Neil Featherby: 30 years and counting at Sportlink

Either way I look at it, it still blows my mind as to where the time has gone during what has been an amazing rollercoaster ride. 

I have told the story many times before about how and why I set Sportlink up with the full story on our website and what turned out to be a case of ‘okay then let’s give it a go.’  

It all started in what was nothing more than an old canteen in the middle of a factory in Horsford. 

That first day was nerve-racking, sitting there waiting for the first customer to appear whereby 4pm in the afternoon I had not seen or spoken to anyone other than having received phone calls trying to persuade me to advertise in various publications. 

However, and just after 4pm a certain Mr Danny Kelly walked in whilst telling me he was just browsing. I noticed he had a pair of running shoes on his feet which weren’t the best and saw this as my chance of talking him into purchasing a new pair. 

Danny Kelly - Sportlink's first ever customer (Image: Neil Featherby)

Well, purchase a new pair he did but somehow I also agreed to take in his rubbish shoes with part cash. As it happens, I was out of pocket, but I didn’t care as I could go home and say I made a sale for that very first day. 

Danny is now a successful businessman himself, and we are still very good friends to this day. 

Back then there was no internet as such and very few people knew anything about websites. As for social media platforms, well they didn’t exist. Certainly not as we know it today. 

Lots of people told me I was crazy and was taking too much of a risk, but I have always been a bit of chancer and have spent all my life trying to think on my feet never mind having a big fear of failure. 

With regards to those early days though, I made a point of engaging closely with the local public, athletes, clubs, and schools. Also, back then we were very big into football for which you could find Norwich City footballers in the shop every day of the week, apart from Saturdays of course. In fact, several players ended up working for Sportlink after their full-time careers were over as well as going into partnership with some of them. As it happens, Danny Mills and Rob Newman are still very much involved. 

After moving into a larger unit in Horsford in 1996, this was followed up just two years later with a move to Drayton in 1998 and whilst we were very much a big running specialist, we still had good connections with football clubs and rugby clubs. We even catered for cricket and netball too. Plus, I and the business had expanded out into other areas such as sports management and promotions. Looking back on that period now is surreal, working with some of the very elite sports people which not only took me into close contact with people I had up until then admired from afar but also led me out to New York’s Madison Square Garden for a world title boxing show in 2000 and the 2002 football World Cup in Japan. Plus, we also promoted several boxing shows at the old Sports Village in Norwich in front of sellout crowds. Perhaps the biggest of all though was when promoting a show on the pitch at Norwich City’s home ground at Carrow Road in 2005. 

With regards to running – how this has changed! Gone are the days when some people would be too scared to go out running for fear of being laughed at. So many good reasons for this too. Parkruns perhaps being the biggest reason, but also social media which has allowed people to not only celebrate their own achievements but also inspire others to give it a go whatever their level and ability. 

Shoes back in the 1990s were technical so to speak but mainly in terms of cushioning and what was in my opinion far too much attention being paid to bringing stability into shoes ie to prevent over pronation. It is so different today and as for carbon plates and special foams, running footwear is now on a totally different level. 

The guys running around 2:06/08 back in the mid 1990s and I include local hero Paul Evans among those, if they’d had today’s shoes, science and nutritional back up, I am 100 percent confident that they would have been equally as fast as today’s elite. I would even go as far to say that the likes of Ron Hill, Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers from the late 1960s through to the late 1970s would have also been just as good. 

I am regularly asked as to how I think athletes and other sports people from yesteryear would have compared to today’s greats. The truth being told is that we can all have our opinions and it will always be hypothetical. However, I would suggest if you were among the most talented from decades past, then you would still be mixing it with the best if at your peak now. Would Muhammad Ali, George Forman, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, considered be the best during their era, still be able to compete with today’s super heavyweights? Well, if they had today’s knowledge, products and back up, I think so. What really matters though is that they were the best during what was their time at the top and anything else is conjecture. 

Getting back to Sportlink business and whilst I love looking back on some great occasions, we have managed to grow with the times which I have always known to be one of the most important elements of being in business. 

If you don’t move with the times, then you will be left behind, simple as that. However, one thing which has not changed from day one, is that we will always put customer service first whilst being a very much community-based and friendly business. 

So, a huge thank you to everyone who has been part of the last 30 years, be it customers, brands and particularly to all my amazing and wonderful staff. It really is down to all of them. Be it those working in-store, to behind-the-scenes management whilst not forgetting the freelance guys who have done such a brilliant job with Sportlink TV. Oh yes, something else which did not exist back in 1994 – YouTube. 

If you are around this weekend and fancy popping in to have a chat about old times or just want to be part of our birthday celebrations, then please do. 

Finally, well done to all who took part in this year’s Sportlink Norfolk Road Running GP Series and for those at the awards evening tonight, I hope you have a great time. Oh, and please do check out the new Sportlink GP website www.sportlinkgp.run