Calgary's minor football teams hit with helmet supply shortage
Helmets are arguably the most important piece of equipment a player wears in football, but they're getting harder and harder to come by, these days.
There's currently a shortage of this key item needed to keep players safe on the field.
In Calgary, many playing for the St. Francis Browns will tell you the contact is their favourite part of the game.
"I definitely got some hard hits this year already," said Dane Yuzdepski, a receiver for the northwest school's team.
"It's all part of the game. You've got to love it."
But they're faced with the same problem football teams across the continent have been left to try and tackle.
There are only a few manufacturers that make the helmets, and they say a shortage of labour and materials is making it tough to keep up with orders.
Also, when pandemic restrictions lifted, there was a surge of demand as players got back on the field.
"Usually, we'll receive our helmets in June, and this year we received them by the beginning of the season in August and we only received less than a quarter of the order that we had placed," said Bill Monks with the Calgary Bantam Football Association.
And local teams are running out of time — or at least their helmets are.
Calgary football regulations stipulate helmets can only be used for two years before they're returned to the manufacturer for inspection and repair.
Leagues continue to retire helmets after two years, but they're not being replaced.
Right now, some local fall and spring leagues are sharing helmets since they play at different times of year.
Sharing during a game, however, may not be feasible.
"I don't think that it would be fair or safe for kids to be passing helmets back and forth," said Monks.
"A big part of safety is fitting that helmet, unless you take the time to refit that helmet every series, that's not going to be a way to play football."
Manufacturers say they hope to catch up with the backlog by the end of next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.