Goals Soccer Centres scores successful IPO

Goals Soccer Centres floated on the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on 7 December.

Following a huge interest in the company’s stock, Goals was valued at £34m by the end of its first day on AIM -– well above initial estimates of £25m.

The initial public offering (IPO) comes four years since the company was formed through a management buy-in in 2000.

Keith Rogers, managing director, said the company, which currently operates 11 five-a-side football centres across the UK, attracts around 30,000 users each week and plans to open a further 15 over the next three years.

“Our next openings will be in Wolverhampton in January 2005 and on Teesside in February and we have four further sites opening by the end of 2005,” he said.

“We invest around £1.8m in each centre and I believe our success is based on providing a next generation experience. By this I mean quality in both facilities and location – our pitches use an artificial turf which doesn’t burn you when you slide on it and our centres are always easy to access.”

A typical Goals centre is around three acres in size with between 10-16 floodlit pitches, while a modern pavilion boasts changing rooms and licensed lounges.

During the day, the centres offer their facilities for the use of local schools. Each centre also runs a number of leagues which are affiliated to the Football Association (FA).

The company reported a turnover of £6.2m for the nine-month period ending 30 September 2004.