Goals eyes US expansion as profits rise 10%

GOALS Soccer Centres, the five-a-side football operator, has seen its “year of transition” pay off after netting a 10 per cent jump in profits.
East Kilbrides Goals Soccer Centres aims to add two Stateside locationsEast Kilbrides Goals Soccer Centres aims to add two Stateside locations
East Kilbrides Goals Soccer Centres aims to add two Stateside locations

The East Kilbride-based group, which runs 45 centres in the UK and one in the US, also confirmed plans yesterday to press ahead with an expansion on both sides of the Atlantic. It has agreed terms on two Stateside locations to add to its existing facility in Los Angeles.

Managing director Keith Rogers said the group had undertaken “significant investment” to give it scale as he unveiled a rise in pre-tax profits to £10.6 million in 2014 from £9.6m a year earlier.

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The results also showed that sales had risen by 3 per cent to £34.7m – a figure flagged in January – while a 13 per cent hike in the final dividend takes the full-year payout to 2p a share, a rise of 8 per cent on 2013.

Rogers pointed to a successful take-up of the firm’s new mobile app, which has helped reduce cancelled matches and the hassle of collecting fees. To date, more than 20,000 downloads have been completed.

“2014 marked the first full year of the group’s ‘path to success’ strategy and I am pleased to report good progress across the business,” noted Rogers.

In an update on current trading, Goals said sales were up after a flat start to the year due to bad weather.

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