FROM the 5-9 February, all thirty-six English Football League (EFL) matches kicked-off one minute later to emphasise that every minute matters when conducting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Since May 2024, the EFL have partnered with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Sky Bet to raise awareness of how to perform CPR, with 400,000 people already signing up to learn since the introduction of the campaign.
With February also being Heart Month, it provides the perfect window of opportunity to stress the importance of learning how to correctly perform CPR.
Former Luton Town defender Tom Lockyer collapsed in the 2023 Championship play-off final against Coventry City, and suffered a cardiac arrest against Bournemouth in December of the same year.
It was the quick response time and prompt use of CPR from the medical staff which saved Lockyer’s life, as the current Bristol Rovers player’s heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds.
It serves as a stark reminder that every minute matters, with Lockyer now being a leading voice and ambassador within the BHF community.
On the BHF’s website, there is a 15 minute video which teaches you how to perform CPR for free with RevivR.
To hear more about the Every Minute Matters campaign, check out our podcast which takes a deep dive of how much knowledge matchday going fans have around the initiative.
