News

THE Specialist Holidays Group is to sell football coaching packages through the trade for the first time after snapping up sports operator International Academy.

SHG is paying £2 million for International Academy, known as TIA, compared to the £8.3 million paid for it by Leisure Ventures a year ago. Of the £2 million, £1.8 million is payable over four years.

The operator’s turnover for the year to April 30, was £3.5 million and its post-acquisition loss £2.4 million - including £1.1 million debts written off under the deal - which Leisure Ventures blamed on September 11, war and SARS.

Leisure Ventures now has no commercial or trading operations but plans further acquisitions. TIA managing director and Leisure Ventures director David Wright has resigned.

Chairman Harry Coe, former Airtours MD, said: “We’re back to where we were 18 months ago. We would have stuck with it but we needed the best part of £2 million to get the Civil Aviation Authority licence renewed.”

TIA operates school ski holidays, ski instructor training and sports coaching programmes.

SHG ski and lakes division MD Stuart McLeod outlined plans to sell football coaching holidays through agents.

The packages offer training by coaches of leading clubs such as David Beckham’s Real Madrid with stadium tours.

“A lot has been invested to ensure the relationships are there - now it has to be taken to the client. The challenge is identifying where it will work in the trade,” said McLeod.

Its 22 staff are retained and chief executive Alun Williams reports to McLeod.