Courtesy: Business Quarter


Franchising pays off for The Futsal Partnership

A North East business helping young people get into 'futsal', a form of football played with five players per side on a smaller, typically indoor, pitch, is expanding throughout the UK after deciding to franchise its business model.

Monday 17 Oct 2016

The Futsal Partnership was launched by entrepreneur Matt Goodman in Newcastle six years ago with the aim of providing more ways for young people to get into football.

Matt launched the business having previously owned a chain of builder's merchants. Growing tired of the same routine day-in, day-out, Matt decided it was time for a career change and decided to pack up his tools and do something he loved.

He told BQ: "I woke up one morning and decided I was wasting my life and wanted to do something for passion not money anymore. I decided to launch a lifestyle business, I wanted to do something that gave me time and to love my work.

"I went on to attend Northumbria Uni to study an msc in Sports Coaching which is what inspired me to launch The Futsal Partnership. I launched the first sessions in Newcastle and then started working with two fellow students, Kirsty and Dan, who helped set up areas in Gateshead and Northumberland.

"As the company started to grow we went on to add a further two areas in Durham and Teesside, again through university students. We started to work together to build our systems and last October we decided upon the franchise model. We have also launched a second business called Sport and Play.

"At first my inspiration was me, it was a change of lifestyle, however I very quickly got hooked on the vision of the business which has morphed over time. Now we are very clear, we want to reduce the mass drop our rate from sport (currently 80%) by age 16 we want sport to be about children, to encourage play and to make it fun. Now we are a cult who are driven to meet our aims."

Initially launching in the North East, The Futsal Partnership now has operations in Scotland and is looking to kick on with more sites across the UK as it continues growing.

Matt added: "We decided to go down the franchise route as it meets our secondary aim; to help young people own their own businesses and be the masters of their own destiny.

"Sports jobs are often undervalued and underpaid we have changed this by providing graduates with the opportunity to earn significant incomes and be truly proud of the work they are doing.

"Without franchising I don't think we would have been able to grow as quickly as we have. We now have nine franchisees, two master franchises, opening a new master franchise in Scotland and interest across the country.

"In three years time we hope to be impacting national policy in sport, be a national and international business and have provided career opportunities for hundreds of young people."



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com