Keegan Backs Company To Tune Of £2.37m!

Last Updated : 01-Feb-2008 by
That may be considered an enormous gamble by the former England coach because in the 12 months to April 2007 the start-up made an operating loss of more than £1m.

Soccer Circus runs what it describes as "the world's first interactive football attraction" out of the Xscape sports and leisure centre in the Braehead area of Glasgow.

But to get to its long-awaited opening 16 months ago the company required a massive financial commitment from Keegan.

According to the company's website the project, which was about 10 years in the making, has received more than £6m of investment.

As far back as April 2004 Soccer Circus stated it had net liabilities of almost £1m but declared itself a "going concern on the grounds that [Keegan] will continue to support the company".

At that time he had invested almost £1.7m in interest-free loans; by April 2005 this had risen to £1.9m; in April 2006 his declared investment in Soccer Circus had reached £2.37m.

Is that why he is back in management, after saying last November he was finished with football management?