Whilst businesses across the UK struggle to come to terms with the coronavirus pandemic, one leisure company is looking to the future and finding plenty of reasons for optimism  and even covid 19 job opportunities

Leisure Leagues, the UK’s largest provider of small sided football leagues, with international operations in Europe, South America and Asia, have embarked on an investment strategy that they believe will pay dividends in the future.

Leisure Leagues Executive Director Stephanie Bullock explained: “Our principal activity is a contact sport, so we knew all along that our business might be one of the last ones out of lockdown. But we decided very early on that we needed to invest in our existing staff, many of whom have been with us for a very long time, and show some loyalty back to the service they have given us over the years. We are proud that we have been one of the tiny minority of businesses to be able to top up the wages of our staff, even though around 80% have been furloughed, so that everybody is still getting their normal salary”.

Leisure Leagues have backed up their commitment to covid 19 job opportunities by also refusing to make any redundancies even though it has been a significant strain on resources.

Ms Bullock explained: “it is an easy option to think that you might have the odd person here or there, as you do in many businesses, whom you might not have wanted to continue. But this pandemic would have been the easy option, and we don’t think it would have been the fair option to say to anybody that you are redundant, particularly when we decided we would pay everyone’s wages in full for the month since lockdown started. It has been tough and we have eaten into a lot of our cash reserves, but investing in staff is the most important thing, I think, for any business”.

Leisure Leagues also believe that there are post covid 19 job opportunities ahead, as Ms Bullock explained: “There are lots of really good people being made redundant across the country right now and we see this as the perfect time to really stretch our resources, push the boat out, and look to employ new people, to add to our team, for when we can get back up and running again. Right now we have over 20 job opportunities to work our head office as well as over 200 opportunities for part-time work across the UK”.

Ms Bullock continued: ”When there is chaos, it is all too easy to preserve your cash and not want to spend anything, and we fully understand that. But our business principle works on the premise that in difficult times that is exactly when you should try and invest, if you possibly can, and we intend to stretch every sinew, and look for every resource to do just that. The government’s bounce back loan scheme, and other support, has been vital to support our own finances so that, with our own investment alongside, we can come out the other side of this crisis in a stronger shape than we were before it”.

Some people have told us they think it is a waste of money to top up people’s salaries as most people are happy to receive 80% of their salary for doing nothing. We think that is the wrong approach. Look after your staff, who are the very cogs of your business, the people that help you make a success, and in return they will look after you”.