Glice rink managers receiving practical training beside a synthetic ice rink

Glice Academy

Glice Rink Manager Certification

Run your rink right: practical training for the people who operate and maintain your Glice rink.

Train your own team to clean, maintain, sharpen and operate a Glice rink confidently in about 45 minutes, with certification included with every rink.

Glice is a Swiss-engineered synthetic ice rink system that delivers a real skating experience on regular ice skates, with no water and no electricity. Its solid polymer panels showed 52% less friction than the next-best synthetic ice in standardized Fraunhofer Institute testing, and are now installed in more than 3,000 rinks across 100+ countries.

Reviewed by Viktor Meier, Co-Founder & CEO, Glice AG · Last reviewed: September 2026

A great surface is only half of a successful rink; running it well is the other half. The Glice Rink Manager Certification trains your own team to do exactly that in about 45 minutes, and it comes included with every Glice rink.

45 minonline course
Includedwith every rink
2 yearscertificate validity

Why a rink needs more than a great surface

The surface decides how a rink skates, but it does not run the rink. Even the best ice has to be set up, kept clean, maintained and managed through a busy season. A neglected rink slides from great to mediocre no matter what it is made of. That is why the two halves of a successful rink are Glice quality and a rink that is run correctly. The good news is that the second half is genuinely easy once your team knows how, which is what the certification is for. The wider picture of what makes a rink succeed or fail is on the Why synthetic ice rinks fail page.

Why a Glice rink is easy to run

Running a Glice rink is nothing like running a refrigerated one. There is no cooling plant to manage, no refrigerant, no water and no ice technicians to hire. Your own team runs it with a simple routine and the right products. The certification exists to hand that routine over clearly, so anyone on your staff can keep the rink looking and skating its best.

A staff member cleaning a Glice synthetic ice rink with a maintenance machine
Simple daily maintenance: a straightforward cleaning routine helps your team keep the surface performing at its best.

What the certification covers

The course is short and practical, and it covers everything a team needs to run the rink well.

Cleaning and maintenance

How to keep the surface clean and cared for so it stays fast and looks its best all season, with the correct products and cadence, and why the routine matters.

Sharpening

How to check and sharpen blades on a routine, so skaters always have a good edge and the rink is never the thing they blame.

Running sessions and customer flow

How to run smooth, safe sessions, manage skaters on and off the ice, and keep the experience good when the rink is busy.

Installation and deinstallation for seasonal rinks

For rinks that go up and come down each season, how to set up, strike and store the rink properly, so it packs down efficiently and comes back season after season.

Who needs it, and how long it lasts

Anyone who works directly with the rink should be certified. The course takes about 45 minutes, and each person who completes it receives a certificate valid for two years. After two years, or whenever new people join the team, they take the certification again, so the rink is always run by certified staff and standards never drift.

Included with every rink

The certification comes with every Glice rink, so running it right is part of the offer, not an add-on, and it is available to Glice rink clients. Your team is trained and certified before the season starts, and the certification is there again whenever you need it: to bring new staff up to standard or to renew when the two years are up, with the Glice Academy and the Rink Manager Community behind you throughout.

In short

A successful rink is Glice quality plus a rink run right. The Glice Rink Manager Certification takes about 45 minutes and is included with every rink. It trains everyone who works directly with the rink to clean, maintain, sharpen and operate it, with no cooling plant and no ice technicians needed. The certificate lasts two years and helps keep the rink at its best throughout every season.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Glice Rink Manager Certification included with a rink?

Yes. It comes with every Glice rink at no extra cost and is available to Glice rink clients. Your team is trained and certified before the season starts, and you can re-certify new staff or renew whenever you need to.

How long does the certification take?

About 45 minutes. It is a short, practical online course covering cleaning and maintenance, sharpening, running sessions, and, for seasonal rinks, installation and deinstallation, so your team can run the rink well from day one.

Who needs to be certified?

Anyone who works directly with the rink. Certifying everyone who cleans, maintains, sharpens or runs sessions keeps standards consistent and the surface at its best all season.

How long is the certificate valid?

Two years. Each person who completes the course receives a certificate valid for two years, after which they take it again. New staff who join in the meantime take it too, so the rink is always run by certified people.

Do I need an ice technician to run a Glice rink?

No. There is no cooling plant, no refrigerant and no water, so you do not need an ice technician. Your own certified team runs the rink with a simple routine and the right maintenance products.

Ready to run your rink right?

Tell us about your project. Our team will explain how Glice and the included Rink Manager Certification support your operation from day one.

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Key facts

  • Fraunhofer IWM measured Glice friction matching freshly resurfaced real ice at lower speed
  • 52% less friction and 45% less blade indentation than the next-best synthetic ice competitor
  • Operating in 100+ countries with 3,000+ installations
  • Swiss-engineered panels manufactured in Germany under exclusivity

Last updated: June 2026