A protective vest for contact and high impact sports

A protective vest comprising:

• a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit,
• a plurality of pockets, and
• pads of shock-absorbing material,
• wherein the pads and the pockets are configured so that the pockets can removably and securely hold the pads, and wherein at least one of said pockets is located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use.

A kit comprising:

• a vest comprising:
• a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, wherein the fabric body is cropped, being configured to fit over only a wearer's chest and upper back regions and comprising elasticated bands at torso and neck ribs,
• a plurality of pockets, wherein each pocket has a pocket body and a flap which is releasably secured to the pocket body by a fastener, and said pockets include:
• a pocket located to cover part of the sternum in use,
• at least one pocket located to cover an upper shoulder region adjacent the neck in use, and
• at least one pocket located to cover a lower shoulder region near the shoulder joint in use and
• pads of shock-absorbing material, wherein the pads have a thickness in the range of 5 mm to 20 mm,
• wherein the pads and the pockets are configured so that the pockets can removably and securely hold the pads;
• and
• a plurality of pads for selective insertion in the vest pockets.

A player management system comprising:

• a protective vest comprising:
• a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit,
• a plurality of pockets each removably and securely holding a pad of shock-absorbing material configured to fit in said pockets, at least one of said pockets being located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use,
• pads of shock-absorbing material in at least some of the pockets, and
• impact sensors in at least some of the pockets;
• and
• a data processor linked with the impact sensors and being programmed to interpret impact data from said sensors to generate an output per vest indicative of the extent of impact of a player wearing the vest.