2. Trends in fitness and equipment 2009

Is your latest piece of sports equipment about to become outdated? Is your favourite sport about to become a thing of the past? What trends are effecting sports this year and what innovations are there to come? Read below and discover the highlights of 2009 and what the future holds for the avid sports fan.

• Players are the key
You expect the top premier football leagues to have star players such as Ronaldo and the like, but snooker, cricket and even tennis is looking to increase their popularity by adding star players to their line-ups. And we don't mean by simply just adding their face or name to a piece of fancy sports equipment.

• Money talks
What does it take for a sponsor to pull out of a successful venture? Is it madness or is it financial ruin that forces them to relieve themselves of added spending? Licensed fitness equipment is part and parcel of a great player's arsenal. More than likely it is the latter and therefore great stars such as Tiger Woods and David Beckham have lost out on massive sponsorship deals that dealt them hefty financial blows. This has caused panic for all but the biggest names in sports today and many more sports, as well as sports stars are in danger of losing out on precious revenue. What is the solution then? For advertisers and sponsors to pull out of the minor leagues and to only concentrate on the big guns. What could be worse than an unlicensed piece of sports equipment?

• Sports Slims Down
Streamlined cricket games have pushed the option of a quicker, less bloated game. Everything from rugby to football may and will feel the pinch of a tighter schedule. ‘Express events' it will be called, when a five to ten day sporting event is squeezed into one day. Even polo is trying it out, as the official London derby has commissioned a lightning-fast tournament. Golf is hit the hardest, as fans are leaving in droves thanks to the relatively slow and tiring pace of this age-old sport. Golf just takes too long and the punters are searching for instant gratification, a quick break during their channel surfing. Cast your glaze into the future and believe that a two-hour Nascar race is possible.

• Other new and exciting rules

Football may get even more referees to keep the game in check. Two more referees are to be placed on each game, with an extra one placed behind each goal line. This, however, lies in the hands of FIFA as they will decide if this game-changing rule is implemented or not.

For the devious free kick system, there is a spray being developed that will be tested to mark out defensive walls a certain distance from the free kick line. This spray will fade after a short period of time. (This is sure to be a handy piece of sporting equipment!)

The stadiums in Cape Town for the FIFA World Cup are well on their way to be completed. Near the end of 2009, these stadiums (a few new venues are being constructed throughout South Africa) will have massive seating capacity and this nominal upgrade is a true landmark for each province.

The smoother the tire, the better the grip on the road; this has been known for many years and the sport of Formula One has not been able to employ this particular piece of hardware for a long time now. Other cool advancements include an energy system that redirects power to the correct areas of the F1 Car. This is the type of sporting equipment will keep the sport truly interesting.

Dave Edmonson is the fitness equipment buyer for a prominent chain of sports stores. He tracks trends in sporting equipment in order to keep their stock updated.