A football legend has signed for a Bradford-based five-a-side company.

Former Bradford City manager and England star Trevor Cherry has become a non-executive director of Taskcatch Plc, owner of Bradford-based SoccerCity.

The AIM-Listed company has signed up the former City player and manager to help market its five-a-side centres in West Yorkshire.

The firm, which trades under the SoccerCity brand, owns centres in Thornton, Leeds, Huddersfield and Hampshire. It is currently pursuing an aggressive expansion plan and is looking to buy new sites around the UK.

SoccerCity chief executive Jason Lynn said signing Mr Cherry was a major boost. "This really is our hat trick," he said "Trevor Cherry is to us what Wayne Rooney is to Manchester United. "His considerable knowledge of football and his proved business acumen will greatly assist the business."

Since concluding his time on the pitch, Mr Cherry has worked for 13 years as managing director of SLP, a company specialising in corporate hospitality and sports promotional merchandise.

He has helped increase SLP's turnover from £200,000 to more than £2 million a year.

"This is another challenge for me and I am really looking forward to it," he said. "It is an opportunity to combine my passion for the game and love of business."

Mr Cherry, who picked up 27 England caps during his career, joined City from Leeds United in December 1982.

The defender went on to play 102 games for the club but is best known as the manager at the time of the Valley Parade fire disaster in 1985. That day the club was celebrating promotion after winning the Third Division championship.

Mr Cherry started his career at his home-town club, Huddersfield Town, and remains a director there today. He will be hoping to use his business acumen to help boost the fortunes of Taskcatch. Since launching on the Alternative Investment Market in March, 2003 it has struggled to deliver for investors.

On Friday, it announced pre-tax losses of £136,000 for the first half of the year, cut from £225,000 in 2003. But turnover was up to £859,000.

Its link-up with schools using the SoccerCity site at Thornton was one of the first public-private partnerships in the district. The company is now hoping to replicate that model elsewhere in the UK.