IHL signs agreement with QLD Rugby Union

Manufacturer and distributor of high quality personalised dental health products, Impression Healthcare Limited (ASX:IHL) announced on Monday that its wholly owned subsidiary, Gameday International Pty Ltd had entered into an agreement with the Queensland Rugby Union.

In terms of the two-year agreement, Gameday will become ‘The Official Mouthguard of the QRU’. Gameday’s logo will be displayed on the QRU website and across other promotional materials. Importantly, Gameday will have exclusive rights to the on-ground advertising and promotion of mouthguards.

This is a significant development for the company given that it will extend Gameday’s marketing reach by 293,000 registered players and over 29,000 schools playing Rugby Union football across Queensland.

As a backdrop, Gameday makes traditionally expensive custom mouthguards more affordable and accessible by providing a convenient, online, end-to-end process by which customers can take their own dental impressions at home and receive a superior, custom-fit product.

With regard to the significance of this new agreement, there is the potential for cross selling, particularly with regards to the schools market given the fact that they are involved in quite a number of other contact sports that require mouthguards.

The child mouthguard market can be particularly lucrative given the potential for repeat mouthguard sales as student growth changes necessitate the need for replacement mouthguards.

Substantial increase in Impression Healthcare’s Queensland presence

The QRU agreement significantly increases Gameday’s prominence in Queensland, and validates the professional quality of Gameday’s affordable, custom-fit mouthguard product. The agreement significantly advances the Company’s strategy to build trust and brand equity through partnerships with the governing bodies of Australia’s major sporting codes.

Through these partnerships, Gameday will protect players and expand the market by advocating for mouthguards to become mandatory equipment, whilst capturing market share through access to potential customers at the point of registration.

The QRU joins 11 other elite and grass-roots sporting associations that partner with Gameday. The growing list of governing bodies that have identified the value in Gameday’s innovative approach to providing affordable custom-fit mouthguards includes NSW Rugby League, NSW Hockey, NSW Basketball, VIC Rugby League, Southern Football Netball League, SA National Football League, SA Rugby League, WA Rugby League, Hockey Australia, Hockey Victoria and Hockey WA.

This agreement significantly advances the prominence of the Gameday brand in Australia as the company expands its product offerings into teeth whitening with the launch of ITW and Denti and assesses opportunities for entry into international markets.

Discussing the importance of this development, Matt Weston, Chief Executive of Impression Healthcare said, “This significant step forward in our partnering strategy provides incredible validation for our product, demonstrating that we provide mouthguards that meet the rigours of a professional match while also being convenient and affordable.”

Gameday makes traditionally expensive custom mouthguards accessible to everyday Australians by providing a convenient, online, end-to-end process by which customers can take their own dental impressions at home and receive a superior, custom-fit product.

Gameday’s mouthguard business model is readily scalable (current capacity in excess of 50,000 mouthguards a year). With the Australian Dental Association claiming only 36% of Australian children aged 5-17 are wearing mouthguards during games, the scope for market expansion is significant.