Ex-club doctor warns that football players are at risk of injury due to new equipment.

Is modern technology putting football players at risk of injury? As Bob Sangar, former club doctor for League One team Wycombe Wanderers, would attest, the answer is yes. With longer and sharper studs on boots, contact injuries in football can often lead to serious lacerations. But what may be even more shocking is the lack of adequate protection being used by players.

Sangar recalls one particular incident where a player needed over 50 stitches and plastic surgery after getting kicked by another player's boot. "It was as if someone had used a Stanley knife down the side of his leg," he remembers. This injury was caused by the flimsy shin pads that the player was wearing, which offered little protection between the bottom of the boot and the tongue of the boot.

Despite the mandatory use of shin pads since 1990, many players still opt for small and inadequate protection. Even top players like Jack Grealish and Conor Gallagher are known for their use of mini shin pads, some even made of materials that can be easily torn apart. Sangar was left baffled when he discovered that some players were using trimmed-down yoga mats or insoles as their shin pads.

So why do players choose such small and seemingly ineffective protection? Sangar found the answer to be quite simple - comfort. "Elite athletes are very aware of their bodies and even the smallest discomfort, like a label on their shirt, can bother them," he explains. "If something doesn't feel right, they will make compromises, and unfortunately, one of those compromises is often their shin pads."

Determined to find a solution, Sangar took matters into his own hands and designed his own shin pad, called Smart Armor. This product, developed at Imperial College in London, is made of a special polymer that is flexible but hardens upon impact. It has been tested and can withstand 10,000 impacts, making it a reliable and safe option for players.

However, creating such a high-quality product was not easy or cheap. The process took 18 months and a six-figure investment, including the cost of a 3D stainless steel mould crucial to the design. But Sangar is passionate about making his product accessible to as many players as possible, especially amateur players who are at a higher risk of contact injuries.

While Sangar is encouraged by the ban on mini shin pads in some amateur and grassroots clubs, he is disappointed by the lack of regulation from the game's governing bodies. He believes that the Football Association and IFAB should provide clear guidelines on what shinpads should conform to, especially with the rise of young players wearing mini shin pads that could potentially end their careers with one injury.

As Sangar notes, "Footballers are young people and they don't necessarily consider the long-term consequences of an injury until it's too late." As someone with a birds-eye view of footballers' well-being, he believes it is his responsibility to ensure their safety. Shin pads may seem like a small issue, but if it can prevent serious injuries, it is a problem that needs to be addressed.

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