Players and coaches with the
Australian Football League will chill out for the next 3 years with a new cooling vest that will combat last year’s pre-season
heat problems that affected many players.
The AFL announced
an agreement to supply each club in the league with revolutionary new
cooling vests manufactured by Arctic Heat Pty Ltd.
General manager of Arctic Heat,
Shane Williams, said the company was delighted to supply the cooling vests
to players and coaches in the league.
"The AFL has shown great
initiative to address the problem of heat stress, particularly following
last year’s early start to the season in the warm summer months and the significant change in temperature that players experience during
games in the cooler months," Mr Williams said.
"Players will wear the vests
during training and on the interchange bench during each game in the
football season," Mr Williams said.
Arctic Heat’s marketing manager,
Brendan Washington, said the first 100 cooling vests that have come hot
off the production line would be presented to AFL players and coaches today.
The AFL has agreed to endorse the
Arctic Heat cooling vests by supplying them to its players for the next
three years. An additional 250 vests will be distributed among the 16
clubs throughout Australia during the next fortnight.
Mr Washington said coaches were
particularly impressed with how the vest maintained the core temperature
of the player by simply dipping the garment into water to activate and
swell the gel crystals embedded in the material. The gel crystals then
maintain the constant temperature of the vest for several hours.
Arctic Heat’s Research and
Development manager, Andrew Bews, said the cooling vests are manufactured
out of scientifically tested and proven body-cooling materials -
sportwool, microfibre and pockets of gel that hold any temperature for a
long period.
Sportwool is a new body cooling
material recently developed by CSIRO and the Woolmark Company. It combines
the unique high-performance composite or bi-component fabric structure of
Merino wool with other fibres to take advantage of wool's unique
properties.
Mr Bews, a former captain with
Geelong, Brisbane Lions player, AFL life member and now coach of
Williamstown in Victoria, said the vest reduces the body temperature and
prevents players from overheating.
"The wicking effect of
sportwool transfers moisture from the skin to the outer microfibre that
keeps the skin dry and comfortable and prevents tacky humid moisture
forming on the skin," Mr Bews said.
"The wool qualities of the
vest create a natural climate-control system that can reduce ‘post
exercise chill’ and allow the garment to breathe naturally.
"Recent scientific testing has
proved that by keeping the skin temperature cool in line with the sweating
process helps the body to stay cool.
"This can result in much
longer sustained performance, lower heart rate and reduced sweating which
results in far less body fluid loss.
Mr Bews said the Arctic Heat
cooling vest can drop skin temperature by up to 25 degrees Celsius,
keeping the body cool and allowing the wearer to perform at maximum
capacity.
"The vest will allow AFL
players to train in comfort for sustained periods as well as enjoy a
faster and more efficient recovery.
Most importantly, the cooling vest
greatly reduces the chance of being affected by any form of heat stress
that can have a significant effect on both athletic performance and
health," Mr Bews said.
