Soccer centres hitting financial goals

GOALS Soccer Centres has funding in place to open at least six more five-a-side venues next year, its annual general meeting heard yesterday.

The East Kilbride-based company also said that trading was in line with expectations despite disruption caused by heavy snow at the beginning of the year.

During the first quarter of 2010 new centres opened in Liverpool and at Eltham in London. Construction is also well advanced in Portsmouth, at Gillette Corner in London and at Ipswich, and work on another three centres will start shortly.

All six venues are on schedule to open in the current financial year. The company's first centre in the US is under construction in Los Angeles and is also scheduled to open in June.

Chairman Sir Rodney Walker told the meeting that the company was "highly cash generative".

Last month, Goals posted a 7 per cent rise in profits to 8.8 million for 2009.