Powerleague is an operator of small-sided football centres, with 43 sites across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and

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. The company is headquartered in

Fitzrovia Fitzrovia ( ) is a district of central London, England, near the West End. Its eastern part is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urbanised in ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It also manages amateur sports leagues across the UK through its league operations arm, formerly known as Powerplay, which now operates under the Powerleague brand. These leagues span over 350 locations and include

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

competitions. Powerleague has developed a proprietary artificial playing surface known as POWERPITCH™, and introduced an updated version, POWERPITCHPLUS™, in 2023.

Origins

In 1987, Keith Rogers opened what is considered the world’s first commercial 5-a-side football centre in Paisley, under the brand name Pitz. Rogers expanded the business to 11 centres before it was acquired by private equity firm 3i, which subsequently rebranded the operation as Powerleague.

Recent history

In 2002, after a period of decline, 3i invited Claude Littner, then Chief Executive of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., to take over executive leadership. A year later, Littner led a

management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

, leaving 3i with a minority stake. After listing on the

Alternative Investment Market AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market, Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in opera ...

, Powerleague acquired the Soccerdome centres from

JJB Sports JJB Sports plc was a British sports retailer. On 24 September 2012, shares in JJB Sports were suspended, and the firm called in administrators. On 1 October 2012, it was announced that Sports Direct had purchased part of the business, includ ...

in 2008. The company was subsequently acquired by Patron Capital in December 2009. 2018–present In 2018, Patron Capital appointed a new executive team, including CEO Christian Rose, CFO Mike Evans, and John Gillespie, who has since become Chief Commercial and Customer Officer. Since then, the company has undertaken infrastructure upgrades across its centres, including pitch resurfacing, clubhouse renovations, and improvements to digital services. In June 2025, Powerleague was acquired by Broadsword Investment Management. The existing executive team remained in place under the new ownership. Broadsword announced plans to support Powerleague’s expansion strategy, including site development, pitch regeneration, and entry into new sports sectors such as padel.

Padel expansion

In 2024, Powerleague introduced padel courts at its

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and

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locations. In 2025, the company announced a £14 million investment to establish 17 additional padel clubs across the UK. By 2026, the expansion is expected to result in 76 courts, with an estimated 200,000 annual users.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Youth football in the United Kingdom Football in Scotland Leisure companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Renfrewshire Companies formerly listed on the Alternative Investment Market