This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Soccer Circus kicks off
29/09/2006
Soccer Circus, billed as the world's first interactive indoor soccery attraction, was officially opened at Xscape at Braehead on the south side of Glasgow today.
The concept has been developed by ex-England international Kevin Keegan, Scottish entrepreneur Peter Barr and engineer Clive Mockford. Around £6 million has been invested, including a £500,000 grant from the Executive.
Kevin Keegan said: "Soccer Circus has taken us over nine years to develop. It gives people a real opportunity to experience what it is like to be a professional footballer. I am delighted to be in Glasgow as it is a great football city."
Soccer Circus features a series of skill games using real footballs in a series of interactive and fully automated games designed to have a broad appeal to families and individuals.
Sport Minister Patricia Ferguson said:
"Soccer Circus is a fantastic project won for Scotland in the face of strong international competition. This will not only help open up new tourism and job opportunities but will offer a first-rate educational and leisure facility for young people."
Martin Togneri, chief executive of Scottish Development International, said:
"Soccer Circus and Xscape play a valuable part in the Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire economic regeneration project which is predicted to create over 700 new jobs and attract more than £250 million of private sector investment. This new attraction will strengthen the Xscape proposition and impact positively on the economic opportunities for Renfrewshire and the Clyde Waterfront regeneration project as a whole."