Uncertified hurling helmets

expectationlost

story in the Sunday Times about players including Joe Canning wearing uncertified helmets, specifically GOLA branded helmets https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/knock-it-on-the-head-says-gaa-of-uncertified-hurling-helmets-qp5n6h0m2




The GAA have been spreading this statement about helmets posted on many local GAA wesbites in recent days



https://www.blarneygaa.ie/helmet-safety/

2021 Helmet Safety

In advance of the 2021 GAA season, players are reminded about the need to check that their equipment is in good condition and meets the required safety standards.
The GAA would like to remind all players at all levels in all Hurling Games and Hurling Practice Sessions it is mandatory for, and the responsibility of, each individual player to wear a helmet with a facial guard that meets the standards set out in IS:355 or other replacement standard as determined by the National Safety Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
All players are advised that in the event of a head injury occurring, if the helmet being worn does not meet the standard or is modified or altered from the original manufactured state, they are not covered under the terms of the GAA Injury Benefit Fund.
The following helmet manufacturers currently provide products which meet the standards set out in IS:355 or other replacement standard as determined by the National Safety Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
Atak Sports
Azzurri
Cooper
Marc Sports
Mycro
O’Neills
**Players and parents should note that not all products provided by some of these manufacturers meet the standards of IS:355.**

NB **Once the helmet or faceguard is modified in anyway, the player is playing at an increased risk of injury and not covered under the terms of the GAA Injury Benefit Fund.**

should there not be a disciplinary procedure for players not wearing the right protective gear, from warnings to suspensions to fines to bans? particular for the intercounty teams.



The corporate owner of Gola sports equipment says it does not sell any hurling helmets, so who is selling these helmets?


There are some people selling old GOLA helmets and a seeming legitimate company seems to have been offering to repair them but last night I found an instagram account that was offering loads of new Gola branded helmets for sale. By morning the account had been set to private.


The ST called these uncertified but they are not just uncertified but fraudulent. Surely the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission should be involved. Im sure the owners of Gola could get the instagram account shut down for trademark infringement quicker.

Eoinbmw

What a load of rubbish !
Hurling helmets are nothing more than 70/80's skate board helmets with a crude face guard attached!
Id love to know what or who tests their effectiveness lol!

listermint

Eoinbmw wrote: »

What a load of rubbish !
Hurling helmets are nothing more than 70/80's skate board helmets with a crude face guard attached!
Id love to know what or who tests their effectiveness lol!

Some lad on the internet called Eoin.

He's the utmost authority on it

Eoinbmw

listermint wrote: »

Some lad on the internet called Eoin.

He's the utmost authority on it

Well do you know what "testing" is gone into their safety id wager its more to do with GAA and money!
They literally are skate board helmets especial some of the old school cooper ones which are sought after!

expectationlost

Eoinbmw wrote: »

What a load of rubbish !
Hurling helmets are nothing more than 70/80's skate board helmets with a crude face guard attached!
Id love to know what or who tests their effectiveness lol!

The companies themselves probably do most of the testing to this standard " IS:355 or other replacement standard as determined by the National Safety Authority of Ireland (NSAI)" eg https://mycrosport.com/helmet-safety/

expectationlost

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Well do you know what "testing" is gone into their safety id wager its more to do with GAA and money!
They literally are skate board helmets especial some of the old school cooper ones which are sought after!

why are they sought after?

benji79

As far as I’m aware mycro are the only ones who’ve done proper testing and have some added European certification that none of the others have. Others just have the basic requirements

I could see some big case coming down the line where a player gets badly injured and GAA insurance won’t pay out because helmet wasn’t compliant

I know in Cork refs were being asked to note in referees report about injury if player was wearing a modified helmet.

beggars_bush

look at all the players who put kilkenny or thurles faceguards onto their helmets

should be stopped

Eoinbmw

expectationlost wrote: »

why are they sought after?

Ive no idea when i hurled they where the one to have???
Back in the late 80's early 90's Mycro actually went out and brought 2 specific designs to market.
The first was a square awkward looking thing but highly protective I would argue much better than what mycro sells today which is just a copy of the cooper design ?
The padding was much more significant on mycros original designs!
All helmets today are copies of the cooper and offer very little protection to the skull they just offer face protection but even then its so easy to break your nose off of the face gaurds!

expectationlost

beggars_bush wrote: »

look at all the players who put kilkenny or thurles faceguards onto their helmets

should be stopped

whats the difference? whats wrong with them?

expectationlost

is the logo on this helmet gola ? http://inpho.ie/1759639 Its hard to see. Gola Logo here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gola_(manufacturer)

Ian OB

expectationlost wrote: »

is the logo on this helmet gola ? https://inpho.ie/app/WebObjects/Shop.woa/2/wo/FFdWiVBQyxMujPoouHHmg0/0.0.27.15?0.27.15.1=&Search=joe+canning&0.27.15.11=SEARCH&wosid=FFdWiVBQyxMujPoouHHmg0 Its hard to see. Logo here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gola_(manufacturer)

Looks more like an old school Cooper judging by the stitching.

expectationlost

Ian OB wrote: »

Looks more like an old school Cooper judging by the stitching.

asking about the logo not the stitching http://inpho.ie/1759639 it doesn't look like the Cooper logo.

Is it a repaired vintage one rather then a new one?

benji79

expectationlost wrote: »

is the logo on this helmet gola ? http://inpho.ie/1759639 Its hard to see. Gola Logo here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gola_(manufacturer)

Ya that’s a Gola helmet

bbuzz

Looks like this logo:
https://www.brandsoftheworld.com/logo/gola-0?original=1

DuffleBag

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Ive no idea when i hurled they where the one to have???
Back in the late 80's early 90's Mycro actually went out and brought 2 specific designs to market.
The first was a square awkward looking thing but highly protective I would argue much better than what mycro sells today which is just a copy of the cooper design ?
The padding was much more significant on mycros original designs!
All helmets today are copies of the cooper and offer very little protection to the skull they just offer face protection but even then its so easy to break your nose off of the face gaurds!

Jesus wept. Where do I even start with the above nonsense. Sounds like you've taken a few knocks without a helmet yourself

The Mycro helmets are designed to look like the old coopers correct. The technology and safety measures put into them are a far cry from when you hurled on the ditch in the 80s and 90s.

To say they offer "very little protection to the skull" is pure ignorance. Have you been hit with a mycro helmet on? They're light-years away from the old coopers. I've been split twice through 2 different coopers and would never go back.

benji79

https://mycrosport.com/helmet-safety/

Eoinbmw

DuffleBag wrote: »

Jesus wept. Where do I even start with the above nonsense. Sounds like you've taken a few knocks without a helmet yourself

The Mycro helmets are designed to look like the old coopers correct. The technology and safety measures put into them are a far cry from when you hurled on the ditch in the 80s and 90s.

To say they offer "very little protection to the skull" is pure ignorance. Have you been hit with a mycro helmet on? They're light-years away from the old coopers. I've been split twice through 2 different coopers and would never go back.

Bull****!
I have a "new" Mycro and it is exactly the same as the 70's cooper and provides very little protection!
Have you seen the amount of head injuries in Hurling?
Their should be none!

Eoinbmw

The face guard should protrude another inch at least off the face for starters!

threeball

Everyones been wearing old Coopers for years and they aren't compliant so why has it now become an issue due to someone wearing a Gola helmet? I mainly be interested in knowing why lads want to wear helmets with rusty rivets protruding, no padding, broken faceguards and chin straps. Are they that tight they wouldn't invest in a new one and get rid of the 10yrs worth of headsweat slowly mutating to a new type of virus plonked on their noggin.

DuffleBag

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Bull****!
I have a "new" Mycro and it is exactly the same as the 70's cooper and provides very little protection!
Have you seen the amount of head injuries in Hurling?
Their should be none!

I'm sorry I took the bait now. Clearly a WUM.

benji79

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Bull****!
I have a "new" Mycro and it is exactly the same as the 70's cooper and provides very little protection!
Have you seen the amount of head injuries in Hurling?
Their should be none!

No comparison between the new Mycro and 70’s copper. The mycro is streets ahead in safety. I’ve owned both

For starters the forehead area isn’t open on the mycro which is a pretty big difference

expectationlost

threeball wrote: »

Everyones been wearing old Coopers for years and they aren't compliant so why has it now become an issue due to someone wearing a Gola helmet?

the night I read the article I searched for Gola helmets for sale and found and instagram page selling scores of Gola branded helmets, helmets that havn't been being manufactured by Gola for near a decade?. https://www.instagram.com/golahelmets/ it was removed the next morning, kicking myself for not screenshotting it.

expectationlost

heres another instagram page doesn't have as many gola but look at the yellow helmet https://www.instagram.com/sf__sports/?hl=en


https://www.instagram.com/vintagecooperhelmets/?hl=en a few here that had been cracked in half and then" refurbished"

benji79

Madness to be buying something which has cracked & been fixed up. Couldn’t give the same level of protection

Water John

benji79 wrote: »

Madness to be buying something which has cracked & been fixed up. Couldn’t give the same level of protection

Absolutely true, if your motor cycle helmet has been in an impact, you replace it.

The Mycro helmet has a shock absorbent layer, put in about 8/10 years ago.

No helmet can fully prevent concussion but they can prevent injury.

beggars_bush

expectationlost wrote: »

whats the difference? whats wrong with them?

Dangerous
Uncertified

expectationlost

turns out 2 garda were selling these unauthorised helmets https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gardai-arrest-their-sales-of-fake-hurling-helmets-78brc3lv9

Water John

Something similar happened years ago when one of the German retailers took on an unapproved helmet for their weekly offers, supported by a Cork hurler. They had to withdraw it. Not an area to cut corners on.

hurlingman97

Most helmets have different/non certified guards anyway.
I don't see a difference tbh.
I really hope we don't go down the route of American Football and the super 11s where everyone has the same helmet.
I hate the look of that.
Obviously safety is paramount but it'd be easy enough for the ref to check all the helmets before a match and no play of it's not a proper one.
It'd take about 2 weeks for everyone to get a proper one then.

DuffleBag

So much for the GAA clamping down on this. Most of the fellas on TV this weekend were wearing "illegal" helmets in some form.

Exhibit A