On September 28, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 708 into law. Authored by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, it requires youth tackle football leagues, organizations and coaches in California to allow participants to use safety equipment, including soft-shell add-ons on football helmets. It passed without a single no vote, 39-0 in the Senate and 79-0 in the Assembly.

At Guardian, every product decision starts with one question: does this help protect the athlete? We answer it through independent testing, ongoing research and close work with physicians, leagues and the people closest to the game. We hold ourselves to that standard because parents trust us with their children.

AB 708 reflects the same priority. It drew support from the California Medical Association, the California Academy of Family Physicians, the California Neurological Society, the California Orthopedic Association, the Concussion Legacy Foundation, the National Cheer Safety Foundation, the California Youth Football Alliance, Fullerton Pop Warner and Certor Sports, maker of Schutt and VICIS helmets. The law affirms that families in youth tackle football can choose an added layer of protection. Beginning with helmets put into play on January 1, 2027, it also provides that a helmet’s warranty or safety certification cannot be voided because a soft-shell add-on was used, subject to conditions set out in the statute.

“Parents deserve real choices and straight answers when it comes to their child’s safety,” said Erin Hanson, CEO and Co-Founder of Guardian Sports. “That’s what we owe every family who trusts us, in California and everywhere else the game is played.”

The Guardian Cap is designed to be worn over a properly fitted, certified helmet, never in place of one. It is designed to reduce the severity of helmet-to-helmet, helmet-to-body and helmet-to-ground impacts across a player’s career. Cumulative impact exposure, rather than any single event, is the long-term risk we work to address. 

We have long supported the development of a performance standard for helmet and add-on combinations, and we welcome the work underway to create one. Guardian has submitted its products for independent laboratory testing for more than a decade, and we intend to be first in line when a certification pathway exists. Standards built on testing serve athletes. So does giving families a choice in the meantime. 

We will keep testing rigorously, keep sharing what the research shows, and keep working alongside the entire football community to make the game safer at every level.

Families, coaches and athletic directors can find answers to common questions at guardiansports.com