GOALS Soccer Centres revealed a rival was considering making a bid for the five-a-side football pitch operator in a move that threatens to kick-off a takeover battle.
Goals, which has 43 UK sites, has received an approach from Patron Capital Partners, which owns a controlling stake in rival Powerleague – although it added that there was no certainty an offer will be forthcoming.
The move comes just weeks after an approach from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which is one of Canada’s biggest pension funds and owns National Lottery operator Camelot.
Shares in Goals rose by 7% yesterday – 9.5p higher at 136.5p – and are now more than 23% higher than when Ontario first expressed an interest amid hopes that both companies will make competing offers.
The deadline for Ontario to make a bid, which has already been extended once, is next Monday.
Powerleague has 45 floodlit five-a-side football centres, with 470 pitches used by more than 130,000 players each week.
It has said it believes there is potential for more than 100 centres in the UK, with five-a-side participation having exceeded 11-a-side for the past two decades.
