Sports fans are usually at their happiest when they are watching their teams or favourite athletes at work. Therefore, you’d think buying them a gift would be an easy and simple task – this is not necessarily the case. Beyond buying tickets for events, it can be challenging to find birthday presents that will put smiles on their faces. The key is to think outside the box. Read on for a few ideas to get you started.

Indulge their fantasies

If the sports fan in your life is a lover of the beautiful game, there are so many choices available for potential birthday presents that the biggest difficulty will be deciding which one to choose.

One great option is to take their love of football into a virtual realm by purchasing a gaming console and a copy of a top football simulation game such as FIFA 18. There they will find all of their favourite players and stadiums and be able to play out a wealth of fantasy matches, making their own choices about transfers and formations, rather than complaining about those made by their real-life counterparts.

If your favorite sports fanatic is an armchair fan of Australian Rules football, then make game day extra special and purchase their favorite team’s shirt and memorabilia from an afl store and share their photos on social media.

Introduce them to a new activity

While many sports fans are only passionate about one particular activity, a huge number are interested in all sports across the board. If this is the case, why not encourage them to get actively involved in a new pursuit which can then lead to them becoming a fan of that particular sport too?

Skateboarding has been an enduring action sport for over 50 years and has given rise to a host of spin-off pastimes, including the finger board, a miniature replica of a real skateboard that enables enthusiasts to recreate tricks using their middle and index fingers!

If they love BMXing, then introducing them to scootering could be a brilliant idea. After all, scootering is fast becoming the extreme sport of choice for a whole new generation. Like skateboarding, stunt scootering is gaining fans across the world and is now firmly established as a professional sport in its own right. Best of all, you can help your sports fan get into the sport themselves by choosing one of the many sturdy models aimed at beginners to ensure they will develop their skills in no time. You can find a full range of models such as Crisp and Apex Pro Scooters, along with all the accessories you need to take part in the sport, at www.skates.co.uk.

Buy them a book

The most eager sports fans may prefer watching the sport rather than read about it, but it's often just a case of finding the right material. While novels and books about politics might leave them cold, a well-written biography about their sporting hero or some other figure they have long admired could be just the thing.

There are a wide range of biographies out there covering just about every leading name from every sport. You can choose between those written by the sports stars themselves, those penned by ghostwriters with the permission of the sports personality, and those written without permission by a third party. There are also books that blend genres, such as Andy McGrath's award-winning biography of cyclist Tom Simpson, which combines both sport and history.

Each type of book has its strengths and weaknesses. Autobiographies written solely by the personality may rely far more on the cult of celebrity than literary merit. While those written by ghostwriters may be more enjoyable to read, both types of book tend to suffer from the fact that the subjects have complete control over what they choose to include, meaning the most interesting parts of their lives may be glossed over. Books written by a third party tend to cover more but usually suffer from not having direct access to the subject themselves.