I’ve been so impressed by everything I’ve seen and learnt since my kids got involved but for me, there is one glaring omission.

I was especially surprised that none of the children and teenagers were wearing appropriate mouth protection – and a couple of them are competing for Great Britain!

It’s a condition of competition that mouth protection is worn, but to the best of my knowledge there is no stipulation what that constitutes. All of these young people were using cheap, off-the-shelf products, what I’d call ‘one size fits nobody’. A plastic ‘tray’ roughly the shape of an upper jaw, is warmed in hot water and then moulded in the mouth. Trust me, these things are very dangerous – they can potentially make injuries worse and can even be swallowed. In my opinion they need to be banned.

But what about the cost of making a custom-fitted bespoke appliance? They can cost anything from £30 to £100. Let me tell you that’s cheap, and one of the best investments you could make for your son or daughter. I’ll explain.

Let’s suppose, god forbid, your child has a tooth or teeth knocked out or irreparably damaged. The cost of replacing those teeth can run into thousands of pounds, not to mention lengthy treatment involving multiple visits.

Custom mouth guards are constructed in a strong resilient polymer from an impression of the mouth – only dental professionals can legally do this. A skilled dental technician then makes the mouth guard which not only fits very accurately but is comfortable to wear and won’t move about when worn.

In addition, these mouthguards contain the owners’ name tag, and a radio-opaque marker which allows detection by x-ray in the unlikely event that it’s swallowed. You can even include your club logo if you so desire!