Players still flocking to kick a ball, Goals insists

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Goals Soccer Centres insists not, even as it said today that it plans to postpone new pitch openings.

It admits there has been a slowdown in corporate bookings and children's birthday parties, but says otherwise demand remains solid. In the year to December sales were up 9% to £30.3 million.

Over the year, new centres were opened in Sunderland, Liverpool, Norwich and Hull, taking the total to 42.

Goals is making a trial of a "modular" concept whereby a centre is built in a factory then lifted onto the site.

Postponing new openings will also help the board to pay down debt, said the statement. Debts presently stand at £52.4 million - higher than the firm's market value of £47.6 million today at a share price of 98p. Goals reckons well over 100,000 players use its facilities every week, scoring an estimated 50 million goals a year.