Guardian Sports is a family-owned company dedicated to protecting athletes with safer, smarter equipment.
Founded in 2011 by Erin and Lee Hanson, veterans in material science, Guardian has redefined athletic protection through innovation and engineering.
The Guardian Cap, launched in 2012, is worn by over 500,000 athletes and mandated by the NFL and CFL after proving its ability to reduce impact forces. Building on that success, Guardian introduced the SoftShox Chinstrap in 2025, the first safety chinstrap engineered to absorb facemask impacts.
In lacrosse, the PEARL line revolutionized the game with the first greaseless, USA-made lacrosse balls that stay in spec. PEARLs are the official ball of top leagues and tournaments, from the PLL to NCAA championships.
Expanding from players to playing fields, Guardian developed a USDA-certified bio-based infill and the Astropad underlayment, creating safer, cleaner turf systems nationwide. The LOOP, developed with Schutt, brings the same protection to flag football and non-helmeted sports.
From helmets to fields, Guardian continues to innovate with one mission in mind: safer equipment for athletes at every level.
OUR CORE VALUES
At Guardian Sports, our core values are more than principles — they’re the driving force behind our culture, our products, and our unwavering commitment to better protect athletes.
OUR PROCESS
At Guardian Sports, our design process is a collaborative experience that integrates the diverse perspectives of our team, partners, and customers. We ensure that every product we plan to bring to market is thoroughly evaluated through multiple lenses, focusing on how well it aligns with our core mission: enhancing the safety of athletes through innovative sports equipment. We strive to create products that not only meet but exceed safety standards, ultimately contributing to a more secure and protective sporting environment.
PHASE 0
LEARN
Guardian initiates projects with meetings to define the unmet need in the market and gather input on the customer, product, and design goals.
PHASE 1
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Guardian illustrates a unique design direction that addresses project requirements such as: core functionality, ease of use, distinctive/quality styling, human elements, ergonomics, technical feasibility, among others.
PHASE 2
CONCEPT REFINEMENT
The concept from Phase 1 will be modified to enhance overall design, ergonomics, feature sets, material selection, finishes, and basic part geometry.
PHASE 3
ENGINEERING
Our engineers will develop the control drawings for the design. Multiple reviews internally will ensure the technical documentation is aligned with the product requirements and the design intent.
PHASE 4
PROTOTYPING
Guardian coordinates in-house/trusted partner prototyping and testing in order to verify and validate the final design concept prior to production.
PHASE 5
MANUFACTURING
We conduct our own manufacturing of products and also work with our trusted manufacturing partners to develop the best production strategy based on the project.
OUR WORK
At Guardian Sports we approach each project with a problem-solution-result strategy. Our portfolio displays our product development thought process.
At Guardian we are first and foremost scientists and engineers working to improve sports equipment.
We have several projects that have made it to consumers either through our sales team or through consulting projects.
Impact from hard-shell helmets
Solution
Padded helmet cover to reduce impact of hits
Result
Worn by youth, college, CFL and NFL athletes & NFL HeadHealthTECH Challenge I Winner.
U.S. Patents:
10537148, 9907346, 9314061, D701999, 11064752
Climbing holds that weren’t durable
Solution
Durable, polyurethane rock climbing holds
Result
Aragon Elastomers manufactures 90% of the rock holds in the USA and supplies top climbing hold retailers with the strongest, most reliable and innovative product on the market.
Since been divested by PlayCore Corporation in 2021
Current infill options are abrasive, contain dangerous chemicals, and get very hot
Solution
Bio-based, non-abrasive, cooler infill
Result
A US-made, lower cost, cleaner & safer playing surface for athletes
U.S. Patents:
11821150, 11512438
There was only one cast urethane golf ball because it was patented but others wanted a similar ball that didn’t infringe.
Solution
Shenshen Wu was a brilliant chemist who worked for 27 years at the largest golf ball manufacturer. She invented the #1 golf ball in the sport and wrote over 200 patents around it. We created a cast urethane cover with Shenshen that performed as well or better than the #1 ball and we obtained our own patents.
Result
Our cast urethane golf balls exhibit excellent cut and sheer resistance while providing long distance off drivers and high spin off short irons. It is now being private labeled for several recognizable golf brands.
Comfortable, protective headgear for multi-sport athletes
Solution
Partnered with Schutt to create a VT 5-STAR-rated soft-shell headgear
Result
Innovative soft-shell headgear designed to be worn without a helmet for multiple sports, including 7v7, flag football, non-tackle football, rugby, field hockey, and cheerleading of all levels.
U.S. Patent: D956,359 S
OUR TEAM
