicated volunteers, not the City of Edmonton or paid contractors.

Court Season

During the other months, the outer rink / court area hosts tennis, pickleball and basketball while the inner rink hosts YegWheel, ball hockey, skateboarding, and more pickleball.

Volunteering:

RCL volunteers put in hundreds of hours (typically more than 400) to prepare rink and flood, shovel, and maintain the ice. If you’d like to join the rink crew and help with snow removal, just check out Facebook or swing by after it snows. We wait until all the flakes fall from a snow event before we start shoveling and ask for about 1 hour of help.

If you’re interested in being a key holder and learn how to open a safe rink, we’re looking for morning openers.

SPORTS LEAD NEEDED: The Ritchie league is looking for a special volunteer to lead sports stuff. This includes making sure equipment is solid and coordinating with program leads (Freeplay, Skateboard Club, etc) on stuff they may need.

Contact: Volunteers@Ritchie-League.com if interested.

Winter Rules and Rink Operations:

Open daily at 10 a.m. (ish) and when a volunteer can open the gate.

Closes at 9 p.m (ish) or when:

• colder than -19°C,

• above 0°C,

• snow is still covering the skating surface or

• during an RCL event.

Skaters use the space at their own risk. Expectations and rules for entering on the rink or outer rink area during winter season.

• A community league (any league) membership is required to use the skating surfaces.

• Ice is slippery and hard: a helmet and protective equipment is strongly recommended for all skaters.

• We recommend not carrying infants on the ice and to not text while skating.

• Children require supervision by an adult or responsible adult member.

• Alcohol consumption and smoking is prohibited.

• No spitting, fighting, foul language, body checking, or pushing.

• Skaters need to maintain stick and puck control at all times.

• Parking your car in the parked in parking is at your own (sometimes pucks fly off crossbar and over the fence).

Winter Rink Rentals: RCL will explore options for winter rink rentals with a commitment to always have the outer rink area open to its members.

Court Season

We usually open the courts for tennis and pickleball in April or May. Courts close in October (ish).

We have 2 outdoor asphalt tennis courts (with nets) and 3 pickleball courts inside the rink (without nets).

RCL pickleball - drop-in to play starting in July, every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. and Thursday evening at 6 p.m., depending on the weather, of course. Your RCL host is Tara or Jo Ann.