Our Philosophy Behind Player Endorsements

Why we don’t pay professional players to wear our headguards

In the world of professional sports, sponsorships and endorsements are a common practice. Many companies pay professional athletes to wear their kit, advertise their products, and serve as brand ambassadors. Hedkayse are proud to take a different approach.

We don’t pay professional players to wear our headguards, and in this blog, we explain why.

The importance of player safety over marketing

Hedkayse’s primary focus has always been on player safety. We believe that the best way to support players is through superior product design and rigorous testing, not through flashy endorsements or paid sponsorships.

By concentrating on creating the unparalleled R5, we know that our headguards will stand out to players based on performance and comfort—not because a star player is wearing it for money. Any professional player you see wearing an R5 (like Max Lahiff of Bristol Bears) is doing it as a choice, not because they are being paid. 

We understand the pressure on athletes to endorse products, but we believe that a player’s choice to wear a headguard should come from a genuine belief in the product’s effectiveness, not because they’ve been financially incentivised. We want players to choose our headguards for their quality and performance, not because they're receiving money from us.

(Hey, we get it, careers are short and uncertain, and players need to do all they can to create financial security. We are not criticising players for taking sponsorship deals, just that we don’t give money to encourage players to promote the R5)

Our ethical stance - transparency and integrity

In a sport where player safety is becoming an increasingly important issue, we believe that integrity and transparency should come first. Many companies pay high-profile players to wear their gear, which may create a situation where athletes are incentivised to promote products that they may not truly believe in.

For us, it’s about building trust within the rugby community. We don't want players to feel pressured into promoting our products just because they’re being compensated. Instead, we focus on creating a product that speaks for itself. Our headguards are worn by professionals and amateur players alike who trust that our product genuinely prioritises performance over marketing.

Building a relationship with the player over time

We believe in building authentic, long-term relationships with the players who choose our headguards. By focusing on performance, feedback, and collaboration, we want to create a product that players recommend to their peers because it works, not because they’re paid to do so.

The players who wear our headguards are part of our story—our product’s real-world testing, and their feedback is invaluable to the ongoing development of our headguards. By not paying for endorsements, we give players the space to offer honest feedback, which allows us to continue improving and evolving our product. This is a far more meaningful and authentic form of brand growth, as it’s rooted in trust and respect for the player’s voice.

Financial priorities of supporting grassroots rugby and safety initiatives

Another reason we choose not to pay professional players to wear our headguards is that we want to keep the product costs as affordable as possible. If we paid players, we would have to increase our prices to grassroots rugby which we do not want to do.

Instead of allocating a budget toward sponsorships, we use our resources to educate players, parents and coaches, and to support clubs and activities that promote player welfare. We also invest in research to make our headguards even more effective, as we believe this is a far more impactful way of giving back to the rugby community.

Our product speaks for itself

At the end of the day, we want our product to speak for itself. Quality over quantity, and performance over marketing. The headguards we produce are designed with the highest standards in mind. They are carefully engineered for comfort, durability, and, most importantly, performance. Our Innovate | Educate | Protect approach is about delivering the best product and service we can, not creating artificial demand through paid endorsements.

We believe that when players genuinely see the value in what we offer, they’ll choose our headguards. And as more athletes realise the benefits of wearing a properly designed headguard, our reputation will continue to grow, naturally and authentically.

In the 6 Nations, the Premiership, or any rugby competition, player safety should never be compromised for profit. Hedkayse continues to work closely with medical professionals, research experts and players to improve our headguards, and we believe that by staying true to our values, we’ll build a sustainable and respected brand in the long run.

A different approach, a stronger future

We’re focused on a path that’s based on integrity, performance, and authentic relationships. We believe that when you create a product that players genuinely trust and want to wear, the results will speak for themselves. Our headguards offer unparalleled performance and that’s all the endorsement we need.

We’re not in it for the quick win or the flashy marketing campaign. We’re in it for the long haul, building a brand that’s trusted by players at all levels for the quality of our products. That’s why we choose to focus on the things that truly matter: the players, the product, and the game.

Innovate | Educate | Protect