Headguard-protective sports headband

Protective headguard to be worn by an athlete having (i) a protective central pad, (ii) a rear pad, (iii) an adjustable strap system interconnecting the rear pad and the central pad, and (iv) one or more of (a) a lack of any protective padding which would cover the side of the athlete's head when the headguard is worn, (b) a channel defined by the central pad extending substantially horizontally above the athlete's brow ridges and below the athlete's frontal bone when the headguard is worn, (c) a slot in the rear pad extending substantially vertically from the athlete's occipital bone and accommodating passage of a ponytail when the headguard is worn, (d) a single unitary liner, (e) bands encircling the central pad and releasably securing a liner to the central pad, (f) a removable sleeve, (g) a spine pad extending from the front panel to the rear pad (h) perceptible lines of demarcation on the exterior surface of the central pad.