Analysis of the population with access to modern sports and in particular ice hockey infrastructure in the Russian Federation (indoor ice rinks and children’s hockey schools), demonstrates a significant lagging behind the leading sporting nations. In this context, the aim of this article is to develop proposals for the development of methodological approaches to the determination of needs standards in objects of physical culture and sport and the identification of key challenges and areas for improving state policy on the development of the sports infrastructure. The article is based on the analysis of official statistics of the Russian Federation, the relevant normative-legal base regulating the system of development of physical culture and sports, as well as key performance indicators of leading international sports federations. The article also identifies key factors, influencing the development of ice hockey and winter sports in the conditions of intensive growth of the market segment of a commercial real estate sports and entertainment destination. According to the results of the analysis the following conclusions are made: the existing organizational structure of using sport facilities does not allow to solve the task of providing training, competitive, biomedical and educational work with young hockey players, the lack of a boarding school mechanism makes it impossible to continue athletic training by athletes of post-secondary vocational education, it is necessary to intensify the construction of inexpensive objects, providing opportunities of mass sports to all categories of the population, the alignment of the existing capacity of the regions with sports facilities.