Goals Soccer Centres said yesterday it was modernising part of its 46-strong UK chain of five-a-side football venues after “long periods of site under-investment”.
It is investing £3.5million in a “catch-up” programme that will see 25 sites have their playing surfaces upgraded with high-tech artificial turf between July and October.
A further £1.6million is being spent on other arena improvements this year.
Goals, based in East Kilbride, near Glasgow, said the age profile of its pitches would improve significantly as a result of the work.
Nearly one-third of its UK playing surfaces at locations including Aberdeen will be less than a year old and 46% less than three years old.
An additional £7.9million is to be invested in a clubhouse refurbishment programme – its Club initiative – which will be introduced at two pilot centres during the third quarter of 2016 and rolled out to the remainder of the estate over the next two years.
Clubhouse upgrades are expected to deliver new signage and better reception and changing areas and cafe facilities.
Selected “higher potential” centres will be significantly redesigned and facilities relaunched as part of the plans to boost revenue.
The spending spree is being paid for from the proceeds of a £16.75million fundraising share placement which will also help the group to push ahead with US expansion.
It currently has just one site across the Atlantic, in Los Angeles, which is one of its top performing venues.
The company has earmarked £2.6million for a second site in LA in the second half of the year.
There is an advanced pipeline of four additional potential centres, all in the greater LA area.
Goals recently hired a new chief executive to replace Keith Rogers, who has crossed the Atlantic to head up the US expansion.
New CEO Mark Jones is supported by a board which will soon also include Michael Bolingbroke, a former chief operating officer at Manchester United FC and the current chairman of Italian football giants Inter Milan. Mr Bolingbroke joins the Goals board next week.
Goals said yesterday it had suffered from long periods of site under-investment which had restricted the modernisation of existing centres, due largely to legal commitments to invest in new centres alongside a need to deleverage the balance sheet.
It added: “This has resulted in 14 centres – 31% of UK centres – having an average pitch age of nine years or older, compared to an expected life of 10 years, and 70% of pitches aged six years or older.
“This under-investment has taken place during a period of increased competition as significant growth in independently managed AGPs (artificial grass pitches) has increased the supply … within the market, coupled with greater competition from an expansion of league operators.”
