Football facilities specialist Dean Hogan has been named national contracts manager for Pulse and will drive the leisure solutions provider’s growing presence in the football operations market.

Hogan has more than 30 years’ experience in the leisure sector and has held roles including national operations manager at Sports Direct Fitness and operations manager for Power League. Hogan was also national contract manager for JJB Sports, where he was responsible for managing the company’s Soccer Domes and 71 Fitness Clubs.

“I am delighted to have joined Pulse as National Contracts Manager,” said Hogan. “Pulse has a fantastic reputation, with over 35 years of expertise behind them and I am looking forward to helping take the organisation into a new phase, operating more facilities across the UK.”

The appointment comes after Pulse was recently awarded a contract to operate three new soccer hubs on behalf of The Football Association, the Sheffield Football Trust and Sheffield City Council.

The sites have been selected as part of a new grassroots football pilot scheme known as ‘the Parklife Project’. The Parklife Project is a new scheme from the FA aimed to get more people involved in the football at a grassroots level underpinned by high quality financially sustainable facilities. If the Parklife pilot scheme is successful, the FA will attempt to establish similar operations in 30 of England’s largest cities.