A Galway couple has created the world’s first rugby head guard to be approved as a medical device which they claim will prove crucial in the battle against concussion and brain injury.
After six years of research, Sandra and Mark Ganly have launched the €150 N-Pro that has been proven in extensive tests to reduce impact force on players by up to 75%.
Through its multi-layer construction, the head guard reduces the G-Force energy transferred to a player’s head during impact which is one of the major factors in sports-induced brain injuries.
The couple, from Ballindereen but living in Kinvara with their three children, drew on their different professional backgrounds to come up with a better device to protect rugby players.
Mark Ganly set up Marc Sports in 2005 and his hurling helmets become only the second brand of helmet in the country to receive endorsement from the GAA following the introduction of compulsory protective headgear for all levels of hurling from January 2010.
Sandra Ganly is a biomedical engineer at NUIG who works in the medical device sector with a particular focus on addressing unmet clinical needs.
The pair decided to work on this innovation after hearing former Ireland rugby player John Fogarty talk about the impact of brain injuries on his career.
He announced his retirement in November 2010 on the advice of his doctors after suffering repeated concussions.
“He was one of the first rugby players to talk about the issue of concussion publicly. Over the past number of years, players are bigger, faster, stronger so the number of impacts has been increasing. That interview sowed the seeds for us,” recalled Mark.
They started out creating prototypes which were lab tested and bench tested. They spent a long time in research and development to come up with the defentex technology which would satisfy three main criteria – safety, usability and effectiveness. The models were then used by players in the Ulster Academy in Northern Ireland where the feedback was extremely positive.
“The thing about brain damage and concussion is it’s very difficult to recognise, it’s often asymptomatic – only time will tell. We can only talk about the risk factors,” explains Sandra.
“Most neurological experts agree one of the main risk factors for head injuries is related to impact – both linear or direct impact or rotational impact, which is like a glancing blow.
“Our bench tests prove the N-Pro reduces both of those – by 75% for linear impact and 55% for rotational impact.”
After creating the Neuro-Protection (N-Pro), they then succeeded in securing a CE marked Medical Device classification, the world’s first and only sports head guard to be certified as a medical device.
They are launching the device in Ireland and the UK this week and would ultimately like to see it as a compulsory piece of equipment for all rugby players, particularly underage players.
But will ordinary club players cough up the €150 price at a time when hurling helmets are sold through GAA clubs for €35.
“Ours is a totally different product to hurling helmets in terms of brain injury. This is the most tested and most researched head guard in the world,” insisted Mark.
Sandra points out that people were asked in focus groups how much they would pay for a head guard that would protect the brain and they replied they would pay more than they would for boots – which cost in the region of €200.
“R&D [research and development] is going to be a constant part of our product. We’re by no means finished,” remarked Sandra.
The head guard will only be available through their company, Contego Sports Ltd, rather than retailers as they want to receive feedback on the product from those who are wearing it.
The company is based in Oranmore while the product is manufactured in the UK.
“We can see the potential for this in other sports where facial protection is not required – such as boxing and MMA. But this specific product is designed for rugby. We really excited about its potential.”