Goals Soccer Centres (trading as Goals) is an operator of dedicated 5-a-side football centres based in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, with 45 locations in the UK and four in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

History

The origins of the industry go back to 1987 when Keith Rogers, co-founder of Goals, opened the world's first 5-a-side football centre in Paisley under the brand name of Pitz. The business grew and was sold to venture capitalists for £38 million in 1999, which then rebranded the business

Powerleague Powerleague is a leading operator of small sided football artificial pitches with 42 football centres in the UK, Ireland and Netherlands, based in Fitzrovia, London in England. It has an exclusive playing surface called “Power Pitch” which it c ...

. Keith Rogers thereafter led an

Management buy-in A management buy-in (MBI) occurs when a manager or a management team from ''outside'' the company raises the necessary finance, buys it, and becomes the company's new management. A management buy-in team often competes with other purchasers in the s ...

of an existing small local five-a-side football business in Glasgow the following year to create Goals Soccer Centres based in East Kilbride. He subsequently grew the business to 46 centres in the UK and launched the business in the US opening two centres in Southgate and Pomona and developing a pipeline of sites (Rancho Cucamonga and Covina) for future expansion. In 2012 shareholders rejected a bid by

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (french: Régime de retraite des enseignantes et des enseignants de l'Ontario) is an independent organization responsible for administering defined-benefit pensions for school teachers of the Canadian pr ...

and Keith Rogers to take the company private. Rogers left Goals at the end of 2016. In October 2019, following financial problems it was announced that Goals Soccer Centres was being acquired by a Inflexion Private Equity and competitor Soccerworld through a company vehicle, Northwind 5s Limited.

References

{{reflist, 30em Football in the United Kingdom Leisure companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Glasgow