Two University of Brighton graduates have started production of a revolutionary new hockey stick that incorporates Formula 1 technology and ‘dimples’.
Evan Mackrill and Matt Hutton, both Sports Product Design graduates, have launched ‘Crown Hockey’ and the first batch of sticks is now being manufactured in England for consumer testing, before being available to the public.
Their unique design, a “university project gone mad”, uses manufacturing techniques for F1 racing cars and a unique dimpled-design which dampens bone-crunching vibrations from impact.
Evan said: “We have transferred the same quality and precision from F1 to reduce resin content and remove air bubbles completely, allowing us to produce a carbon fibre stick that is far more robust, and we are now producing the lightest sticks in the world.”
The sticks, retailing at the high-end of the market at a little over £400, are attracting interest from international hockey players, retailers and investors, and the partners are touring the country’s hockey clubs to demonstrate their product: tour@crownhockey.com
Evan and Matt demonstrated the Crown Hockey stick at last summer’s hockey world cup in the Netherlands and received positive reactions from consumers.
The partners, both still in their early 20s, have ambitions to turn Crown into a global sports-equipment label and they already are looking to develop new products for golf and tennis, working with a national research centre.
Matt said: “We’re using a completely new manufacturing process. It’s not about how much carbon fibre, it’s about how you use it.”
“Using the globally-renowned expertise of the British composites industry we have created a product that we feel is in its own category. We want to make the best possible products for our users, and we believe that staying true to this philosophy we can take on some of the big players like Adidas.”
Based in Reading, the pair are planning their move to London in the near future. Evan said: “We are looking to build a crack team of passionate individuals to help us on our journey to produce the greatest sports equipment in the world.
“We want to build a team of individuals who are just as fanatical about sport as they are passionate about design and engineering. If we focus on producing the best possible products for our users we can’t go wrong.”
Evan said his time at the University of Brighton had proved invaluable: “The course is heavily focused on independent learning and creativity, rather than physically teaching pupils a mass of skills or knowledge – I work very well by independently learning and now have a wealth of knowledge in the areas that I am really passionate about.”
For more information about Crown go to: www.crownhockey.com and those interested in joined the Crown team should go to: helpusgrow@crownhockey.com
