Cristiano Ronaldo? £80m? Sold to a club in a country with the highest rate of unemployment in Europe right now, and which has been harder hit than any other by the recession? You have got to be bloody joking.

This issue's ICE COOL THINKING with Skins sees Stuart Hale, team manager at Team Accelerate Adventure Racing making a judgement call as part of a support team during a big adventure race - a decision which was make or break on the day... 

Premier Licensing has teamed up with Real Madrid to launch a range of official Real Madrid golf accessories. As the number one supplier of licensed golf accessories in Europe, Premier Licensing is perfectly positioned to help The Galacticos take advantage of the growing participation and profile of golf in Europe.

Precision Training has recently launched its biggest-ever catalogue, a bumper 76-page edition which includes a full range of textiles, training aids and medical supplies.

BIKE EXPO offers a "don't' miss" highlight for young cycling sports fans: the SCOTT Junior Trophy powered by MILKA. On July 25th, up and coming cycling stars can test their mettle in this popular children's race which features five age groups from 4 to 14 years old. The event will be held on an attractive track in the outdoor exhibit area of the New Munich Trade Fair.

Slazenger S1 sports drinks has made its biggest sponsorship deal to date following its announcement of a sponsorship deal with The Co-operative World Netball Series. Slazenger S1 will be the official sports drink at the event in October.

The Bollin Group recently acquired a strategic majority shareholding in the Hilly Clothing Company.  Stephen Cann, CEO of the Bollin Group said of the move: "The Hill Family were looking to exit the business, but also wanted to secure continuity of employment for all staff and employees.  Having a number of brands based in Hyde, we can guarantee this key element of the deal.

ASSIST Creative Resources is launching a campaign to find the sporting talent of tomorrow. The aim of the campaign is to identify promising individuals in a number of endurance and specialist sports - and bring them together under the banner of teamASSIST.

EU-Bottle now offers a new drinking straw pulling spout for their range of sports bottles. This new spout has been developed in response to requests from the motor sports market where competitors need to drink whilst wearing a full face helmet. It should however also find applications in other sports such as downhill mountainbiking, BMX, American football, ice hockey, cricket etc where face protection is used.

In line with this strategy INTERSPORT has announced two key appointments. Lindsay Anderson joins the company as a senior apparel selector reporting directly to Barry Mellis, General Manager. Her role will be to capitalise on the joint buying capabilities of the member stores as a way of increasing their profitability and overall competitiveness.

Ever the innovators, Molten has launched the FIFA-approved VG-5000AW. Specifically designed for UK wet weather conditions, the new football does not absorb water, thereby maintaining its weight and shape throughout the game.

On Wednesday 3rd June, New Balance, the global performance athletic brand, held a celebratory reception at the Houses of Parliament to mark their 28th year of manufacturing in the UK at the company's factory in Flimby, Cumbria. The event was attended by over 90 Ministers, MPs, and peers, together with the country's leading retailers.

Stuart Preece of Wilson {Amer Group) commented on the agreement: "Joining STAG offers us the opportunity of developing our business with many independent retailers and we are very much looking forward to increasing our sales and distribution with STAG members."

Doug Bedford, MD of Prostar says: "The men's game is getting stronger. This is being fuelled by the shorter five or six-a-side version of the game. As well as not requiring such a commitment of time, the shorter game allows us to play on for longer - well into our 40s and in some cases 50s. Meanwhile, 11-a-side typically covers the 6-35 age range. What's more there is no apparent reason why that should change."

Under Armour is not a brand that does things by halves. their running gear is going down well in the sports industry, and now they're adding football boots to their rapidly-growing range. The boots - two lines, names Dominate and Create - look great and the company has spent time working with regular footballers, plus professionals like Bobby Zamora of Fulham, to perfect the product. Alex Chater explains...

As brand names go, 1000 Mile is a trusted and widely recognised name among runners. But there's so much more to 1000 Mile Sportswear Ltd than their socks, with the distribution of great brands like Thuasne, Compeed, Mueller and Nathan (among many others) under their wings, too. Jack Galaun took the time to talk to SGB about the company's excellent staff training and tells us what makes the company tick...

Talk to Simon Hussey, MD of Clubsports and the enthusiasm comes at you in a tidal wave. That's enthusiasm not just for his own business, but for the business as a whole, for sport, for customers - the whole thing. The company was founded in 1987 when he was working as a baker from 5am to 10am then running the sports shop until 5pm. At weekends he was playing rugby. See what I mean about enthusiasm - and energy!

K-Swiss is expanding its expertise into running shoes, with the exceptionally light and aesthetically lovely Run One shoe as the base of the range. Mark Sheehan told SGB what makes their shoes stand out - and SGB is now a true believer...

I felt it was time I booked myself an appointment at the surgery - not the doctor's or the dentist's as my health is holding up pretty well - the MP's surgery, the one the COD describes as the place an MP gives advice. Dangerous place! Would you take advice from the Labour Government or anyone associated with it? Anyway it wasn't advice I wanted, it was a protest I wanted to make about the meddling EU and its affect on part of our business.

Everyone I know, pretty much, is camping in the UK this summer, or going on a British holiday. It's funny, but even when reading the news hitting my desk that all trumpeted "Brits holidaying in Britain" etc, it didn't really hit home what that meant. The people I know that aren't holidaying in the UK, aren't holidaying at all. This should be good for the British economy, and hopefully for the future, when people will have the camping gear and know the country that much better, and realise that what is on their doorstep is actually pretty bloody good. I've lived in many places in the UK, and everywhere I've lived I've met people who have happily gone abroad every year for their holidays, but who had never left their home county in the UK.

Ian Ambler, Target Dry's Sales Manager for the last 15 years has recently retired. With a total of 40 years' experience in the outdoor clothing market, Ian has played a key role in Target Dry's expansion and success. An absolute professional, Ian has won the respect and in many cases the friendship, of customer and colleague alike.

Although still in the thick of the 2009 season, early signs indicate that the new Coleman ranges introduced for 2009 are performing exceptionally well.

Committed to reinforcing its river heritage Teva has signed up three professional kayakers to its UK athlete list. The list of inspirational athletes include Daz Clarkson, one of the country's leading expedition kayakers, professional kayak surfer Chris Harvey and world-class competitive kayaker Matt Cook.

Whitby & Co have announced they will be distributing a select range of Wenger watches in the UK suitable for the outdoor market.

Result Performance recently supported Keswick Mountain Festivalby providing more than 30 fully embroidered soft shell jackets to dedicated walkers, organisers and festival volunteers.

British travel and outdoor clothing specialists Craghoppers have announced record sales in the first quarter of 2009.

Outwell has been chosen to supply special edition tents to the organisers of the Girlguiding UK Centenary Camp in 2010.  It will be the largest camp ever staged by the organisation.

Following the opening of their new UK/Ireland HQ in Staveley, Cumbria, Haglöfs have made two new appointments.

Leading manufacturer and distributor of outdoor brands AMG Group has appointed Scott Beveridge as the group's new Creative Manager.

"I can only think the above poorly constructed and researched article was written to provoke. Over the many years we have operated in this sector we have collaborated with hundreds of charities to design and operate safe and enjoyable challenges for their fundraisers.  As a result we have built up an enviable reputation due to our professionalism, friendly and flexible approach, competitive pricing and safety record.

Unveiling at OutDoor 2009, TEKO's new sock collection for 2010 utilises numerous technology processes to create three collections using different fabric constructions, tekoPOLY, tekoMERINO and tekoCOTTON.

SGB: What's the core of the Teva brand?

Giles Cundell: Teva is traditionally a performance brand - we were the first performance brand to design a universal strapping system sandal, about 26 years ago. The core of our business is outdoor and performance sandals, at the top end of quality.

brasher is taking its lightweight leather boot to new heights for Spring Summer 2010, as its best selling style Supalite GTX is upgraded in the form of ‘Supalite II GTX'.

Summer 2009 sees the launch of the new Yellowstone GTX from Hanwag, a lightweight, breathable boot that is perfect when out on the hills or travelling and certainly has a wide appeal. The Air-Pulse System enhances air circulation thanks to a pumping effect in the foam of the tongue while walking. The Gore-Tex lining combined with the Air-mesh covered foam tongue improves air flow throughout the boot while retaining its waterproof qualities.

LittleLife has a range of compact, easy to set-up travel cots that are up to 75% lighter than many other travel cots available. Using a travel cot in a tent creates a smaller, more comforting environment giving a baby an added sense of security.

Finding a boot which is aesthetically pleasing, yet functional can be an arduous task for any female outdoor enthusiast. Leading experts in outdoor footwear, Meindl, offer a range of outdoor boots created especially for female feet.

For spring/summer 2010, Berghaus has exciting developments across its collection with important, commercial new products in clothing, footwear and rucsacs.The range includes lightweight performance kit for high energy activities, along with gear for recreational walking and global travel.

Yet again the MBC is at the forefront of cutting edge innovation and development. All four brands in the company's prestigious portfolio have exciting and in some cases ground-breaking new products to showcase at Friedrichshafen this year.

The OutDoor show at Friedrichshafen will see a number of innovative developments from top British sleeping bag manufacturer, Snugpak.

Vango will be showcasing its innovative and long awaited 2010 range at stand B350-2 where rucsacs, accessories and furniture will be highlighted and Hall B5 will showcase its full tent range.

Lowe Alpine gets faster and lighter for 2010 with significant new introductions in both clothing and backpacks.

Asolo continues to build on its solid line of trekking footwear with a new range of boots called Power Lite. Using new technologies and careful design Asolo has significantly reduced weight while retaining performance. The Power Lite lasting board is an amazing 44% lighter that its Matrix equivalent - itself viewed as a lightweight benchmark - while the midsole/outsole unit is 19% lighter.

Karrimor, one of the world's most respected rucsac brands is launching ‘Airspace', a new, highly innovative range of technical day packs designed for maximum performance and unparalleled comfort on Stand A5-402 at OutDoor, Friedrichshafen.

This summer GoLite will be unveiling its brand new collection for Spring / Summer 2010 at the OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen. A host of brand new equipment and apparel pieces have been added to the lightweight brand's portfolio along with an exciting and innovative Adventure Travel range. 

Product reviews in magazines during 2009 have confirmed the performance and unique qualities of the Torpedo sleeping bag, including a coveted Best Buy in the UK's Trail Magazine.

The new 60-litre Ultrahike backpacking sacks weigh just 1.25kg yet feature an improved lightweight carrying system allowing bigger loads to be carried with comfort. In common with the recently-introduced Fastpack and Wildtrek lines, the Ultrahike features waterproof construction and lightweight yet rugged fabrics.

Friedrichshafen - The most stable variable for the retail sector is the outdoor segment. The trade fair team in Friedrichshafen senses continued optimism in the outdoor industry, and will host worldwide market leaders as well as numerous major new industry operators to be part of OutDoor 2009 from July 16th to 19th. With 800 exhibitor registrations from 39 countries, OutDoor 2009 has booked a record amount of exhibition space compared to this time last year. A further celebrated accomplishment is the addition of two new halls, expanding total exhibition grounds to 85,000 sq m (915,000 sq ft).

As described previously, 100% of funds raised from membership fees, and funding raised from other sources such as events at OutDoor and ispo are ploughed into grassroots conservation projects that have been nominated and then voted for, by the membership.