AFL cools down and fires up with new training gear
Players and coaches with the Australian Football League will chill out during training sessions this summer with a new cooling vest that will combat last year’s pre-season heat problems that affected many players.
The AFL today announced an agreement to supply each club in the league with revolutionary new cooling vests manufactured by Arctic Heat Pty Ltd (7 December).
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, Brendon Sinclair, 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 Sinclair 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.
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