This December, Sky Bet and the BHF – with the support of the EFL – are calling on fans to start a new Christmas tradition: give just 15 minutes to learn CPR and potentially help save a life.
The month-long awareness drive will hit fans with a powerful reminder that eight out of 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home, making CPR knowledge vital. The hard-hitting message will run across perimeter boards and matchday programmes in all 196 EFL games taking place this December.
The call to action comes as new research from Sky Bet and the BHF reveals just how much football brings the nation together at Christmas. Six in 10 (62%) Brits say watching football is one of the UK’s best festive traditions.
According to the research, over 20 million people are expected to tune into an average of 765 minutes of live football this December, and the campaign is seizing the moment to turn fan passion into lifesaving action.
Cardiac arrest survivor and Every Minute Matters campaign ambassador Tom Lockyer, now back on the pitch for Bristol Rovers, joined forces with Portsmouth vice-captain Colby Bishop, who returned to the matchday squad after undergoing open heart surgery last November, and manager and footy legend Ian Holloway, who lost his father to cardiac arrest, to rally football fans nationwide to give just 15 minutes this December to learn CPR.
Tom Lockyer first collapsed during the 2023 Championship Play-Off Final and more drama followed in December 2023, when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest mid-match, collapsing in the 59th minute as his heart stopped for almost three minutes.
Thanks to the extraordinary speed and skill of the on-site medical team and paramedics, who delivered immediate CPR and a life-saving defibrillator shock, Lockyer was brought back from the brink.
Meanwhile, during a routine pre-season medical check last year, Bishop was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening heart condition that required immediate open-heart surgery. Remarkably, just months later, after being signed off by his medical team, he made a dramatic comeback, coming off the bench to score a penalty against Preston and seal a 3–1 win.
Sky Bet and British Heart Foundation call on football fans to learn lifesaving CPR this Christmas
Over 20 million people are expected to tune into an average of 765 minutes of live football this December, and the campaign is seizing the moment to turn fan passion into lifesaving action
Similarly, Holloway has his own very personal reason for backing Sky Bet and the BHF’s Every Minute Matters campaign. Holloway lost his father, Bill, to cardiac arrest when he was in his early twenties.
That loss had a profound effect on the iconic British manager shaping his outlook on life. Holloway has described the premature death of his father as a defining moment, one that underlines how precious and fragile life can be and how vital it is that we are all equipped with lifesaving CPR skills.
Every Minute Matters campaign ambassador and cardiac arrest survivor, Tom Lockyer said: “I know exactly how lucky I am to be back playing for Rovers, I’m only here because of CPR and the incredible speed of the medical staff and paramedics who brought me back.
“This Christmas, the Every Minute Matters campaign is calling on fans to start a new tradition – before you settle in for the festive football, give just 15 minutes to learn CPR. It could be the greatest gift you ever give.
“Eight out of 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home, that’s the brutal reality. And if it happens, it’ll most likely be to someone you love. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Ian to get this message out to supporters everywhere – learning CPR couldn’t be simpler with the BHF’s RevivR tool, it takes just 15 minutes to learn how to save a life.”
Swindon manager and football legend Ian Holloway said he lost his dad to cardiac arrest in 1987.
“The day he died I played in a match for Bristol Rovers, so it feels like a full circle moment speaking to Tom as he makes his return at the club. My Dad was my hero, and like many people who have lost loved ones to cardiac arrest, I wish I‘d had more of a chance to tell him how I felt about him and how much he’d influenced my life,” he said.
“I think the Sky Bet and BHF Every Minute Matters campaign is so important. The message I’d like to get out to football fans is simple – if you learn CPR this Christmas, you can potentially help save a life in the future, and that’s statistically likely to be a close family member or friend.
“And it’s not just one life that’s being saved – it’s the lives of everyone around them and stopping the heartbreak they will go through.”
Portsmouth’s vice-captain and forward Colby Bishop also spoke on the initiative.
“It was special seeing Tom, everyone in football remembers that day, and the fact he’s back playing shows exactly why CPR matters – without it, he simply wouldn’t be here,” he said.
“After going through my own health journey and getting back on the pitch after open-heart surgery last year, I know just how important this is. CPR can literally be someone’s lifeline. Take 15 minutes, jump online and learn CPR – it could save a life.”
The campaign will take centre stage this month as Sky TV will throw their support behind the campaign by encouraging fans to follow the on screen QR code to learn how to perform CPR.
There are more than 40,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with eight out of 10 of these happening in the home. Each minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.
And tragically, less than one in 10 people survive, often because those around them lack the skills or confidence to perform CPR. Research from the Every Minute Matters campaign previously confirmed that almost half (45%) of football fans lack the confidence to perform CPR.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at British Heart Foundation (BHF), said that with families coming together this Christmas, learning CPR could be the greatest gift you can give.
“Most cardiac arrests happen at home, and many of us will see one in our lifetime. If you’re unsure how to help, our free RevivR tool teaches CPR in just 15 minutes – the length of half-time,” she said.
“We’d encourage everyone to learn the skills they need to help save a life this December, as you never know when you’ll need them.”
Launched in May 2024 by Sky Bet in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, the groundbreaking Every Minute Matters campaign is on a bold mission to raise £6 million in just two years for the BHF.
Since kick-off, it’s already made a stadium-sized impact inspiring over 350,000 people starting to learn lifesaving CPR through the BHF’s free RevivR tool.
Swindon’s Aaron Drinan, Coventry’s Brandon Thomas-Asante and Leyton Orient’s Aaron Connolly are all in the running for the Sky Bet EFL Red Boot, the new trophy celebrating the top scorer across all three divisions. And there’s even more at stake – thanks to Sky Bet’s pledge, every goal scored by the Red Boot winner nets £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation, turning red-hot strikers form into lifesaving impact.
