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The-a-side game played by professional footballers is going through a rough patch, hit by a lousy World Cup, the threat of bankruptcy for leading clubs and the apparent fondness of star players for prostitutes.
But the sport's five-a-side version looks to be growing in popularity as office workers and women start up teams.
Goals Soccer Centres today reports a 3% rise in sales for the six months to June of £13.2 million. Like-for-like sales — those at existing rather than new pitches — fell 3%, largely due to “exceptional” levels of snow between January and March.
Profit slid 3% to £3.8 million, but Goals is confident enough about the future to hold the interim dividend at 0.675p.
The company reckons that the snow was the worst in 47 years.
Goals managing director Keith Rogers says: “We delivered a robust trading performance in spite of the abnormal weather and a challenging economic environment.”
Birthday parties and corporate events account for 10% of sales. Both these forms of business are under threat in austerity Britain, say analysts.
The company claims a market share of 41% — its closest rival is PowerLeague.
Goals plans to open six more centres in 2011, taking the total to 43.
