Five-a-side football firm Goals posts loss after snow and rescheduling hits sales
Five-a-side football operator Goals Soccer Centres has recovered from bad weather and a slump during the World Cup to return to growth.
The company, which operates 49 sites including three in the US, said it swung to a £1.1m loss in the first half of the year – compared with a £2.6m profit the previous year as bad weather led to games being re-scheduled.
Sales declined by 2.8 per cent to £16.2m for the six months ending 30 June.
It said snow hitting the UK in the early part of the year meant amateur 11-a-side games were moved to midweek slots, when players normally played 5-a-side, carrying the problems over into the second quarter of 2018.
But the Scottish firm said improved performance in recent weeks – after an anticipated downturn during the World Cup – had seen it “fully recoup” the impact of the bad weather with positive like-for-like sales for the year.
Chief executive Andy Anson, who joined the company in April, said: “I am greatly encouraged by our performance in recent weeks which has seen the business fully recoup the financial effects of the extreme weather and moved us into positive like-for-like sales territory for the year to date.”
The outdoor small-sided football operator also said its £3m modernisation of 78 of its arenas was on course to be completed early next month – completing the upgrade of 338 of its 460 venues.