I went to get a sports bag. I have difficulty with stairs. After 20 minutes of being ignored,…read morewalked away from and left standing at a till as staff attempted to find the price, I came away empty- handed. No one spoke to me unless I spoke to them first. Staff made me feel a nuisance. The only exception was the young girl near the lift who helped me operate it. I try to shop locally to support real businesses but I'm going online now to buy a sports bag.

Packed full of sports clothing and some sports equipment. Over packed in my opinion, like many…read moreclothing stores. Hardly room to get around. That aside, they do fit in a huge amount of product. Also, casual clothing, jeans, polo shirts etc. The staff are always polite and helpful. Unfortunately they did not have the item that I was looking for - an Arsenal polo shirt (definitely NOT for myself I hasten to add!), which was advertised as being in-store on their online site. Pricewise, it is usually great value for money and fantastic if you have a gaggle of children to clothe. I ended up buying an arsenal mug (again NOT for myself) and was unfortunate to end up at the till behind the customer who appeared to be buying every item in the shop! There is ample parking outside, being part of the Springhill retail park, and is very easily accessible coming off the Bangor bound carraigeway from Belfast.

I am love, love, loving Sports Direct. It is without a doubt the cheapest outlet for brand name…read moresports goods I have come across. You'll find all the well known labels like Umbro, USA Pro and Nike at prices you won't believe. The last time I went, I bought Nike trainers for £30 and USA Pro gym gear for £8 a piece. And they weren't from 5 years ago either but up to date styles. There's also tracksuits, socks, sports bras (are you allowed to write 'bras' on Yelp?). The men's' section has trainers, running shorts, trainers, socks, fleeces and sports bags. Again prices are unbeatable. Junior sports fans will love the footballs, rugby balls, trainers and the biggest range of football team accessories I have ever seen.

I get that the shop's marketing strategy is to offer cheap goods and with that you have to expect a…read moreless than stellar standard of service but even then this Sports Direct (although generally most of them aren't great) is appalling. The staff seemed to put serious effort into being unhelpful and the conduct of one particular member was practically criminal. As a rule it's probably not a good idea for a staff member (especially when male) to check if a changing room is empty by popping his head over the door (especially when it's a pre-teenage girl using it). If anyone was considering going here I would recommend instead diving head first into a gravel pit containing broken glass, going anywhere else and then still considering yourself ahead for the day. Also screw Mike Ashley.

This place seems to have sprung up overnight. Located in premises that have housed countless…read morebusinesses over the last few years Sweatshop will be trying to catch the attention of Belfast shoppers. This is a specialist running shop that sells all sorts of running clothing, trainers and accessories. It seems pretty well stocked - with all major brands available. One thing I noticed they had which I liked was an in-store treadmill. I like the idea of slipping on a pair of trainers and trying them out before you buy them. Sort of like a test drive in a car - makes sense to do this really. I noticed that a lot of the stock had been discounted in the same style that Sports Direct discount - by that I mean that items are automatically applied with discount to appeal to bargain hunters. When I entered the shop the staff were keen to help me and I was asked on two occasions was I ok or 'just having a look'. If you're a keen runner get a jog on and head down to Sweatshop, you'll probably find something you need - remember the Belfast Marathon is only 3 short months away?!

This is a fantastic sports shop for any avid runner or gym bunny! They have an excellent range of…read morecurrent season trainers for great reduced prices. Quality brands like brooks, asics, new balance, karrimor along with the usual Nike, adidas. The staff are trained to fit shoes for fallen arches, stability, neutral running etc. They have a decent range of outdoor trek shoes too. Lots of snazzy gym gear for both male/female.

O'Neills is a sporting goods shop primarily famed for its dedication to Gaelic Gear equipment and…read moresportswear. Located next to world-famous (kind of) Casement Park, this shop does a big trade from gaelic supporters which there are plenty of in Andersonstown. The shop has a typical sports shop lay-out, with displays and racks of goods stocked around the floor. There is always a problem with sports shops that they are all quite expensive and the majority of their products can be found if you shop around on the internet. O'Neills does have expensive enough tracksuits and equipment, but the gaelic jerseys are pretty much as cheap and you are going to find anywhere else. The staff are more than happy to let you browse about and are very approachable if you require any assistant. One particular member of staff was more than happy to look out the back to see if they had a rain jacket I was looking for in my size. Turned out they didn't but he was happy to order it for me. I told him it was grand and got it off their website instead but the staff are really nice and more than helpful. I can see why there are more and more of these sports shops opening up all over Ireland as it is a very well run, efficient, pleseant shopping experience.

A lot of visitors to Belfast like to bring back souvenirs when they're going home. For many of…read morethem, if they have friends or relatives who originally hail from here (or, indeed, if they hail from here themselves) they like to bring back items that are specific to a particular area or region as a symbol of their roots or ancestry. That's why the souvenir of choice for a lot of people is GAA shirts. Most opt for the county tops, with some even going as far as getting local club tops. O'Neill's is a stockist of such items, and sells county jerseys for around £25 - £40 (depending what time of year you buy them I think - if you can leave it until late August, which is near the end of the GAA season, then they're at the lower end of this price range). It also supplies some sporting equipment, including hurling sticks, as well as some rugby and soccer items.

I used to run for a club before I discovered the pleasures of alcohol and nightclubs. I have…read morerecently joined a gym and discovered the joy of running once again. unfortunately my running shoes were a pair of converse boots and I knew this was not the right kind of footwear required to chase and catch Bolt and beat him to the post, so I headed up to Up and Running for a serious pair of runners. They sorted me out nicely with a new pair of Adidas, some lycra (never thought I'd be back in the stretchy stuff) jogging bottoms and a nifty little hand-formed water bottle. Decent prices, helpful well informed staff and a well stocked runners emporium. Catch me if you can!

Never been much into running myself though I did dabble a bit when I was (much) younger. This is…read morethe kind've shop I would have loved though had I the required budget. It's basically a huge shrine to everything related with running be it shoes, clothing or any number of accessories. It's in rather an unusual location in town, pretty much right in the middle of the main shopping area so that's testament to the fact it must do some great business. In fact the day I was in browsing there was a whole mob of Japanese tourist who seemed to be stocking up on a load of kit. Rather impressive and the guy behind the tills smile spoke volumes. Pros: Expert gear and advice. Cons: Pretty much just running stuff

Great great shop.Got everything under 1 roof!read more

Ringsport on the Antrim Road sells a wide range of boxing equipment for both the professional and…read moreamateur styles of the sport. It's on top of another shop which is quite strange, I always feel strange walking up some stairs that seem like they could be anyone's home into a shop. The guy who owns the store knows all there is about boxing, so you can just ring off vaguely what your looking for and your budget and just sit back whilst he gathers everything you need. Whilst I was there he informed me that a lot of the stuff they sell in the shop is cheaper in their online shop which was frightfully honest of him considering I could have just left and did that. Really friendly, knowledgeable staff which is great for the epic novices like myself.

I'm so clumsy, that at any moment, whilst sitting on this sofa I could fall off and break most…read morebones. So sitting on a bicycle with a petrol tank attached is not a sensible idea for me. But I was close by so I popped in. Apart from having the coolest name in town, Hein Gericke had everything the motorbike enthusiast could need, from new bikes to every form of safety gear needed to slightly reduce your risk of becoming a statistic. There's also an information board displaying lessons and other invaluable information for those who of me Conor K disposition.

From the owner: Caters for Motorcycle Enthusiastsread more

This is a great really well laid out matalan. Its a really good size with a great new party…read moresection. The location is fab near abbey centre and the prices are great! Great parking.