First Kick Football

What First Kick Football does

First Kick Football operates as First Kick CIC, a UK Community Interest Company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Preston, Lancashire. The company delivers children's football coaching services across the North of England and into South Wales, running structured 12-week courses for children aged 4-11 (£80 per course, £6.25 per session), pre-school football sessions for children aged 18 months to 6 years, and Ofsted-registered school holiday clubs with multi-sport activities. Operations span 14+ venues across Preston, Bolton, Chester, Leyland, Rotherham, Chorley, Wigan, Warrington, Mirfield, Bradford, Cardiff, Hyndburn, Manchester, and Salford, employing 60 staff under a direct-to-consumer model targeting parents booking through the company website, dedicated CRM portal, telephone, or local authority partner platforms.

The company has no proprietary technology platform, relying instead on standard website infrastructure (firstkick.co.uk), a customer CRM (crm.firstkick.co.uk), a dedicated holiday club booking portal (firstkickclubs.co.uk), and classforkids.io for pre-school class bookings. All coaching is delivered by FA-qualified, DBS-checked coaches with Emergency First Aid certification and UEFA licences held by several staff. A merchandise e-commerce vertical sells branded kits, tracksuits, hoodies, footballs, backpacks, hats, and replacement trophies at unit prices ranging from £7.49 to £29.99.

First Kick monetizes through four streams: recurring football class fees, holiday club day rates (£25/day with package discounts), pre-school session fees, and ancillary merchandise sales. The company has achieved HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme provider status across 10+ local authorities, enabling government-funded places and broadening the customer base beyond paying parents. Klarna pay-in-3 instalments, childcare vouchers, and Tax-Free Childcare are accepted at eligible venues to reduce purchase friction. As a CIC, the company is structured to reinvest surpluses for community benefit rather than distribute profits, and it shows no evidence of external funding, private equity ownership, or parent company control.

Name

First Kick Football

Legal name

First Kick CIC

Website

https://firstkick.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

First Kick Football (First Kick CIC) is a Preston-based UK Community Interest Company providing football coaching classes, pre-school football sessions, and Ofsted-registered holiday clubs for children aged 18 months to 11 years across 14+ venues in the North of England and South Wales, plus branded merchandise via e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Coaching

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Athlete Development & Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) (HSADAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth & Amateur Sports Tournaments (MPAGAMAF)

Keywords

• Children's football coaching
• Youth sports coaching
• Holiday club childcare
• Pre-school football classes
• Sports merchandise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Football Classes: Weekly football coaching sessions for children aged 4-11 at £6.25 per session, with courses running 12 weeks (£80 total per course). Booking requires a £30 deposit at enrollment and £50 balance before first session.
2. Holiday Clubs: School holiday childcare provision at various venues across the North of England. Pricing varies by location, typically £25 per day with package discounts available. Accepts childcare vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare at eligible Ofsted-registered venues.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling football kits, tracksuits, hoodies, footballs, bags, hats, and replacement trophies. Prices range from £7.49 to £29.99 for apparel items.
4. Pre-School Football Classes: Football classes for children ages 18 months to 6 years at various venues, including Lostock Hall Academy, Parklands High School, Wellfield Academy, Holly Lodge Girls' College, and Calderstones School.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Kick Football is a children's football coaching service operating as First Kick CIC across the North of England. It delivers weekly structured football classes for children aged 4-11, pre-school football for ages 18 months to 6 years, and Ofsted-registered school holiday clubs with multi-sport activities. Sessions are led by FA-qualified, DBS-checked coaches at local venues, with ancillary branded merchandise sold through its online shop.

Product overview

First Kick Football operates as a community interest company (First Kick CIC) offering children's football coaching services across the North of England. The core offering consists of three main services: Football Classes for children aged 4-11 years (priced at £6.25/session, running 12-week courses with £80 total course fee), Pre-School Football for ages 18 months to 6 years at multiple venues, and Holiday Clubs providing multi-sport and football activities during school breaks at Ofsted-registered venues. The company also operates an e-commerce shop selling branded merchandise including football kits, tracksuits, hoodies, footballs, bags, hats, and replacement trophies. A customer portal (CRM) is available for booking management. All coaching is delivered by FA-qualified, DBS-checked coaches with Emergency First Aid and child protection training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Football Classes (Ages 4-11)

Quantifiable outcome

• Trophy awarded to every player each term
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) ProgrammecoreOthersFirst Kick Football operates as a HAF provider, delivering funded holiday club places eligible for government funding through local authorities. Multiple venues are HAF-eligible across Preston, Bolton, Leyland, Rotherham, Chorley, Wigan, Warrington, Mirfield, Bradford, Hyndburn, Manchester, and Salford.
• OfstedcoreOthersOfsted-registered childcare provider (Registration Number: 2799710) allowing acceptance of childcare vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare at eligible venues.
• KlarnaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlexible payment option provider allowing parents to pay holiday club fees in 3 interest-free instalments. Available to UK residents aged 18+.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Little Sports: UK children's multi-sport coaching provider offering football alongside other sports for pre-school and primary-aged children. Comparable in pre-school age segment and parent DTC model.
• Soccer Stars Academy: Smaller UK children's soccer coaching provider running classes and parties for primary-aged children. Comparable in age range and class format, though smaller footprint and lower brand awareness.

Direct peers

• Kixx: UK franchised youth football coaching programme for ages 18 months to 10 years operating in leisure centres and schools. Directly comparable franchise-style venue model and age-segment focus.
• Little Kickers: UK-based children's football coaching franchise operating classes for ages 18 months to 8 years across the UK and internationally. Most direct comparable in terms of age range, curriculum, and venue-based class model.
• Soccer Schools UK: UK children's football coaching provider running holiday camps and weekly classes for primary-aged children. Closely comparable in holiday club economics and class-based delivery.
• We Make Footballers: UK-based children's football academy operating after-school and weekend coaching with venues across multiple regions. Closely comparable in age range, parent-facing DTC model, and academy-trial pathway positioning.
• Football Fun Factory: UK franchised children's football activity provider for ages 4-12 with venue-based classes and holiday camps. Direct comparable in franchise model, age band, and parent-facing DTC booking.

Broad incumbents

• Man City Football Schools: Manchester City Football Club's school programme delivering football coaching and holiday clubs across the North of England — directly overlapping First Kick's core geography. Comparable in HAF and holiday club channels.
• Pro:Direct Academy: Major UK sports retailer with associated football coaching and academy programmes. Comparable in youth football development but operates at much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Chelsea FC Foundation: Premier League club foundation delivering children's football coaching and holiday programmes across the UK. Comparable in HAF-aligned holiday provision and venue-based youth coaching, but with brand and budget advantages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/firstkickfootball
• Instagraminstagram.com/firstkickfootball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-kick-coaching-ltd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Kick Football