New data released today by Vision Direct, shows the kit it created for grassroots women’s football team, Edgware & Kingsbury FC, has proven performance-enhancing qualities.

Backed by results from recent games, the world’s most visible football kit, designed and launched by the vision care and contact lens specialists last year, was put to the test using key performance indicators that were analysed during “experimental” games, where players wore the world’s most visible kit, as well as “control” games, where a plain kit alternative was worn.

Following thorough comparison between two separate data sets collected by a statistician, the most significant improvement in performance was reflected in passing accuracy, which increased by an average of forty-two percent when the visible kit was worn.

The performance enhancing kit is a scientifically backed creation designed in collaboration with sports vision specialist, Dr Sherylle Calder, who has worked closely with elite athletes including the World Cup-winning England rugby team in 2003, helping to enhance visual and cognitive skills including eye tracking, decision making and reaction time.

The visible kit integrates a host of key elements of evolutionary and optical science, specifically:
· An image of a large snake triggering high alert, as the human visual system has retained ancestral mechanisms that rapidly respond to immediate and specific threats
· The most visible colour – a wavelength of 550nm (yellow) that will also stand out against the green of a pitch
· High contrast black and white optical illusion patterns, as well as snake eye feature reflective ‘targets’
· Black, yellow, and white colour combinations give the illusion of motion, which is more visually salient than something that appears static.

The kit was unveiled as part of Vision Direct’s overarching mission to prove the power of good vision in sport and has been specifically tailored for local women’s grassroots football team, Edgware and Kingsbury FC – to help players spot teammates quickly and support their passing accuracy on the pitch.

Cal Smith-Sheerin, Brand and Communications Manager at Vision Direct said, “Launching the world’s most visible football kit was a significant step towards proving the importance of vision in sport. Now we have this incredible data to scientifically prove this passion point – we hope this encourages more people to invest in their vision with contact lenses and see more life! Working with a local grassroots football team was also such an integral part of this as good vision is key to pursuing all kinds of passions, whether it’s your work, trying to keep healthy or having fun with friends.”

Ellie Hersh, team captain of Edgware & Kingsbury FC said, “Playing in the visible kit was such an eye-opening experience and was quite a ‘eureka moment’ in making me realise how important good vision really is. I was able to spot my teammates from all areas of the pitch and it even brought to light the importance of things like peripheral vision which I had never properly considered before. Being a grassroots team, it was so great to be a part of this campaign and putting a spotlight on women’s football in such an exciting way!
To find out more about Vision Direct and this campaign, please visit: https://www.visiondirect.co.uk/power-of-vision/