Our decision to incorporate SGB Outdoor into SGB UK has gone down a storm, with lots of positive feedback coming from sports and outdoor retailers and manufacturers. We also have top outdoor journalist, Tom Hutton back on board. He offers advice to all wannabe hikers (see Hot to trot).

With the new football season upon us and the peak time for sales of both new team kits and individual player needs, Uhlsport has successfully kicked off the new season with demand across a number of football categories as it becomes recognised not only as a brand leader in goal keeping gloves, but also as complete football brand.

Still a relative newcomer to the sport,Aqua Sphere sponsored British triathlete Kim Norman recently completed the epic Austrian Ironman in just under 14 hours. Kim wears Kaiman goggles and said of them: "I was really pleased with my time as this was my first Ironman.

Ronhill has received a positive reaction to its Spring/Summer 2008 running collection for men and women. Commenting on the brand’s early strong performance, Oliver Carter, Ronhill’s marketing manager, said: “Early indications from the trade are highly encouraging, and on this initial showing we can be confident of a powerful performance from the brand.”

Grass roots sport in Knaresborough has received a boost following a £413,894 award to Knaresborough Celtic FC by the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity. Local MP Phil Willis presented the club with a cheque at a photo opportunity at 11.30am on Thursday 2 August at the grounds of Knaresborough Castle,Market Place, Knaresborough.

STAG members can buy into the stunning new range of children’s technical running shoes with an exclusive offer from Saucony. The Spring/Summer 08 children’s range is being launched for the first time by the brand, having identified a major demand in this area.

South African squash star Tenille Swartz has signed to Prince Sports and will make her WISPA World Tour debut with her new O3 Tour racquet at the Alexandria Sporting Club Open in Egypt in August.

Chelsea Football Club has called on the legendary designer Giorgio Armani for a double assignment: to create the club’s new official suits and to refurbish a key area of Stamford Bridge. The three-year partnership announced earlier this week between London’s most successful club and the legendary designer was a natural one.

"A new rugby brand with edge.Designed to appeal to those who like their game to be real. From the grassroots to international legends,Rucku will be home to the news and views of all who love rugby," said founder of community website Rucku,Will Carling. www.rucku.com has been trialing interactive media content and is now presented to a wider audience. The latest social networking technology is being used as a platform.

Ispo Russia is being suspended and replaced by a national follow-up event in agreement with the Russian trade fair partner Sport Communication Group (SCG). The new event will be supported by the ispo Group as a trade fair partner.

WFSGI Secretary General: Kock follows upon Gorgemans

André Gorgemans (67) will retire after having worked 17 years for the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry. His successor Robbert de Kock (42) will start on September 15. The new president is John Larsen.

Helly Hansen has announced that it has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Peter Sjölander as its new CEO and Knut Are Høgberg as CFO.

Hugo Maurstad, chairman of the board of directors at Helly Hansen commented:

Merrell has recently employed Ollie Hilton to take on the role of specialist event co-ordinator working in tandem with the marketing team. Ollie will be responsible for in store technical training and visual merchandising as well as the organisation of the many events which will be taking place throughout the year.

ODLO the specialist functional sports underwear and running apparel brand, has teamed up with Phoenix, the exercise professionals who operate an exclusive personal training service where they visit clients on branded motorbikes across London as well as being based at 37 Degrees, one of London’s newest and most exclusive health clubs.

Elan has announced the official launch of Artec Snowboards as an independent snowboard brand focused on pushing the boundaries of freestyle snowboarding technologies and designs.

Cross Sportswear of Sweden and superstar free skier Jon Olsson have agreed on a long term deal making Jon the company's poster skier and a member of the company's development team.

I quote from a recently received letter headed Health Act 2006: “A recent visit has revealed that you are failing to display the nosmoking (why a hyphen?) sign as required by the above-mentioned (another random hyphen) legislation.

Mitre has been involved in football for quite some time hasn’t it?

Very true,we were established in 1817 by Benjamin Crook as a leather tannery in Huddersfield. Full-scale production of footballs and rugby balls began in 1880. Since then we have become synonymous with football and are the number one manufacturer of footballs in the world selling 3.5million last year.

Never one to fudge an issue, Jack Lynes, our man about the trade, this month tackles climate change. No, he has not turned his attentions so much to the weather, though it does get a mention, but to the changes taking place on the retail scene generally and in particular, of course, in our sporting goods business. Sometimes controversial, but as ever, issues that we might ignore at our peril, are explored in depth.

Katherine Reid of the English Institute Of Sport offers an insight into the world of sports nutrition:“Sports nutrition is the specialist application of the science of nutrition to performance enhancement in sport. The nutritional demands of training and competition vary according to the sporting discipline and the individual requirements of athletes.Accredited sports dieticians are trained in both the science of nutrition and its practical application”.

The British Darts Organisation (BDO) has been established since 1973 and represents the whole sport of darts from grass-roots right through to national, international, professional and world levels. This includes the BRITISH INTER-COUNTY DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS, played from September to April and involving teams (men and women) representing over 60 counties in England, Scotland and Wales - in addition to the home country national teams (men and women) of ENGLAND,WALES and SCOTLAND.

“Harrows’ new 2007/8 catalogue is packed with stunning products, all superbly presented and targeted at key retail price points,” said a spokesperson for the brand.

Unicorn has been a big name in darts for over 70 years - not only in terms of its success with 19 World Championships being won by Unicorn Players using Unicorn darts, but also in its support and investment in the sport of darts.

American Fifteen-Ball Pool or "Sixty-one Pool" is the predecessor of all modern 'Pocket Billiards' games. It was played with 15 object balls as in the English game Pyramid,but crucially, the balls are numbered 1 through 15.

For 122 years, Peradon has been manufacturing and supplying the billiard trade with cue sports equipment. High quality manufacturing is the cornerstone of Peradon’s business and the company has been appointed as official UK distributors for the most popular brands of cue sport accessories including Aramith, Brunswick, Elkmaster,West of England Cloths, Dowsing Irons, and Triangle Chalk to name just a few!

Recommended and endorsed by John Parrott, this completely revised and updated range of PowerGlide cues combines the latest manufacturing technology with long experience and a real understanding of the exacting requirements of top players.

Table Tennis actually began as an afterdinner parlour game for upper class Victorians in the late 19th Century. At that time, a cigar box lid was used to hit a rounded Champagne cork over books on the dining room table. These days however, it’s a fast paced sport with the ball travelling at speeds of up to 70mph. I spoke to Ransome Sporting Goods’ very own Alan Ransome to find out more.

UK Table Tennis is the UK’s sole authorised importer of Cornilleau products. The brand organises its products into four categories to appeal to all players of the sport.

STIGA has introduced two new products for 2007/08, the Premier and the Trinity table tennis bats. Both have concave handles and combined with the new superb Nano Technology have created a truly magnificent product.

When was this shop established?
We opened on the 15th September 2006.

How would you describe your store?
We are London's largest running specialist sport shop.We are passionate about running and the product you can buy for running.

HILLY Clothing has expanded its range of accessories to complement its highly successful technical performance socks. With the darker/colder weather around the corner, the company has focused on products to enhance night time visibility and keep the runner warm.

The travel accessories collection from Jansport includes the Shower Lodge, Cosmetic Pouch, Shower Abode and Shower Break. Shower Lodge is a great wash bag with top loading main compartment and web handle. It comes in black carbonic punky houdstooth, white / pink daquiri and surplus green diamond camo.

Lisa Ho Swim takes you back into the water with elegance, modern prints and timeless styling. Prints are key to this collection and the Watercolour print is a stand out,with bright splashes of paint in a vibrant mix of citron, cobalt blue, lime green and copper that cris-cross across the body in fluid movement.

Zoggs has launched its 2008 spring summer range. The three collections contain performance, fitness and leisure ranges.

Performance
The Perfomance range includes Ultex and CR 25 collections.

When you’re being put through your paces, you need kit that can perform for a price you can afford and of course most people could live without a lengthy and complicated pitch process. Lichfield has you covered with quality and affordable kit to keep you safe and secure on your outdoor adventures without you having to spend a small fortune.

A modern take on the classic Puffa jacket the men's a and womens Barrier Ridge Down Jacket uses a classic fit with less bulk whilst maintaining superior warmth and comfort.

September will see the launch of two key climbing skills handbooks published by Cicerone. Sport Climbing is designed for those starting out in the sport, as well as climbers more experienced at clipping bolts on routes.

From mountain marathons to hardcore treks in the countryside, the ‘Expedition’ range of rucscacs has something to meet the needs of every outdoor adventurer.

Autumn/Winter 2007 sees Teva going green and giving trash a chance with its new ‘Curbside Collection’.Using post consumer materials such as plastic bottles and used car tyres, Teva’s recycled range will make you look good and feel great in the knowledge that you’re doing your bit for the environment.

Cyclaire is launching a new version of its awardwinning pump this month. Building on the success of the Cyclaire Rapid, said to be the world’s fastest mini pump, Cyclaire has developed the “Cyclaire Plus” to offer cyclists a highpressure alternative that is 20% faster than its predecessor, the Cyclaire Original.

The 14th OutDoor opened with a new exhibitor record: 731 companies from 39 countries,80 percent foreign, and a 7-percent increase in rented stand space in 11 exhibition halls gave the trade show outstanding results this year.The top 100 firms in the outdoor sector were represented at Friedrichshafen, showcasing the latest products and trends in the area of nature and alpine sports, and featuring a total of 165 innovations and world premieres.

I don’t know about you, but I find that the minute I get my winter walking wardrobe dialled for the year, it’s suddenly summer again.

For those looking for fresh surf, skate & street lines, as well as hardware and funky accessories a visit to Surf Shop 2007 will be time well spent. Following the Watersports Company exclusive deal to distribute Firewire in Europe, Surf Shop 2007 will be the first opportunity to see Firewire boards in the UK.

In the UK it is estimated that one in five men and a quarter of women are obese, and that as many as 30,000 people die prematurely every year from obesity related conditions. A study by the National Audit Office has estimated that obesity costs the NHS at least 500m a year and the wider economy more than £2bn a year in lost productivity.

According to NHS Direct, not warming up properly, not using equipment correctly and not taking the proper safety precautions most commonly cause sports injuries.Professional and competitive athletes are said to be particularly at risk of injury due to the intense nature of their training and the overuse of specific muscles.