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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.