Salford Red Devils’ players will this season wear “cutting edge” mouthguards fitted with a chip which gathers data to monitor the intensity of collisions and impacts to the head.
The PROTECHT mouthguard, designed to maximise player safety and welfare amid growing concerns over the impacts of head knocks and concussions, has already been adopted in rugby union at Leicester Tigers, Gloucester and Harlequins.
Now Richard Marshall’s men will become the first rugby league club to follow suit and Salford’s lead physio, Rob Artingstall, said: “We are looking to use their outstanding technology to help us get detailed data on one of the only things that can’t accurately be quantified in rugby league - the collision!
“By getting this information, we can help PROTECHT with their research into concussion and spotting potential patterns that may help identify players who are at increased risk.
“We can also use the data to plan the quantity and intensity of our contact sessions on a weekly basis which could help us strike the right balance between performance and looking after the players physically and mentally.
“We can also use the technology to progress players back from injury and to help inform us from a recovery point of view.
“It truly is cutting edge technology that will help look after player welfare as well as help drive performance.”
The PROTECHT system has been designed by Sports & Wellbeing Analytics (SWA), a Welsh company founded in 2016 with the aim of improving player welfare and team performance through leveraging data.
Salford initially looked at implementing the technology at the beginning of last season but the coronavirus pandemic shelved those plans.
The project will now begin from the start of this season and see every player wearing a mouthguard with a chip inserted inside.
The data is then sent back to pitch-side coaching and medical staff in real time.
The chip’s placement within the mouthguard means that it is connected to the players’ upper jaw – the only part of the body that cannot move independently of the skull.
Each player will receive a custom fit mouthguard and the purpose of the system is to understand not only how many collisions the players undergo in matches and in training, but also the intensity of these impacts.
This allows the medics and conditioners to ensure players are prepared for matches but also adequately recovered and ready to perform in competitive matches.
SWA chief executive Chris Turner said: “We are delighted to be working with Salford who have continually demonstrated the importance they place on player welfare.
“They have shown that performance and player welfare are intertwined and we believe the PROTECHT technology has a vital role to play in improving each of them.”
