The Bottle Hook: Gatorade introduces an innovation designed to help make hydration more accessible at Fuel Tomorrow Football Day of Play

Hydration access can be an overlooked barrier. For many athletes, reaching for and holding a bottle is a routine task. For athletes with low grip strength or limb differences, accessing hydration can be a challenge. With more than 70 million adults¹ and 7.5 million school-age kids living with a disability², accessible hydration matters.

That need inspired the Gatorade Bottle Hook, a versatile hook-and-strap system to make bottles easier to hold and keep within reach. Created with input from adaptive athletes, the innovative hydration accessory was developed after Gatorade evaluated existing adaptive accessories across a range of reusable bottles. Upon gathering input from adaptive athletes, they found that many existing options weren’t fully meeting the needs of the adaptive athlete community. The outcome is an inclusive tool that was designed to help provide a solution to holding a hydration bottle with low grip strength or hand dexterity challenges, as well as help visually impaired athletes have easier access to their bottles. It can attach to sideline benches, wheelchairs, wire fences, chair backs and more to help people access hydration more independently in sport and everyday moments.

Designed to work with Gatorade Overtime Stainless Steel Bottles, Gatorade Squeeze Bottles and 20-ounce/28-ounce Gatorade ready-to-drink bottles, as well as a range of other compatible bottles, the Gatorade Bottle Hook helps make hydration access easier for more people.

Helping bring hydration within reach

For Gatorade associate Teresa Richter, the connection to the Bottle Hook is personal. Motivated by her daughter’s challenges gripping a standard bottle, Teresa was inspired to find a solution that could help make hydration accessible for more people. What began as a passion project fueled by her advocacy for her daughter ultimately sparked a broader Gatorade effort to develop accessible hydration solutions for individuals with varying abilities.

Adaptive athletes were at the center of the research and development process for what became the Gatorade Bottle Hook. They took surveys, provided testimonials and made sure the textures, flexible pull-loop strap and color contrast created a more accessible hydration accessory. From there, adaptive athletes tested multiple prototypes in real-world situations at home and on the field before settling on the final design. The result? The Gatorade Bottle Hook, created with input from adaptive athletes and nonprofit Move United and Fuel Tomorrow, Gatorade’s initiative to help break down barriers in sport and create more accessible pathways to play.

Building more opportunities to play

Gatorade debuted the Bottle Hook at the Gatorade Fuel Tomorrow Football Day of Play in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 7, which brought together active families, sport leaders and local high school athletes for a day of education, hydration and community impact. Championing bringing together athletes with a range of abilities, the day combined inclusive sports and activities like wheelchair football, flag football, skills and drills. CEO of Move United, Glenn Merry, shared that their mission is “to get everyone in the game” using the “power of sport to push what's possible for people with disabilities.”

Athletes at the Gatorade Fuel Tomorrow Football Day of Play were the first to experience the new Bottle Hook hydration innovation, alongside special guest appearances by Arizona Cardinals legend Patrick Walker, Cardinals cheerleaders and mascot, the Cardinals Wheelchair Football Team and Diana Flores, Gatorade athlete, two-time flag football world champion and NFL and International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Global Flag Ambassador.

“From the field to the sidelines, everyone deserves the opportunity to play, compete and have the support they need to go for it,” said Flores. “Gatorade Fuel Tomorrow Football Day of Play is about celebrating what’s possible when we create more opportunities for everyone to be part of the game.”

Innovation shaped by adaptive athletes

The Gatorade Bottle Hook can help support autonomy and remove barriers to hydration by enabling more athletes to access hydration more independently, confidently and consistently. According to Merry, throughout the product development “they [worked] directly with our community, as stakeholders, as voices. [They asked] us, what do you need in the hydration section of your sport performance? How do we engage you differently? What tool is missing that would help you?” Through including adaptive athletes in the testing of prototypes, asking the right questions, listening to and implementing their feedback, Gatorade “developed a product that's truly unique,” said Merry. Athletes Danielle Kanas, Will Mathis and Max Richardson, who participated in the research and development process, have already noticed a difference after using the Bottle Hook.

The Gatorade Bottle Hook helps Kanas, a track-and-field athlete who competes in shot put and javelin and is a below-the-elbow left arm amputee, pick up a bottle with her left arm, something she’s never been able to do before. “It wasn’t until I used this that I really found something I would use,” she said.

It also supports Mathis by helping him stay hydrated on the green. As a blind and visually impaired golfer, Mathis says he loves the strap, adding, “It’s very easy to find and access. The tactile component of the handle allows me to orient the bottle in space.”

Richardson, a wheelchair shot putter, has arthrogryposis, which causes hand dexterity and strength challenges, called the Gatorade Bottle Hook a “life-changing accessory,” sharing that he’s “drinking more and staying hydrated more independently.”

Thanks to the Gatorade equipment design team and input from adaptive athletes, the student-athletes attending the Gatorade Fuel Tomorrow Football Day of Play were able to access hydration more independently using the Bottle Hook.

A practical innovation with lasting impact

What began as a simple idea inspired by a personal family experience has evolved into a practical innovation that’s helping make a meaningful difference for adaptive athletes. Hydration is essential for participation and performance for every athlete, regardless of sport or physical ability. When athletes have access to the tools they need, more opportunities are created to help play, compete and thrive.

The Gatorade Bottle Hook is expected to be available for purchase on Gatorade.com and other retail outlets in early 2027.

¹_{https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s0716-Adult-disability.html}

²_{https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities}