Latest shin pads tell referees if players have dived

Shin pads alerting referees if a footballer has dived were unveiled yesterday.

The pads have built-in sensors and magnets that detect the impact of tackles. Steve May-Russell, managing director of Coventry-based creative consultants Smallfry, which developed the prototype pad, hopes the FA will be interested.

He said: “Each pad has two sensors. One confirms another player is very close and the other is an impact sensor. When both are triggered, they set off the alarm. If a player tries to cheat and kick himself, the proximity sensor will know.”

They were trialled in a game in Battersea Park, South London, yesterday.

Ex-Premiership referee Jeff Winter said: “The game has to change. Be it shin pads, or goal-line sensors, there is a whole host of options out there to explore.”