We did take Ted to his first panthers game after he had just turned 2. His second match would be Nottingham Panthers vs Coventry Blaze, night match in September.
At the moment, we purchase our tickets online on the day. We do this as Ted is currently in playgroup and regularly the children will pass on illnesses between each other so it allows us to know Ted is well enough to go. Also, it helps us choose an area within the arena which isn’t as busy as others, so Ted has a bit more freedom and we are not constantly worrying about whether he is going to kick the seat infront.
We choose tickets in block 8 and they cost us £25.20 per adult and Ted was £13.6, this is the total including venue facility fee and booking fee. We opted for mobile tickets and they were available to immediately download to our apple wallets straight after purchasing.
We always park at The Victoria Centre. This is a quick 10 minute walk the arena. As it was a night match we went to, we parked after 5pm and this cost us £5.50 for our stay. There’s always plenty of parent and child parking as well at the shopping centre, which makes it easier for us having Ted in the pram.
When you arrive outside the Motorpoint arena, the pram was given a quick check over and also any bags we had with us. We then had our tickets scanned at the next section and were then able to enter the area. The process takes 2 minutes in total. Chris and I have been too many Panthers game and have never experienced a long queue.
The Motorpoint arena is very accessible for young children. We are able to take his pram in without any issues and can store this within the area. The prams are left inside the block entrances, next to the wheelchair seating. Staff are always standing here as well throughout the game does it always feel safe
At the arena, there are separate baby changing toilets, which were in-between ladies and mens toilets. There is a staff member who sits across from the baby changing to ensure it’s only used by the correct individuals.
There’s plenty of food to have within the arena. We do love the pizza however this time we tried the gammon cob with stuffing and then fries later on in the game. Both were delicious! You can take your food and drinks to your seats without any issues. There is a good variety of food available. You can also get fish and chips, pick n mix, popcorn, cakes and much more.
I feel compared to other arenas we have visited, we also enjoy our visit to Motorpoint arena. The staff are always very friendly. It’s easy to get around the venue and very accessible for all. We love the atmosphere at Panthers games, compared to other sports. It’s brilliant for families.
We have previously see the mascot Paws around the arena, normally giving any jerseys and flowers during the game. We didn’t manage to get up close with him this time but hopefully next time we will be able to help Ted meet Paws!
Chris was wearing his Nottingham Panthers jersey and Ted has his Panthers jumper on, to help keep him warm as it can get quite cold in the arena. I have ordered a jersey but there are delays at the moment with dispatching them so I hope to have this in time for the next game!
Ted was fantastic during before and during the game. He was so excited and was clapping along with the crowd. He would keep leaning forward in his seat to get a good view. For the majority of the game, he sat in his seat, clapping away. Only a couple of times we wanted to stand or sit on our knees but we had no one in front of us, behind us or to the side off us, which gave us great amount of space.
The game was brilliant and ended 3-2, Panthers WIN! We don’t have season tickets due to working commitments and with Chris being the match reporter for Shepshed Dynamo Football Club. We are Ice Hockey so much that we are planning a trip to America and Canada to see some games out there! We looking forward to seeing Nottingham Panthers again!