Sky Bet will mark ‘World Heart Day’ this weekend by pledging £1000 to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for every goal scored across all 36 EFL fixtures.
The incredible gesture means that as much as £100,000 could be raised for the charity during matches in the Championship, League One and League Two.
Supporters of all 72 clubs in the second, third and fourth tiers have been urged by Sky Bet and the BHF to unite behind the Every Minute Matters campaign and learn lifesaving CPR, with the upcoming matches set aside to help raise awareness.
The movement has already helped to inspire 90,000 people to learn the life-saving skill through the BHF’s online tool, RevivR, since the partnership began in May.
Research from Sky Bet revealed that while many supporters are likely to need to use CPR in their lifetime, 45 per cent lack the confidence to perform the manoeuvre. 44 per cent of fans, meanwhile, have been in situations where somebody needed CPR.
Sky Bet will mark ‘World Heart Day’ this weekend by pledging £1000 to the British Heart Foundation for every goal scored across the EFL (pictured: ambassador Tom Lockyer)
Luton Town’s Lockyer is part of the Every Minute Matters campaign’s ‘Re-Starting 11’ squad
The movement has already helped to inspire 90,000 people to learn the life-saving skill
Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer, part of the campaign’s ‘Re-Starting 11’ squad, 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.’
Lockyer added: ‘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, a mission to highlight the fact that heart and circulatory diseases are the most common cause of death around the world, takes place this Sunday.
Lockyer celebrated the fact the campaign has already inspired 90,000 people to learn CPR
A star-studded line-up of people involved in football came together for the project
The Every Minute Matters campaign, launched by Sky Bet and the BHF, aims to donate up to £3million for the charity and encourage 270,000 people to learn CPR.
The BHF has revealed that the £400,000 raised so far will help to continue to fund its community resuscitation activity as well as more training and defibrillation skills.
This will also include funding 80 more community defibrillators across the UK.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the 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.
Football legend turned Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones also signed up for Every Minute Matters
‘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.’
Former Wimbledon legend and Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones also joined the campaign last month and posed with a special shirt to confirm the move.
To learn CPR in just 15 minutes, visit bhf.org.uk/revivr