The Top 10 Sports Gifts To Buy This Christmas

Time’s running out and you’ve got zero ideas. Before you resort to throwing your Christmas centre-half upfront, here’s 10 disparate (preferable to desperate) Christmas present ideas from Yahoo Sport.

For the Premier League a-listers who occasionally saunter onto the site, we have a 24k gold bike. For the inadvertent suburban window-breaker, we have an overdue solution to your wayward keepy-uppies. And for people who can’t choose between their proclivity for table sports or potassium-rich fruit, we have an improbably perfect gift.

THE TOP 10:

#1 - Snooker Masterclass with Jimmy White MBE

Jimmy White is one of the most popular players ever to grace the green baize. The masterclass, which costs £150, takes place at the UK’s only accredited snooker school of excellence - the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester. See Jimmy demonstrate the skills which made him a legend. On Crucible standard tables, Jimmy will oversee a coaching workshop with you, sharing hints and tips, ending with a Q&A, autographs and photos. Available via www.redletterdays.co.uk. Details on dates here: http://bit.ly/1NnnnMn

#2 - Rugby Ball Wine Cooler

We like this a LOT. A present that you’ll actually want to use over and over and over again on Christmas day: a full-sized vintage-style rugby ball with a wine cooler set into it. A great present for rugby fans and thirsty people alike.

The company behind it, Wicket Ideas, also do innovative stuff like Cricket Stump Loo Roll Holders and Hockey Ball Bookends, all handcrafted by “upcycling actual sports equipment to make distinctive presents that you won’t find anywhere else”. We’re fans - check them out: www.wicketideas.co.uk

#3 - Tour of a Famous Sporting Stadium for Two

At £42 for two people, this is a very reasonably priced present that gets you out of the house and into an iconic stadium that’s usually more rammed than just you and your mate. If you want to see Wembley, Twickenham or a Premier League ground in an entirely new way, we recommend this, which we properly looked into this, finding the reviews from people who’ve done it universally positive.

Get tickets or gift vouchers here: https://www.redletterdays.co.uk/experience/ref/xtour/a-tour-of-a-sporting-stadium-for-two

#4 - Anki Overdrive

We say this is Scaletrix for the digital age and is very technologically impressive and a mountain of fun to boot. They say “Anki OVERDRIVE is battle-racing at its best, where players control physical supercars via mobile devices to compete against friends, family or AI commanders. The game introduces an innovative magnetic modular track system that allows gamers to custom-build their own battlefields within seconds. Cutting-edge AI allows the supercars to fully control themselves on the tracks and use diverse strategies to fight to the finish.” Kids and adults who refuse to grow up will love this.

Available from www.anki.com RRP £149.99

#5 - Classic Football Shirts

Maybe it’s nostalgia, but old strips always seem to look smarter than current ones, so if you’re going to buy a football top for Christmas, get a retro one. On that basis, meet Classic Football Shirts, who have a comprehensive range of authentic shirts from British, European, world and international teams.

They sell rare and collectable shirts from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, old strips with the tags on, rare player issue kits and pre-owned classic shirts from the past. The shirts are complemented with a large stock of shorts, socks, training kit, bench jackets and football boots.

Check them out here: Classic Football Shirts

#6 - Sportpax

Does your progeny share your love of sport? If indubitably, then why send them to school with their books and couscous in anything other than an enlarged faux sports ball? As well as for learning materials and lunch, there’s space for boots and gym kit. They’ve got adjustable straps, handy inner pockets and are easy to wipe clean. Well-priced at £24.99 at www.sportpax.co.uk.

#7 - The Dan Carter Autobiography

The David Beckham of rugby, they say. Others say Beckham could only dream of being as good at football as Carter was at rugby. A legendary All Black, global sports icon and Man of the Match in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final. Available from all good online retail behemoths.

#8 - Open Goaaal

This is something you may react to by saying “I wish I’d had one of those when I was a kid!”. Remember shooting like an uncharacteristic wuss because if you blasted the ball, it would go three gardens down? And the neighbours would likely stab your ball in anger. Well, no more, because www.opengoaaal.com is a giant net surrounding a goal that not only stops balls going over, but rebounds them back too…time after time. Kyle Walker, Phil Jagielka, Rio Ferdinand and others have all posted on social media about theirs. Their strapline is pretty solid, too: “They think it’s gone over!….It hasn’t now.”.

#9 - Banana Pool Table

Very odd, yet very cool. Handmade by British artist Cleon Daniel, using elegant hardwoods, fitted with solid brass pocket plates and only the very highest quality leathers, this curvaceous yellow beauty is guaranteed to surprise, baffle, amuse and entertain in equal measure. Available from www.firebox.com for £6k.

#10 - 24k Gold Racing Bike

Some alchemy-obsessed boffins have only gone and embellished this men’s British racing bike with 24K Gold. It’s true that some Premier League footballers get on Yahoo Sport, so if you’re reading - give us a go when you’ve had enough of it. Until then, you can buy a tin of gold paint for like £20. Just saying. Available from www.firebox.com. While the £250,000 price tag will make your eyes water, delivery is absolutely, 100% FREE. You read that right, totally free.