SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Every Minute Matters campaign has taught CPR to more than 270,000 fans.
Smashing its targets, the initiative has encouraged the equivalent of three times the capacity of Wembley stadium to use the online RevivR tool and start learning the lifesaving technique.
The campaign now looks to make that number 360,000 prior to the Sky Bet EFL Play-Offs at the end of May.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, BHF CEO, stated: “In less than a year, we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of people rally behind Every Minute Matters and start learning vital CPR.
“It’s incredible that this campaign has reached its ambitious target, and our heartfelt thanks goes to Sky Bet, the football community, talent, fans, the wider public and the UK media for their support and dedication to getting us there.
“But we aren’t stopping here. We are now aiming even higher and hope an extra Wembley stadium learns CPR with RevivR by the end of May, in our efforts to ensure more lives are saved from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.”
The pair first launched the initiative at Wembley Stadium in May last year, also in the presence of top footballers such as Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer who suffered a cardiac arrest during a Premier League game against Bournemouth in December 2023.
Later that year, Sky Bet also announced that it was giving £10,000 to the BHF for every match-winning goal scored in added time in the Sky Bet EFL this season.
The betting brand also pledged to raise £3m for its research and community defibrillator work.
“Thinking back to last May, and taking the pitch with the likes of Graeme Souness, Glenn Hoddle and David Ginola, it’s just incredible to think of how much we’ve achieved,” added Every Minute Matters Ambassador, Tom Lockyer.
“Hitting the 270,000 milestone is incredible, and every single person now has a unique skill in their hands. We’ve created a small army of lifesavers.
“I’m so proud of the efforts of everyone involved. We can now move the goalposts and put every effort into getting the number up to four Wembleys, from three – 360,000 people.”
Meanwhile, the news comes as the Sky Bet EFL Every Minute Matters 4,000km Relay hits the halfway mark, having challenged footballers to complete one leg of a 28-day relay crossing England and Wales, taking in every one of the 72 clubs in the EFL along the way.
