Every match across the EFL will kick off one minute later than usual across a four-day period this February to raise awareness for CPR as part of the Every Minute Matters campaign.
The campaign, which began during last season’s play-offs, is encouraging people to use the British Heart Foundation’s online RevivR tool to learn CPR, which takes just 15 minutes.
Over 400,000 people have stepped up to learn CPR since the beginning of the campaign, over four times the capacity of Wembley Stadium, with last season’s Championship play-off final between Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday also kicking off 60 seconds later for the cause.
And between Thursday 5 and Monday 9 February, the same symbolic kick-off delay will be taken across the Championship, League One and League Two, aiming to highlight how every minute matters when administering life-saving treatment.
The chances of survival after a cardiac arrest decrease by 10 per cent for every minute that passes without effective CPR or defibrillation.
The campaign also highlights that eight out of 10 cardiac arrests outside of hospital happen in the home, meaning you are far more likely to need to perform CPR on someone you love than a stranger.
The first game of the matchweek will see Accrington Stanley play host to Salford City in League Two on Thursday, with kick-off at 8:01pm. The weekend’s action, consisting of 36 EFL fixtures, will then culminate with Sheffield United’s clash with promotion-chasing Middlesbrough on Monday night, also kicking off at 8:01pm.
Luton Town will meanwhile face Bradford City in one of two League One early kick-offs on Saturday – getting underway at 12:31pm – with this cause hitting particularly close to home for the Hatters.
Their former captain Tom Lockyer, now at Bristol Rovers, collapsed on the pitch for Luton during their Championship play-off final against Coventry City in May 2023, and then suffered a cardiac arrest in a Premier League game at Bournemouth seven months later.
Lockyer is now a British Heart Foundation ambassador and said: “What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and most of them never make it home.
“I’m here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.
“This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in – because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given.”
EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: “Our 72 Clubs sit at the heart of their communities, and they show time and again how football can drive real-world change. The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death.
“Since the launch of the Every Minute Matters campaign in May 2024, over 400,000 supporters have already begun learning CPR – now we’re calling on supporters everywhere to join them this February and help us pass the half million mark.”
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