Little Big Sports

Children's sports kit from a family-run online shop

Little Big Sports is an online retailer focused on sports equipment and clothing designed for children under 12 years of age. The business is owned and run by Katie, a mother of two, and grew out of her own difficulty finding a correctly sized cricket bat for her son, who took up an interest in cricket from the age of 18 months. The stated purpose of the shop is to help other parents locate gear built for younger players rather than adult equipment scaled down by guesswork.

The range is organised so that items suit different ages, sizes and abilities, allowing children to take part and build skills without handling a bat they cannot lift, a football that is too heavy or a tennis ball that bounces above their heads.

Cricket at the core of the catalogue

Cricket is the most developed area of the shop. Junior bats are split into Kashmir willow and English willow, and the cricket section also lists bowling machines, pitches, batting nets, folding and ground-secured batting cages, cage protection, balls, stumps and bails, cricket sets, softball cricket, practice aids, bags, clothing, wicket-keeping accessories and cricket shoes.

Football, girls' teamwear and other sports

Football stock covers footballs, boots, goals, shinpads, socks, practice equipment and accessories, alongside a dedicated girls' section that includes teamwear. Beyond these two sports, the catalogue extends to:

• Tennis: nets, rackets, balls, mini tennis sets, ball machines and practice accessories
• Golf: clubs, gloves, nets, mats, putting aids, balls and sets
• Swimming: caps, goggles, masks, swimming aids, water confidence items and swimwear
• Basketball and netball: backboards, hoops and systems, balls and netball posts
• Rugby: balls, kicking tees, gloves, posts, protection and accessories
• Hockey: sticks, balls, protection, accessories and goals
• Table tennis, padel, fitness, badminton, baseball and softball, rounders, athletics, trampolines, American football, skateboarding and cycling

There are also sections for winter and wet-weather gear and for schools.

Gifts, brands and seasonal ideas

The shop groups gift ideas by price band, from under £10 through to over £60, and maintains a garden sports section aimed at keeping families active at home. Brands named in the catalogue include Dimension Sport, Zoggs, Mitre, Samba, US Kids Golf, Zsig and Flicx. Among the products listed at the time of writing this profile were a football fitness and skills game at £23.99, a Dimension Sport Paceman 176 XT bowling machine from £238.99, a Samba rugby post at £159.99 and a Flicx cricket skills batting end from £589.99.

Advice, service and recognition

The company presents personalised advice and support across the buying process, from browsing the website to after-sales help, as a distinguishing feature of its offer. Customers rated the shop 4.8 out of 5 based on 103 reviews, according to the information available when this profile was drafted. Owner Katie was named Mumpreneur of the Year at the Kent Women in Business Awards 2014 and was a finalist in the national Mumpreneur UK 2014 awards in the Wired category for best online business; she has also received a Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday award and a Jacqueline Gold Women on Wednesday award.

Editorial content and local links

The site carries a blog with articles on the growth of girls' cricket in England, a guide to cricket training aids and a piece on Iona Winnifrith, described as a local Paralympian and member of Team GB at 13 years old. Orders over £75 qualify for free delivery, and the shop runs a sale section.