has anyone worked in or ran an indoor skatepark?

Just trying to work out if its possible, in tofays climate.

What problems and pitfulls do you come up againsy on a day to day basis and also yearly.
Insurances fees etc.

Any help and information would be greatly appricated.

My email is in my profile if you have a lot of information.

Thanks

What part of the country are you thinking about because in the south rent on somewhere big enough is an issue. Also one of your main clients will be kids so somewhere near a large population or a train station would be good.

not a skater myself but these guys (in Poole, south coast) may be worth asking:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prevail-Skatehouse/277218122315442

might be worth asking these guys, I take my lads there: skaterham

the fact that indoor skate parks seem to come and go pretty regularly suggest that it isn’t a particularly sustainable business model.

Are you willing to do the right thing and ban micro-scooters? 👿

Well its sadly not in the cheapest part of the country, so maybe the reason there never has been one.
But at the same time there is the demand and its always been here even when i was 15.

Just trying to put a buisness plan together.

Leaseing a good size unit is the problem in a place that is accessable.
If the figures no work out then its very unlikely.
But i would rathet try and know ive tried than not at all.

As i said any info is a help.

the fact that indoor skate parks seem to come and go pretty regularly suggest that it isn’t a particularly sustainable business model.

I’ve never worked in or owned a park, but I’ve skated a good few over the years, and have friends who have made efforts to set them up, unsuccessfully. I know enough to know that it’s not an easy business.

Insurance costs are high. The space required is not cheap. And if it’s to be a success it’ll need some good input, have to be well thought out, well built, and welcoming. And even then you’ll probably need a bit of luck.

There are a few which have kept their doors open for a good number of years, but I have no doubt that is down to the dedication of the owners holding them open.

Kids will do anything to get in for free and will steal anything not bolted down. It probably wont make money unless you get a succesful shop attached to it.
Skating / BMX / fruitboots / micro-hell are all cyclical in yoof fashion, one discipline can be very popular one year and nothing the next, when the next wave of kids get older it will be another discipline until they get cars / girlfriends and it happens all over gain and skateparks need to adapt to suit.
Vert ramps & bowls have been taken out of some to make way for climbing walls etc. Its all wrong I tell you. Very wrong.

Also alot of very good free skateparks around these days.

Also Paul if you have a foam pit people will travel a bit further to ride your Skate park.

Are you willing to do the right thing and ban micro-scooters?

Sounds great but micro-scooters will bring a large turnout and they tend to lead on to riding boards or bmx too.

and Passtherizla off here will be best to ask.

Yeah the foam pit i have thought about, alot depends on what size unit we can lease. also hoping to fit in a pump track not made from soil.

Luckliy iam a carpenter so we can get materials at good rates from the years we have been trading.
It woild be open to any wheeled bot of kit we can think off.
Just boils alot down to location, if its possible to create an income to support its self and pay back any money that has been payed in.

I like the idea of the indoor mountainbike park up manchester way.

I have also contacted a few skateparks just asking the same thing as on here. As of yet not had any replys.

But can only keep trying.

pump track not made from soil.

Don’t rule out soil it can be cheaper than wood and is easy to re shape and change the lay out.

Give the people at Preston Arc a shout.

Started off with a bunch of parents grouping together IIRC…

http://www.arc-skatepark-preston.com/about-us

Must be pretty difficult even some of the best places close down, in the midlands two of the best places closed down, Radlands and Derby Storm. So I would say being a good skatepark has no correlation to being successful

*remembers Jamie Bestwick at Derby Storm* OMFG !!!

Loved radlands!

As much as it pains me to say it, it has to work as a buisness.
Scottfitz – at least with timber it opens it up to scooters, skate boards and inline skates, no point limiting it to bikes.

Thing i need to find out is abput specific insurances and problems a park can face from out side of the actuall layout and who its open too.

Cheers for the help so far.

I’d love to ride something like the Joyride 150 thing I keep seeing popping up on pinkbike, it’d be ideal for rainy days or just days when you wanna go ride some jumps… Its so hard to find decent jumps or the land/time to build your own on.
Pump tracks are fun too!

They are exceedingly difficult to get them working as a business, the ones I worked in were badly run and never made any money or if they did they owner would run off with any money in his brand new S3 instead of reinvesting…. The one I started first was through the Birmingham Youth Centre people that I was attending at the time and was not for profit and all ramps etc were donated/built by my dad and other friends. this lasted about 20 years and only stopped last year (I haven’t been involved for about 10) as the leisure centre built a concrete park, although it is terrible.

For it to work as a business you would really have to (and it kills me to say it) let everyone in, but then what is good for a bmxer isn’t always good for skating or scootering or etc… the best way around this is to have evenings only for adults/ scooter afternoon/mornings etc.. so that people are not clashing with each other, I have seen some monumental punch ups between skaters and bmxers at the parks. You don’t want that in todays blame culture and with the added stress of scooter knobs. Also have a good supply of spares, if there is no local skate shop or Bike shop etc you may do exceedingly well out of speaking to shiner and setting up a little store on site, or speaking to the local skate shop and have them rent a concession on site… cafe is a good money spinner drinks bacon sarnies etc..

You will however get people letting there mates ion free it is unavoidable, IME.

It’d have to be a to good to be true deal for me to get involved in one these days its too much heart ache…

My pal is behind a new project called skate house in Brighton that is an indoor concrete park… That looks awesome and has been fully funded through donations and hard work, they have poured all their own transitions and formed concrete coping etc… its looking awesome! check them out on face book. The guys might be able to help with how they got a location etc…?

email in profile.

Skate house, Beighton: http://theskatehouse.co.uk/gallery/

Radlands was great, Damian’s greasy spoon was even better!

Vert ramps & bowls have been taken out of some to make way for climbing walls etc. Its all wrong I tell you. Very wrong.

Couldn’t agree more…. Grrrr