JJB sells its soccer domes for £17m

Mar 26 2008 by Iain Laing, The Journal

CRUTES law firm has advised Powerleague Group on its £17m acquisition of JJB Sports’ Football Division.

The Newcastle law firm worked closely with the national five-a-side football operator to help secure the acquisition of JJB’s Soccer Domes brand for £17.4m.

The deal sees Powerleague acquire five indoor centres across the north of England and add another 69 pitches to its empire.

Anne McCulloch, corporate partner at Crutes, said: “We were delighted to be instructed by Powerleague on this major acquisition, and we look forward to working closely with the Powerleague team further during what is sure to be an exciting time of growth and expansion.”

As part of the deal, JJB will now become Powerleague’s official sports retailer, selling JJB stock and goods at all of its centres across the UK.

The move, backed by the Bank of Scotland Corporate, will see Powerleague acquire centres in Wigan, Derby, Blackburn and North Shields. The major coup is landing JJB’s Manchester Soccer Dome. It is the world’s biggest five-a-side centre with 19 indoor and three outdoor pitches.

The deal means that Powerleague will now operate in 43 locations and 455 pitches across the UK and the transaction will add at least £6m to the company’s turnover.

Powerleague chief executive Sean Tracey said: “We are very excited about the opportunities the acquisition of the JJB Soccer Domes will bring.

“The addition of JJB as our official Sports Retailer will bring added value to both companies.

“We were very happy with the way that the deal was handled by our legal team – everything went very smoothly and this was in a large part down to the advice and professional approach of the team at Crutes.”