Red Sky Foundation, Grassroots Football, and NWFA come together to donate defibrillators

Red Sky Foundation, Grassroots Football, and NWFA will give away five defibrillators to walking football teams across the country.

Although priceless in an emergency should someone go into cardiac arrest, defibrillators are expensive pieces of medical equipment. The price tag (up to £1,400) makes it virtually impossible for some walking football clubs to have one ready to hand, yet they can be the difference between life and death.

It is easy to use, does not require training, and can keep someone alive until an ambulance arrives. In spaces especially where sports are played, defibrillators become all the more important – a prime and very public example was during Euro 2020 when Christian Eriksen went into cardiac arrest during the Denmark v Finland match.

The collective belief that defibrillators should be made more accessible, particularly in areas where walking football takes place which is why the union between the registered heart charity Red Sky Foundation, Grassroots Football, and the NWFA was established.

What is Red Sky Foundation?

Red Sky Foundation is a charity that started as a promise to repay and endless debt of gratitude when Sergio Petrucci’s daughter Luna underwent life-saving heart surgery at the Children’s Heart Unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital. After a successful operation in 2015 Sergio, and his wife Emma, vowed to do everything in their power to help the unit and other families with babies and children living with complex heart conditions.

After a series of successful fundraising events, the couple has since raised over £1 Million to have a major impact on the lives of patients in cardiac units including the Children’s Heart Unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, Sunderland Royal Hospital, and the James Cook Hospital in Teesside.

Red Sky Foundation has also used money raised to fund over 400 public access defibrillators for schools, local communities and city centres in the North East and across the UK.

Why is the partnership so important for walking football?

The belief that players should feel safe at training sessions, competitive games, and tournaments aligns the belief, mission and objectives of Red Sky Foundation, NWFA and Grassroots Football. Each sharing the same purpose to support walking football clubs, its players and the community it helps to build.

With Red Sky Foundation donating five on-site defibrillators to our football community, it demonstrates a commitment to saving lives and is a monumental step toward achieving these goals.

How will the five defibrillators be distributed?

Even though the ultimate objective is to ensure that EVERY club has access to a defibrillator – the five recipients will be chosen in a competition to make it completely fair.

Any club within our network and in need can apply to enter the competition by joining the NWFA Facebook group and filling out the form at the bottom of the page. 

Winners will be announced on the 22nd October and will receive their defibrillators in November 2023.

Good luck!