Fun, game and unique
Gear up for next year’s big tournament with the official Adidas Euro 2024 ball, featuring a rather chic modernist color scheme from jdsports.co.uk, with a range of variations. Likewise, fans of oval balls need look no further than the official Six Nations ball from gilbertrugby.com, which stocks the men’s and women’s tournament editions, plus the branded ones for each country.
Kids who need equipment will do well with the adidas.co.uk Predator Edge.3 multi-ground shoes. They are designed for use in all conditions and on all surfaces, are competitively priced, offer excellent performance as a versatile all-rounder and are also an eye-catcher.
Keep the balls safely stored with a touch of style using the storage stand from aplaceforeverything.co.uk. The minimalist metal stand that ensures that they do not remain endlessly underfoot is elegant, simple but effective. Aplaceforeverything also offers bespoke frames, cleverly made in the shape of a football shirt, ideal for a beloved club shirt or for the memories of someone the children have outgrown.
Equally striking on the wall is Matthew Wood’s signature art at matthewjiwood.com. Wood is a designer and illustrator who has a beautiful and highly stylized selection of prints of football club grounds from around the country. There are over 100 from league and non-league clubs, as well as numerous other sports. A beautiful collection.
Football-mad youngsters will hardly know they’re learning with the Jigraphy Football Map Jigsaw from happypuzzle.co.uk. Another great idea: it’s a puzzle of Great Britain and Ireland, which when assembled shows 148 numbered footballs, each representing the location of a stadium. The task is then to identify the club using clues to help. Geography through stealth.
England rugby union fans looking to unwind at the end of Christmas Day can enjoy a festive splash of The Fine Drop whisky, a malt matured for six years and finished in an ex-Margaux red wine cask from gulliverswhisky.com. The bottle is named to celebrate Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal at the 2003 World Cup, a moment to remember with an excellent, moreish whisky.
Style and substance
With the Olympic Games in Paris next summer, Team GB already offers a host of options at shop.teamgb.com to mark the event, including T-shirts and hoodies with the striking lion head logo, which make a real impact. Despite a draw in the Ashes series, cricket fans can enjoy Headingley’s consolation as England saved the Test and began their fightback. The performance is celebrated with the Ramones style T-shirt from punkcricket.com, with the players’ names in the traditional slot for Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee et al. and a cricket bat conveniently incorporated into the design.
For Euro 2024, the Philosophyfootball.com team has achieved another trump card. Their three lions in Germany – Drei Lowen in Germanywith the descriptive “Englishman” on the back – is a mighty T-shirt. Scotland is also represented with their Tartan-Armee In Deutschland and “Scotland“on the backside. They also pay tribute to two of the sport’s greats lost in 2023, with Francis Lee celebrated in the blue shirt of Manchester City and proclaiming the Maine Road trinity of Lee, Bell and Summerbee. While similarly Manchester United’s Sir Bobby Charlton is remembered alongside United’s own legends in the red shirts of Law, Best and Charlton.
With the Tour de France Femmes extremely popular, fanatics.co.uk has a women’s T-shirt celebrating the race with four popsicles representing the tour’s jerseys, a neat and original design. The simple yet elegant pole design from looseheadz.co.uk also makes for a beautiful collection and all profits go towards supporting mental health issues at every level of rugby union.
Keep the kids warm and dry on terraces or after a cold match with the beautiful, waterproof and thermally insulated Patrol jacket from spottyotter.co.uk. It’s beautifully made, sturdy and comfortable, with a fleece lining that performs great in the coldest weather and is clearly built to last.
Fitness and shape
Put your best foot forward with the Garmin.com Venu 3 smartwatch, a high-performance fitness tracker that also serves as a comprehensive lifestyle assistant. The watch has a large number of fitness applications, from counting steps, via a heart rate monitor and GPS to strokes on a rowing machine. After training, it provides a comprehensive overview of each activity, ensuring no benchmark is missed. It also has a recalibration mode for wheelchair users that is equally accurate and long overdue in the realm of smartwatches. In addition, it monitors sleep, encourages recovery time and provides a live assessment of how much activity is needed throughout the day with its ‘body battery’ measurement. A hugely versatile device that covers all the bases.
Make returning to fitness on the go a pleasure with the On.com Cloudmonster trainers that feature a comprehensive cushioning system. Ideal for both slow and intermediate runners, as well as short and long runs. If running is a difficult task, these will make it less difficult. They are very light for a shoe with so much cushioning on the sole, they are well balanced and have a strong spring in forward motion. With a comfortable fit and a light, sleek upper, they take the sting out of your New Year’s fitness resolution.
Stay warm with the Transition Windstopper Beanie from rab.equipment. A windproof beanie that combines Goretex with a fleece interior for warmth. Light but effective, it has a snug fit, making it barely noticeable while running.
On.com also has a nice range of shorts for women, with both the Essential and Running variants offering a great fit in lightweight material, ideal for any activity. Equally well made and practical is the range of sports bras from the wonderfully named Boobydoo.co.uk. The website offers a comprehensive fitting guide and both the Sportjock Action Sports Bra and the Royce Sport Impact are striking examples, offering form and function.
Get premium listening during every workout with the 1More Aero Wireless earbuds from Amazon.co.uk. They provide a spatial sound system that creates an immersive experience by adapting to the movement of the head. The earbuds are comfortable to wear, have an active noise cancellation function, are adjustable via an app and are perfect for use in the gym with clear and balanced sound quality.
Travel gadgets and equipment
On your way to away games or events abroad? Take precautions with the Choipolo Spot luggage trackers (8) from chipolo.net. The travel offering works on iOS and Android, requires no subscription and, once activated, is trackable on a smartphone, easing the potential stress of lost luggage. There is even a slim card version that fits the passport.
Make carrying the gear when you’re out and about or for the kids out and about easy with the Inca Extreme 65L backpack from mountainwarehouse.com. Sturdy, well made and versatile, fully customizable to suit packing requirements, comfortable and featuring a hidden rain cover. A bargain at almost half the price.
For shorter rides, the Proviz fully reflective cycling and commuting backpack from provizsports.com is perfect. It is indispensable, thanks to the coating of reflective beads that makes it light up like a beacon, a boon for safety in the dark. A similar reflective and reversible waterproof cover does the same thing when placed over a standard backpack.
Finally, the ourpureplanet.com Signature Bluetooth Speaker is a highlight if you want to listen to the match at home. With excellent, expansive sound, from a relatively small device, it delivers impressive battery life. The brand, backed by England captain Harry Kane, ensures the production process is CO2 neutral and uses 80% recycled plastic and metal.