Star strikers, false nines and midfield maestros across the EFL can net a small fortune for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) this weekend as Sky Bet marks ‘World Heart Day’ by vowing to donate £1,000 to the charity for EVERY GOAL scored across the EFL.
The incredible challenge means as much as £100,000 could be going to the charity over the course of this weekend’s fixtures across the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two – beginning with Tranmere Rovers vs Salford City and Plymouth Argyle vs Luton Town this Friday.
To mark ‘World Heart Day’ Sky Bet and the BHF will call on supporters of all 72 EFL clubs to kick their fears and apprehensions around CPR into row Z by backing themselves to learn CPR in just 15 mins.
It comes as Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation’s ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign celebrates a major milestone this weekend. The campaign has helped inspire 90,000 people to start learning life-saving CPR through the BHF’s online tool RevivR since the partnership began in May – enough to fill one Wembley Stadium.
And the British Heart Foundation today reveals the £400,000 raised by the campaign so far will help continue to fund its community resuscitation activity, training more people in lifesaving CPR and defibrillation skills. This will include funding 80 more community defibrillators across the UK.
Fan research from Sky Bet last month revealed that while many fans will likely need to use CPR in their lifetime – almost half of fans (44%) have been in a situation where somebody needed CPR – while 45% lack the confidence to perform CPR.
Tom Lockyer, Luton Town captain and ‘Every Minute Matters’ ambassador, said: “CPR is a vital skill that helped save my life and saves thousands more every year. It’s amazing that we’ve reached the 90,000 mark but what’s clear is that we need to bridge this confidence gap. Sky Bet and the BHF hope to show fans they’ve got nothing to fear because learning CPR is simple, easy and takes just 15 minutes via the BHF’s online RevivR tool.”
Rob Edwards and Lockyer of Luton Town
He continued: “This weekend isn’t just about awareness, it’s about raising as much money as possible to support the vital work of the BHF so they can install more defibrillators in the communities that need them most. That’s why I’ll be calling on goals scorers across the EFL to raise their game because each and every goal will see Sky Bet donate an incredible £1,000 to the BHF.”
World Heart Day this year takes place on Sunday, September 29 to highlight that heart and circulatory diseases are the most common cause of death around the world.
Launched in May this year by Sky Bet and the BHF, the groundbreaking Every Minute Matters campaign is on a mission to donate up to £3 million for the charity and to encourage 270,000 people to learn CPR – equivalent to three Wembley Stadiums.
An incredible £520,000 has been raised so far, including £380,000 from the Sky Bet Play Offs in May and £140,000 since August through Sky Bet’s pledge to donate £10,000 for every ‘stoppage time’ goal during the EFL 2024-2025 season.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “At a time when British Heart Foundation’s work has never been more needed, Every Minute Matters is going from strength to strength and Sky Bet’s generous support is making a real difference. The money raised through this partnership will be truly lifesaving.
“Together with Sky Bet, not only will we be able to place defibrillators in communities that need them most, but we’ll be able to ensure that fans, families and communities across the country can be trained in lifesaving CPR and defibrillation. Creating a nation of lifesavers will give people the best chance of survival in the event of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
“We’ll be eagerly watching the scoreboards this weekend and celebrating every EFL goal scored to raise money for this lifesaving work.”
Tom Lockyer is one of the Every Minute Matters’ star-studded ‘Restarting 11’ – an inspirational team of football stars and real-life heroes, some of whom wouldn’t be here today had someone not stepped up to perform CPR.
Former Wimbledon legend and Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones joined the team last month on August deadline day. Vinnie became the squad’s enforcer using his unique powers of persuasion to encourage the public step up and become lifesavers by learning CPR.
There are more than 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, equating to at least five every 90 minutes. Each minute that passes without CPR reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent. And tragically, less than one in ten people survive, often because those around them lack the skills or confidence to perform CPR.
This dedicated weekend of awareness includes a heavyweight campaign presence across each and every EFL ground as perimeter boards call on fans to learn lifesaving CPR. The awareness drive will also speak directly to fans through messaging in matchday programmes and club websites backed by a significant TV and outdoor campaign from Sky Bet and the BHF.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “World Heart Day provides a vital reminder of the importance of heart health, and we are proud to support Sky Bet in their partnership with the British Heart Foundation.
“For this weekend, every goal scored now not only has the potential to change the match, but to save lives across the country.
“EFL clubs are at the heart of their communities, and this initiative is another powerful demonstration of how football can play its part to contribute to a truly important and worthwhile cause.”
Sky Bet Chief Commercial Officer Steve Birch said: “We set ourselves a really ambitious goal of encouraging 270,000 people to learn CPR by May 2025 and it’s amazing to reach the 90,000 mark. Hopefully this weekend can raise awareness of the importance of learning this life saving skills to a whole other level with the support of the EFL.”