iPAD has partnered with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for their national campaign with The FA to install lifesaving defibrillators at grassroots and amateur football clubs throughout England.
A dedicated website http://www.footballdefibs.org has been set up so that all FA grass roots clubs that meet the requirements can apply for a defibrillator package, the cost of which is being part-funded by the BHF and the FA.
At least three fatalities occurred during football matches and training this year in England due to cardiac arrest. Former England international Ugo Ehiogu, tragically died whilst working as a coach at Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Research shows that over 90% of sudden cardiac arrests in young athletes happen either during or immediately after exercise. A cardiac arrest is when a person’s heart stops pumping blood around their body and to their brain. It causes the person to fall unconscious and stop breathing – the term used is ‘no visible signs of life’.
Ian Pearse, Director of WEL Medical Ltd, says: “We are proud to be a strategic partner of the BHF in this important initiative and to be able to work with The FA in providing such vital equipment. A defibrillator is an automatic device that can be used to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm during cardiac arrest. By performing CPR and using a defibrillator until an ambulance arrives, you can help double the person’s chance of survival.”
“There are around 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in England every year and for every minute without CPR and defibrillation, a person’s chance of survival decreases by around 10 percent. As a leading supplier of defibrillators in the UK, WEL Medical has been working with the BHF since 2013 and their latest initiative with The FA is a tremendous boost for raising awareness of the importance of CPR training and public access to defibrillators.”
The BHF and The FA have already helped part-fund and place 600 defibrillators across the country and now inviting applications from clubs operating with the National League System, Women’s Pyramid of Football or charter Standard Programme for a further 900 at a significantly discounted price.
