Leeds United and Southampton have joined forces to support the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, which aims to teach people cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) ahead of their Championship play-off final at Wembley. The campaign has already inspired over 30,000 people to learn CPR since its launch on May 1.
Junior Firpo, Leeds’ full-back, and Ryan Manning, Southampton’s player, took time out from their preparations to learn CPR themselves. Firpo described learning CPR as an “eye-opening experience” and encouraged Leeds fans to support the campaign by learning CPR.
The campaign is particularly significant in the football community, as sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death among young athletes. The Championship play-off final marks a year since Luton Town’s Tom Lockyer collapsed due to an undiagnosed heart condition during a match.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke emphasized the importance of CPR, stating that it can save lives. Ryan Manning also encouraged people to learn CPR, highlighting its potential to make a difference in emergency situations.
The campaign has received significant support, with Sky Bet pledging £370,000 to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and aiming to raise up to £3 million over the next 13 months. The BHF’s online RevivR tool has made it easy for people to learn CPR in just 15 minutes.