Quick Play Sport
Steven Crosby / Director / Quick Play Sport
"The design the guys produced was revolutionary in my industry. It has enabled us to grow the business from start-up to taking orders from around the world, and from some of the best retailers in the business. Amazing job."
The brief was to create a junior training goal that would be light, easy to carry, quick to set up and to dismantle. The engineering challenge was to develop a cross bar structure able to span the 12ft distance while withstanding the forces that the game would put on the structure.
12ft or 3.6m is a massive distance when only supported at apposing ends. The crossbar needs to be both strong and stiff to with stand the impact of the game whilst not sagging under its own weight. Other training goals use a rigged system of interlocking PVC tubing. The resulting products weigh around 12kg and take roughly 10 minutes to set up, not much good for a one off training session.
56 prototypes later Wares found the optimum solution. Instead of creating a stiff and rigid structure Wares took a totally revolutionary approach. We started to look at flexible and light weight structures to solve the problem. By placing a flexible crossbar in tension we were able to create goals which looked solid from the viewpoint of the players, but would deform on impact making them durable. Using a glass reinforced fibre and steel frame we held flexible strips of PVC in tension to make the posts and support the net.
An extensive process of physical prototyping in the workshop followed. Wares used finite element analysis (FEA) to test all plastic components, reducing the risk of part failure prior to manufacture. This was followed by laboratory testing at the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science. High speed cameras were used in conjunction with a ball launcher, enabling us to control and record the effects of impacts at a range of speeds and locations on the product. This information enabled us to refine and enhance the product performance.
The resulting design has now been patented and has been a massive success. The goals are a third of the pack size compared with their closest competitor, less than half the weight, and can be put up in just 2 minutes not 10. It’s no wonder it was one of the best selling goals in 2009 and is been sold by brands such as Littlewoods, Amazon and Hamleys London. Quickplay Sports has now gone international with the product being sold across Europe, Australia and the USA.
This project is a perfect example of how innovation in design can make a business grow.
Top Video: Promotional video for the Kickster goals.
Bottom Image: Product photograph for sales and publication purposes.