{"id":2215,"date":"2025-06-03T14:57:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/?p=2215"},"modified":"2025-06-05T20:13:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T19:13:19","slug":"charities-saving-lives-sport-volunteer-cardiac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/06\/03\/charities-saving-lives-sport-volunteer-cardiac\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It could happen anywhere, to anyone’ – the charities saving lives in sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 sparked conversations about cardiac health in elite sport – but what about saving lives out of the spotlight? From fundraising raffles to mobile heart screenings, meet the charities working to keep young athletes safe.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda Gretton never imagined she\u2019d be starting a charity. Like many parents, her life revolved around supporting her son\u2019s passion for his grassroots team. Weekend mornings spent routinely on muddy pitches, cheering on young aspiring Cole Palmers, surrounded by families and friends, camping chairs lining the sidelines, and orange slices at the ready. It was a shared love for the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, beneath that familiar joy lurked a silent fear that truly changed everything for Amanda, ultimately leading her down a path she never expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe thought of my son on the pitch and no one being able to help him – that’s what haunted me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard about incidents happening to young players on social media – heart attacks during matches. It was terrifying. I thought. What if it\u2019s my son or someone from his team? Does our club even have a defibrillator?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These questions kept coming to mind, and the answers weren\u2019t reassuring. Like many grassroots clubs, it became clear her son\u2019s team didn\u2019t have the equipment or training to handle a cardiac emergency, where seconds can mean the difference between life and death. For Amanda, a mother and a lifelong football fan, it was a wake-up call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Amanda Gretton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cAs a mum, I thought: this can\u2019t happen. I can\u2019t just sit here and hope for the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou hear about these things, but when it could be your own child or coach, it becomes real. I thought, what can I do as a parent? This isn\u2019t just about my son – it\u2019s about protecting all children playing grassroots football.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started as one parent\u2019s concern turned quickly into action. A simple raffle was organised to raise funds for a single defibrillator for her son\u2019s club. She didn\u2019t expect much. However, the community quickly proved her assumptions wrong. They came together in ways she never anticipated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople donated, they bought raffle tickets. They really rallied around the cause. I was overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, not long after, the requests came: clubs reaching out one after another. This small act of fundraising sparked something much larger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt literally snowballed. Before I knew it, I was helping ten clubs. I hadn\u2019t planned for this – it just grew from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last four years, Amanda\u2019s charity, Defibs for Grassroots Football, has placed over 56 defibrillators in local clubs, with five more due out soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda and her team juggle full-time jobs and family life alongside their charity work, dedicating evenings and weekends to fundraising events, equipment installations, and awareness campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of us have kids, jobs – we do this in our spare time. But it\u2019s so important. Every defib we place could literally save a life. That makes it worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many grassroots football clubs across the country, often operating on minimal budgets, struggle to afford defibrillators and the training to use them. Without charities like Defibs for Grassroots Football, many would be left dangerously unprepared. It\u2019s no exaggeration to call their work life-saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe defibs are completely free to clubs. Some clubs even raise money themselves to give back because they see the difference it makes\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda\u2019s ultimate, ambitious goal is to have a defibrillator available at every grassroots match, every weekend. Whether it’s the home team or away that has it – if something were to happen, \u201chelp is right there\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as providing that vital equipment, Amanda\u2019s vision extends beyond the pitch – she believes it\u2019s about peace of mind and hope for families, coaches, and players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spoken to parents who have lost their children. That\u2019s what drives me\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The charity doesn\u2019t stop at equipment. Education is just as crucial. Volunteers work every day to raise awareness and help make CPR and defibrillator use feel like second nature in community sport. Knowing how to use the equipment can be just as important as having it on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The great thing about defibs is they talk you through everything. You don\u2019t have to be trained. The machine tells you what to do step-by-step, even if you\u2019re a complete beginner.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-profile cases like Christian Eriksen’s collapse during Euro 2020 have made headlines, but the vast majority of incidents happen quietly, on local pitches, far from cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I always think about players like Eriksen and others who survived cardiac arrests. It could happen anywhere, to anyone,” Amanda says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defibrillators are only part of the solution – prevention matters just as much as response. That\u2019s where organisations like CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) come in: a national charity offering heart screening for 14- 35 year olds, aiming to catch undiagnosed conditions before they turn fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRY screens 30,000 young people a year using quick, painless ECGs. These screenings detect potentially fatal but often symptomless heart abnormalities like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Amanda Gretton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the UK, 12 apparently healthy young people die every week from undiagnosed heart conditions, many of which are preventable with a simple 12-lead ECG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ECG takes just a few minutes, and when interpreted by a cardiologist trained in sports medicine, it can detect 80-90% of life-threatening conditions. In countries like Italy, where ECG screening is mandatory for all young athletes, sudden cardiac death in sport has dropped by an astonishing 89%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet in the UK, only elite athletes typically receive regular cardiac checks. The vast majority of grassroots players fall through the cracks, with no standardised access to screening unless they seek it privately or attend a rare community event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wish it was like that here. Screening should be accessible to everyone aged 14 to 35. Not mandatory, but available: like a smear test. But if you\u2019re not elite, you\u2019re kind of on your own,\u201d says Jo Hudson, a CRY representative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many believe that screening should be universally offered, just like cervical smear tests, to catch early warning signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A defibrillator won\u2019t save every young person who has a cardiac arrest. Sometimes the person has died before they even hit the ground. That\u2019s why early detection is absolutely vital,” Jo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#09300B” custom_margin=”|-60px||-3px||” custom_padding=”3px||5px|5px||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,1_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-21px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”38px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/05\/wimbledon-collage-1.jpg” title_text=”wimbledon collage (1)” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” alt=”A collage of three images. the left shows a red athletiucs track overgrown wiht grass, the middle shows Dr Carl Bescoby speaking to a patient, the right shows a person in red shorts running along a red athletics track” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Read More: ” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-3px|-281px||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]

Why the mind matters in overcoming injury<\/a><\/h2>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Screening can also often catch rare but life-threatening issues early – like Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which a young triathlete from Northern Ireland was recently diagnosed with during a screening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis heart\u2019s dangerous pulse was literally eradicated. He\u2019s safe, and back to normal after treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the stories that keep Amanda and others going. For every child saved, there are families left grieving, who now fundraise and speak out so others don\u2019t have to experience the same pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message is clear. Whether it’s a defibrillator beside a muddy pitch or a mobile ECG van at a school, these extraordinary women – and many other charities across the UK – are fighting to ensure that no young athlete dies simply because no one saw it coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, they\u2019re filling the void left by a system that they feel doesn’t provide adequate protection for young people in sport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda never set out to change the world. But today, she stands shoulder to shoulder with organisations like CRY and many other unsung heroes working behind the scenes of British sport, proving that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when it comes to saving young lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 sparked conversations about cardiac health in elite sport – but what about saving lives out of the spotlight? From fundraising raffles to mobile heart screenings, meet the charities working to keep young athletes safe. Amanda Gretton never imagined she\u2019d be starting a charity. Like many parents, her life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":2491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[118,40],"class_list":["post-2215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-charity","tag-community"],"yoast_head":"\n'It could happen anywhere, to anyone' - the charities saving lives in sport - Sidelines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cardiac issues in sport are often left out of the conversation. 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