Revolutionary Protective Head Guard for All Soccer Players Introduced Today by Storelli Sports

- Independent Tests Confirm Superior Impact Absorption Level, with Potential to Substantially Reduce Risk of Head Injuries

NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As attention to on-the-field head injuries to athletes mounts in all major sports, soccer players of all ages and skill levels will benefit from a revolutionary new head guard introduced today by Storelli Sports LLC, the Brooklyn-based protective soccer apparel company.  The Storelli ExoShield HeadGuard was worn twice in the last week by a major English Premier League star in his successful return from injury, and now all players around the world will have access to this revolutionary new product.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130918/NY81864 )

Tests:  Product outperforms other head guards by up to 182 percent

Third-party protection tests conducted earlier this year indicate that Storelli's patent-pending ExoShield HeadGuard, featuring foams used extensively by the U.S. military, outperformed other soccer head guards currently on the market by up to 182 percent in reducing the force of impact, depending on collision speed.

To ensure a high standard of product performance, impact testing was executed on a head-and-neck assembly mounted to an industry-standard monorail system from the front, side and rear of the head guard at collision speeds replicating – and exceeding – playing conditions, and also at varying temperatures.  As compared with wearing no head guard protection at all, Storelli's new head guard reduces the force of impact by up to 59 percent, depending on collision speed.

"Head injuries in soccer are all too common, and better solutions are needed and long overdue," said Tom Marchesi, Storelli co-founder and director of product design.  "Our goal in developing this head guard is to substantially reduce the negative effects of head contact players regularly experience in collisions with other players' heads, the field, goal posts and of course the soccer ball itself, and to create a protection solution that would speed recovery time for existing injuries, enabling players to get back on the field sooner.  We've designed a new product that is functionally superior to anything currently available, highly effective in impact and abrasion reduction, exceptionally comfortable to wear and sleekly designed to make it attractive to players of all ages."

Dr. Michael L. Lipton of Albert Einstein College of Medicine: "a clear need to better protect the heads and brains of soccer players"

"Research studies, including our own, are revealing the importance and prevalence of soccer-related head injuries," says Dr. Michael L. Lipton, associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and a globally-recognized leading researcher on soccer head injuries.  "These injuries frequently result from head-to-head, head-to-ground and head-to-goal post impacts, as well as from heading the soccer ball itself.  All of these common impacts can potentially have significant short- and long-term effects on brain function.  There is thus a clear need to better protect the heads and brains of soccer players. The sport needs approaches that limit the number, severity and frequency of impacts; allow adequate post-impact recovery; and identify vulnerable players. Enhanced protective devices, such as effective head guards, may potentially have a role in soccer head injury mitigation."

ExoShield incorporates same state-of-the-art foam used by U.S. military to protect soldiers

The patented foam which lines Storelli's head guard is made from the same formulation as foam used to line the helmets of U.S. military personnel, notes Dr. Jing Liang, PhD in biophysics and director of product development and co-founder of Storelli.  "This is the same class of material used as liners in standard issue Army helmets to protect soldiers, including many special operation elite forces stationed around the world.  We have designed our head guard with that degree of care in mind -- maximum efficiency and comfort for protecting all soccer players."

Storelli's head guard is worn much like a head band, wider in the back than front, and is offered in six sizes to fit virtually any head.  The product has a stealth, unconventional stylistic look, and features top of the line moisture-wicking fabric.

The first "convincing solution" to head protection for soccer players

"Head injuries in soccer are much more common in recent years," said Andy Abramovits, director of Coastal Soccer, the premier soccer training organization in Long Island, New York, which trains more than 4,000 players across 20 youth soccer clubs.  "In my career as a trainer, I have never seen so many cases as I do now.  The concern of parents is mounting, especially because so far there hasn't been a convincing solution. The Storelli head guard is the single product on the market that I know of that provides both heavy-duty protection and the sleek, cool look that young players want." 

"Soccer is one of the few sports where players are expected to physically use their heads in the course of the game to control and strike the ball, and their heads frequently collide with other players and field elements as well," said Marchesi.  "And yet somehow, unlike in baseball, hockey, lacrosse, rugby and American football, virtually all soccer players play the game without any sort of head protection.  That doesn't make sense.  Storelli's ExoShield HeadGuard is a breakthrough product on several levels, and I expect that, over time, it will both make the game of soccer safer and positively impact the level of play as players engage with more confidence."

Head-to-toe protection for all players

Each Storelli product results from extensive market research; is developed by a team of soccer players, apparel design experts and scientists; and features materials never before used in soccer apparel, including protective foams that absorb up to 90 percent of the energy from impact, far surpassing the performance of all other similar products, according to Marchesi.  "The padding in Storelli's below-the-head protective apparel incorporates PORON XRD technology, offering a light, breathable, flexible layer of extreme impact protection that is perfectly suited for the game of soccer," said Marchesi. The products are also embedded with Microban anti-microbial protection, which inhibits the growth of mold, bacteria and mildew otherwise common in athletic gear.

The Storelli product line features protective apparel to cover each area of the player's body that is at risk of impact or injury, with sizes and designs specifically cut for men, women and youths.  In addition to its head guard, Storelli outfits field players and goalies around the world with:

• compression padded undershirts;
• compression-padded shorts to protect hips and thighs;
• protective 3/4 pants, including hidden knee pads for goalies to minimize abrasions on the knees; and
• "LegGuards," an innovative set of shin guard sleeves that incorporate extremely protective foam to shield legs and ankles. 

About Storelli Sports LLC

Storelli is the only brand dedicated exclusively to protecting soccer players from head to toe, enabling them to play harder, longer and enjoy more fully the world's most popular sport.  Its apparel line incorporates proprietary, patent-pending technologies and sleek, intelligent design to better absorb impact; minimize and prevent abrasions, cuts and bruises; and take the pain out of the game to enhance performance and enjoyment.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Storelli was created in 2011 by a team of four soccer-playing entrepreneurs with graduate level education and business backgrounds in sports apparel design, biophysics, law, finance, and management consulting who have combined their skills to form a company unlike any other on the soccer landscape.  Together, they recognized the need for, and an opportunity to create, "advanced soccer protection" for all categories of soccer players.  Storelli gear is currently distributed across four continents and is available for purchase online and at more than 100 retail stores globally.  To order products and find out more information, visit www.storelli.com or write to info@storellisports.com.