Teen footballer from Yorkshire calls for ban on Jack Grealish-style shin pads after double leg break

Alfie Collins, 15, said stars like Manchester City ace Jack Grealish were 'influencing' kids to use the 'fashionable' leg protectors, which are no bigger than a 'bank card'. The young striker was blue-lighted to hospital after he broke his tibia and fibula while playing for his side Penistone Church FC on August 11.

His injuries mean he won't be able to line up for the team - based near Barnsley - until at least the new year. The club has since banned their players from wearing the tiny three by nine centimetre shinpads.

Alfie thinks Premier League sides should follow suit, saying: "I think the most important thing would be for professional footballers to stop wearing them and to put bans in place in professional games.

"They are the most influential players, and they are the reason now why kids nowadays are wearing them. I'm not saying if I hadn't worn them I would not have broken my leg. But they offer a lot less protection, so there would have been a slimmer chance of me breaking my leg if I'd had the proper ones on.

"It's really important to take a step back and look at the potential outcomes of wearing these shinpads."

Alfie's dad Steve Collins, 48, said players like Grealish, who is often seen sporting the mini shinpads, had contributed to their popularity in the youth game.

He added: "The likes of Jack Grealish using them - they are essentially endorsing them, saying to the kids, 'this is what I wear, why don't you go and do the same?' You've seen him with his haircut and headband, and how easy it is to influence children to follow the superstars. So he isn't setting a very good example, I don't think."

Alfie was playing for Penistone Church FC's under-16 team when he suffered his painful injury in a '50-50' challenge for the ball. He had taken off a set of larger shinpads at halftime and slipped on the smaller versions as the hot weather had made them feel uncomfortable.

Alfie remembered feeling a "fuzzing, numb pain" shooting through his body following the tackle - before his team and coach ran over to him.

Steve, who works in the motor trade, said he had been watching from the sidelines and realised Alfie was in a bad way not long after he went down.

He said: "The ball was up for grabs, and Alfie was on his feet, and the other guy ended up sliding, and they collided. There was no malicious intent in it, it was just one of those things, as far as the game was concerned. But unfortunately, Alfie came off a lot worse. I saw his coach get his phone out of his pocket. I thought, 'This isn't good, is it?' I went over at that point.

"Some of the faces of the players around him weren't great, so I knew it was something more serious than a normal five-second injury."

FA guidelines state that shinpads, which are a requirement for games, should be "an appropriate size to provide reasonable protection and be covered by the socks."

A spokesperson from Penistone Church FC later confirmed that since Alfie's injury, they had decided to ban them altogether from their games.

They wrote in a post on social media: "Sadly last Sunday Alfie suffered a double leg break. He broke both his tibia & fibula bones in his lower leg. It was in a 50/50 tackle and in no way a malicious challenge.

"Alfie started the game with shin pads on but due to the heat on a hot day at half time switched to shin pads no bigger than 3cm by 9cm.

"Legal Disclaimer - no-one can say these small shin pads directly caused Alfie's double leg break. But, we as a club have now banned them, from U7 mini-kickers to over 45's.

"We wish Alfie, one of our U16's top players, the speediest of recoveries & as a club have already offered all the support we can."

Earlier this year, a number of junior clubs banned their young players from wearing the mini shin pads as they do not offer 'sufficient protection'.

Whitley Bay FC Junior in Tyneside were one club that said the kit bag staples would not be accepted on match days.

Manchester City and Jack Grealish representatives have been contacted for comment.