Fragranced dressing rooms and Adidas hubs part of Powerleague’s Next Generation

Adidas retail areas, 5G pitches and cage football facilities will be incorporated into ‘Next Generation’ Powerleague centres in a £40m (US$58m, €50.8m) expansion investment made by the operator.

Sunbury, West London will be the first of 13 new centres being built in London over the next three years which aim to take innovation “one step further”.

As well as the Adidas hubs – where the latest boots can be tested – and improved pitches, players can take advantage of pitchside lockers with phone chargers, and changing rooms which have spearmint fragrance pumped in to rid unpleasant smells.

In addition, the centres will introduce a Red Button feature which can record 30 seconds at any point during a game which can be subsequently shared on social media.

The Next Generation strategy is the first major development in the business under new chief executive Rupert Campbell, who joined Powerleague from Adidas last year (Campbell brokered the retail area initiative with the his former employer).

Campbell said he wanted Powerleague to “lead the way in providing the best facilities, brilliant digital innovation and top playing experience”.

“Since the introduction of five-a-side centres in the UK back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, players have changed but the industry hasn’t,” he added. “There’s far more competition for customers’ time and money and the small-sided game needs to up its game to keep attracting them in.”

Powerleague Sunbury takes the total number of centres up to 49 across the country. The second next generation centre will be built in Enfield, North London.

As well as the Next Generation scheme, Powerleague will spend money upgrading the core estate, its digital offering and customer service training.

The £40m outlay is being provided by owner Patron Capital.