On entering this bright shop, I spy an oversized promotional tennis racket on the wall and make the…read morejoke about the giant that I imagine the sales person has heard a hundred times before. On the contrary, it turns out that she's delightfully charmed by my quip. Particularly big on sales of tennis kit, accessories and tennis wear, many other sports are catered for including swimming, running and darts. They have some kids swimming toys in stock. The ones in the shape of stick-like seals wearing swim goggles that parents or swimming teachers throw in for kids to retrieve from the bottom of the pool. At £11.99, I'll have them, as they are £15 at the pool I go to. At these prices, I'll be back in soon to score some darts too.

I like Maurice Robinson Sports, mainly because of the name. It harks back to a bygone age when…read morefootballers hung up their boots and either ran a pub or opened a sports shop. For many years, as a kid, I was taken by my Granddad to the now defunct Harry Parkes shop in central Brum. Harry played for Aston Villa in the 1940s and 50s, and my old Granddad was a fan, so that's where we went for my boots. Similarly, in the 1980s, George Graham had a sports shop in Cockfosters, North London. By the time I went there to attend University in the early 1990s, Graham was managing Arsenal but the shop remained. I'm not sure if Maurice ever played professional sport, but given that this is a very old school sports shop reminiscent of times gone by, I rather hope that he did. See, this isn't your stack-em-high-sell-em-cheap sports emporium typified by JJB and the like, this is a small shop that carries only one or two of each item, yet still manages to cater for pretty much any sport you can mention. We've bought swimming stuff for our sun, tennis balls, and, most recently, a gum shield for my wife, who has recently taken up the terrifying sport of Roller Derby. On each occasion we've been in the staff have been friendly and helpful and, should you not find what you're looking for, are happy to order it in.

Nike factory outlet.. The have great stuff here its all Nike branded and it very very reasonable…read moreprices. Its not the latest designs or styles but its like last season or ex stock they can't sell. Mens Trainers average in from £20-40 a pair depending on discount amount. Good if u wanna by a few pairs in one go. Good for gym clothing men's shorts £5-10 tops £10-20. Stock is limited so go grab yourself a bargain. Parking outside costs £1.60 for two hours and cheaper for 30 minutes.

I recently decided to buy some proper running trainers and visited Alpha Sports for the first time…read more They are a small independents sports shop that sell a range of items such as trainers, swimming costumes, rugby equipment and much more. I am not an athlete or fitness guru, however the customer service was friendly and professional. The staff at Alpha Sports are very knowledgeable about biomechanics which I learnt was important when purchasing running trainers. I got to stand on a special heat sensitive board which helped select the correct type of trainers for my needs by considering my posture and how the weight was distributed by my feet. I then got to try on differing makes until I found the right pair for me. Alpha Sports also offer gait analysis for more serious runners. I would definitely recommend Alpha Sports if you want to find a pair of trainers that are tailored to your needs. The staff have a lot of knowledge and are happy to answer your questions plus give you the time you need to find your best pair of trainers so you don't feel rushed.

Puma, Nike, Umbro as well as Lacoste are some of the brands of clothing you will find at Sports…read moreBox. There are plenty of jeans on show that's for sure. You will not find any football shirts at Sports Box which will disappoint football fans. In fact there are no sports teams shirts in the shop. No doubt this will have an impact on whether customers visit Sports Box or not. There are plenty of clothes on offer at Sports Box for children ranging from jackets to t-shirts to coats etc. I'm not sure adults would want to buy sporting wear from Sports Box and to be frank I would not blame them for going elsewhere. Don't get me wrong the staff do make you feel welcomed and will help you if you need their assistance but I would say Sports Box is aimed at more children and teenagers rather than adults.

Rather like Maurice Robinson in Kings Heath, this is a Sports Store from a bygone era. In the days…read morebefore retail parks, online shopping and massive emporiums like JJB Sports and the like, this is the sort of shop where you would have come to get anything sport related, whether your chosen game was cricket, football, swimming, running, tennis, or anything else for that matter. Dr Sports stocks a little bit of everything, so given the size of the place the stock of each sporting item is limited compared to what you might find in a larger outlet, but what they do have on offer here is reasonably competitive in terms price. As usual with a shop such as this, they will attempt to order in anything that they don't have in stock.

This is a standard sports shop. I came in here to see if they sold sports bras and unfortunately…read morefor me, they did not. However, whilst I was in there I had a browse around and they do sell a variety of other clothes, such as sports vests, shorts and trainers. They also have a variety of sports equipment, such as tennis rackets and footballs. I did find it quite uncomfortable in there as the man at the counter just stared at me as I walked around the store, which is not ideal when you're looking for a bra. There was also no one else in there when I was there, which is a shame as I think it may be the only one on Harborne High Street, although it may not have been a busy day for the store! The prices are not too bad and the sportswear consists of a variety of brands. I would go in again if I needed some more sportswear, but not just for a browse.

The Birmingham City Club Shop has undergone refurbishment in recent years and I have to say the new…read morestore is not that bad. It's not the biggest of Club Shops but you will still find your official home and away shirts, training shirts, beanies etc. All the Blues shirts come in all different sizes and are at decent prices. As the season soldiers on you will tend to find that the official shirts will get cheaper in terms of price. This is a great place to buy Blues merchandise from if you know of someone who supports Birmingham City. I have been here and brought some merchandise for one of my mates who is a massive Blues fan. The majority of staff who work here are Birmingham fans and they get across their knowledge of the Blues very well. They do like to chat with customers about the team and I have had many conversations with them about City. Try not to talk to them about the Villa. That's all I will say.

After being heckled by an Aston Villa supporter, who was campaigning for a charity in Birmingham,…read morewalking around with my Manchester City shirt, I noticed this store and as a football fan, had a walk in to see if Aston Villa's central Birmingham Shop was as bad as well... Aston Villa (Aston Villa fans stop reading now) With a 4-0 victory over Villa, around a month after my visit, I still felt I had bragging rights, when I walked into this store, but still for a club like Aston Villa, who seem to sack their managers everytime something goes wrong (I still don't know why Tim Sherwood went) I was quite surprised, in a good way. This is a pretty cool store, to me it looks quite new and modern, it is on New Street, quite close to both New Street Station, Grand Central and The Bullring, and did have a good selection of jerseys. It also had a good selection of merchandise for Aston Villa fans, and even a ticket office on the top floor. If you're an Aston Villa fan, this is actually quite a good club shop for a soon to be Championship Club and actually can compete with the larger clubs stores in city centers such as Manchester City, and even beating Stoke City's club shop by far. I'm not an Aston Villa fan, but I found this store to be great for Aston Villa supporters to warrant a solid 3 star rating.

I'm not a footie fan myself but have been raised in a household of devout 'Villains', hardcore AVFC…read morefans who don't seem to realise that more often than not their team is a bit rubbish. However, despite my ignorance on the subject of football, every annual Brummy Christmas shopping trip with my mom means a brief visit to the Villa football shop to ensure Santa brings my brother various Villa-shaped goodies. It's a great little shop and sure to please any dedicated fan, with everything from the latest home and away shirts to mugs, pens and fun but throwaway merchandise. At any other time of year, my mom would think it ridiculous to splurge on some of the stuff she's bought here - but, hey, everyone goes a bit mad at Christmas. Ever in need of Villa-branded sweets? I'll try not to judge you if you are. Just know that this place can sort you out if so. The stock is spread over two floors and staff are positioned across the space to help out anyone like me who has zero knowledge of the 'beautiful' game. It's all-encompassing, with items for blokes and ladies - as well as cute little garments for babs, which led to my mom shelling out on some kit for a newborn in the family. Definitely one for Villa devotees, but Birmingham City fans might want to steer clear.

I was quite surprised to find this shop in Old Hill. I was even more surprised to find it quite…read morebusy. K's Sports is an independent sports shop, selling lots of sports clothing and equipment. It isn't a "fashion" sports shop in the vein of JD Sports, more a serious sports shop for serious sports people. They sell football boots, running shoes, tennis gear, badminton racquets and all sorts of tops, jackets and specialist shorts and skirts. I also noticed a tennis racquet restringing machine-thingy. I'd never seen such a thing before, but I can now add it to my list of "things I didn't expect to see in Old Hill". During my visit, the sales assistant was serving a lady. I only caught a bit of their conversation, but it seemed like she was getting really good service. From what I could gather the shop is quite popular amongst local sporting folk.

K Sport is a sporting item shop that supply alot of the local teams and schools with uniforms and…read moregear. Aimed at sportsmen rather than chavs (JD sports ect) these guys provide high end equipment to make sure you get the most out of your game. In the middle of OldHill is not where you'd expect to find this sort of shop but K sport delivers on most grass and land sports.

This is a relatively large Sports Direct store, in the Bullring in Birmingham city centre, it is…read morepretty much your typical Sports Direct store, relatively cheap sports clothing in a claustrophobic atmosphere, where they always seem to unnecessarily make the store as narrow as possible, resulting in a not so great overall shopping experience. There are entrances through the mall and on street level which is handy. They did have a pretty good selection, many of the items were competitively priced. They did seem to have a good number of employees working to satisfy demand, which is rather efficient and can be hit or miss at these types of stores, more so in the current climate - although queuing at the checkouts could have again be improved. 3* - Large store with a good product selection, I just wish they thought more about their own layout making it more welcoming and accessible, rather than appearing to be more of a mess than anything else.

This place provides a truly awful shopping experience…read more A discount sports clothing chain that sells a small amount of sporting equipment also. The staff here seem to hate the place. I don't blame them as the clientele seem to be mostly rude with little consideration for other shoppers or staff. You'll also find plenty of pushchairs in the aisles blocking your way, or people having conversations unwilling to step aside to let you through. There's always a queue at the tills, and you'll always be asked if you want to buy a branded plastic bag. After a second "no thank you" persuasion techniques became annoying. This place's saving grace comes in the form that it's cheap branded specialist sports clothing. Also in its location in the bullring- if like me you needed some sports leggings and are in this area, there's not many other places where you can pick up good quality ones fairly cheap. (Let me know if there are please!) Be warned though, they have an in store no refunds just store credit policy which can be inconvenient.

The North Face in Birmingham is a fairly small store by the company's standards in comparison to…read moreother stores but is still a decent size, located in Birmingham's Bullring. I came in here for a quick browse at the latest fashion, The North Face is mainly a brand of high-quality outdoor gear for those who aren't aware of the brand. The staff in the store didn't seem too friendly or helpful, compared to other stores where staff are normally really friendly and down to a chat about the products and more. I did find the selection lacked a little, the store didn't seem empty it just seemed to be more stock of the same or similar items than usual but I guess that could be down to summer approaching and in many ways, The North Face is surely a brand for the winter. 2*