3 Protective Soccer Features You May Have Never Heard Before

Oct 20, 2022

The average piece of soccer protective gear is pretty basic. Here at Storelli, we manufacture equipment that offers superior protection and performance-boosting qualities. They won’t make a player 100% safer or better at the game - skill and practice still matter. Nevertheless, we make gear that can help players reach the next level. This piece will look at protective features in our products that protect against soccer injuries but aren’t mainstream yet.

1. Team Wendy Zorbium® in our soccer concussion headguards

We write extensively about concussions and the need to protect soccer players against the effects of concussions. Concussion headguards are the best line of defence against brain injuries - at least for now.

With that said, dozens of models are on the market now, and not all have the same protective ability (studies demonstrate this).

And that’s where our headguard enters the conversations.

Our ExoShield headguard incorporates what’s known as Team Wendy Zorbium®. The U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps use this material in the helmets of their servicemembers for shock absorption. That includes blast impacts, shrapnel and other explosive forces that could inflict life-threatening head trauma.

What does that mean for soccer players?

The Team Wendy Zorbium® in our soccer concussion headguard can protect against the impact forces of ball headers and head collisions. Also, remember that these forces are significantly less than blast forces soldiers experience. It also supports the research studies conducted by the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, which rated our ExoShield as the market's most effective piece of soccer headgear. It showed our headguard could reduce concussion risk by 84%.

2. XRD® impact protection

Don’t get it twisted - protecting the body and limbs from hard impacts in soccer is just as important as protecting the head! Here’s a not-so-fun fact - 65% of all soccer injuries occur in the lower legs. Shin guards offer some protection, but their coverage is, of course, limited.

But we devised a solution to that.

We use an impact protection technology known as XRD® to provide more widespread coverage. XRD® technology uses polyurethane materials that are lightweight and flexible. When exposed to high impact force, the material stiffens into a hard shell, reducing the energy your body absorbs.

Where can you find impact protection in our equipment?

We’ve molded XRD® technology into a wide range of our soccer protective gear, for both the upper and lower body. That includes our arm guards, undershirts, leggings, and sliding shorts. When you wear one of our impact protection items, you can reduce hard impacts by as much as 90%. That means fewer sprains, strains and bruises that can keep you off the pitch.

Anti-abrasion technology to prevent turf burns

Turf-burns are one of the more nasty soccer injuries that can sideline the toughest players. The appearance and pain of these wounds aren’t the only problems - they can become infected too. You won’t find many options to prevent turf burns for such a severe and relatively common injury. The standard practice is to cover the wound and sit out after you get one.

But we said enough’s enough.

We created a line of soccer protective gear that protects against turf burn injuries using SABR-Tex™ technology. This material has a high elasticity and tensile strength, which means it doesn’t tear when subjected to friction. That means wearing these materials can protect you against the misery of a turf burn injury.

Where can you find anti-turf technology in our soccer protective gear?

You can find turf-burn resistant technology mainly in our soccer protective gear for the legs since that's where this injury happens most. Our two main products that feature it are goalkeeper pants - our leggings and sliding shorts. The protection takes the form of panels covering the sides of the thighs, especially prone to turf burns.

How to prevent soccer injuries the Storelli way

Coaches and players take soccer injuries too lightly at times. Yes, we’re sticklers for “toughing out” certain blows. But we’ve seen how devastating it can be for players to ignore injuries that have prematurely ended their careers. That’s why we created a line of soccer protective gear that offers injury-reduction technology you can’t find anywhere else. For us, our motto is not about being “soft” but rather preventing you from being held back by preventable injuries.

Looking for more tips on safety and performance in soccer? Check out our blog for more insights.