Manchester Phoenix owner Neil Morris insists that progress is still being made on their plans to build a new ice rink in Manchester .

Premier League side Phoenix have been without a permanent rink ever since they were forced to leave the Silverblades Ice Dome in Altrincham , which is now home to Elite League team Manchester Storm.

They spent last season playing in Deeside, but found things tough financially and had to set up a Supporters Trust fund to help raise money to complete the season.

Despite the struggles, Morris remains confident about the club’s future, and has revealed that they are close to finally securing their rink in Manchester.

“The concept moved past being just a vision many months ago. I know people are getting frustrated that we cannot just announce its location and unveil all our partners, but there has been a lot of work to do to actually make this project a reality,” he said.

“(Coach) Tony Hand and I would not be working so hard on this venture if we both didn’t believe that we could make this happen.

“This venture will help put Manchester back on the map for ice hockey.

“We are very lucky to still have councils here in the UK with the vision and experience like Manchester to help rebuild our local community sports centres.”

Phoenix have also revealed that supporters will soon be able to reserve their seats in the new build before season tickets then go on sale next month.