Dad knew schoolboy 'wasn't good' when he saw his friends' faces

A teenager felt uncomfortable during hot weather and ended up suffering a horrific injury. Alfie Collins, 15, was playing football for his side Penistone Church FC on August 11 when he began to have an issue.

Alife was wearing a large set of shin pads but the heat was causing discomfort. As a result, the striker decided to take them off at half-time and replace them with a smaller set, similar to ones worn by some Premier League footballers.

In the second half, Alife went in for a 50-50 challenge with an opposition player. Following the tackle, Alife felt a “fuzzing, numb pain” shooting through his body before his team and coach ran over quickly to help him.

Alfie's dad Steve Collins, 48, who was watching from the sidelines, 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.”

The teenager was soon blue-lighted to hospital where it transpired that Alfie had suffered a double-leg break. He has broken his tibia and fibula. His injuries mean he won't be able to line up for the team - based near Barnsley, South Yorkshire - until at least the new year.

Alfie and his dad are now calling for a ban on mini-shinpads. He has argued stars like Grealish were ‘influencing’ kids to use the 'fashionable' leg protectors, which are no bigger than a ‘bank card’.

His own club have since banned their players from wearing the tiny three by nine centimetre shinpads, and Alife believes Premier League sides should do the same.

He said: “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 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.

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.”

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