EFL Fixtures Deliberately Delayed to Promote Life-Saving CPR Training
In a powerful display of solidarity with a vital health initiative, every single English Football League match scheduled across the coming four days will commence precisely one minute later than its standard kick-off time. This coordinated delay forms the core of the ongoing Every Minute Matters campaign, a collaborative effort designed to dramatically increase public awareness and training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
The Critical Importance of Every Sixty Seconds
The campaign's central message is stark and urgent: for every minute that passes without effective CPR or the use of a defibrillator following a cardiac arrest, the victim's chance of survival plummets by approximately ten percent. This statistic underpins the symbolic one-minute delay, transforming a routine match start into a poignant reminder of the race against time faced in medical emergencies.
Furthermore, the initiative highlights a sobering reality: an overwhelming eighty percent of cardiac arrests occurring outside hospital settings happen within the home. This means individuals are statistically far more likely to need to perform CPR on a family member or loved one than on a complete stranger, underscoring the personal relevance of acquiring these essential skills.
Football's United Front for Community Health
The campaign, which was first introduced during last season's dramatic play-offs, actively encourages fans and the general public to utilise the British Heart Foundation's innovative RevivR online training tool. This resource allows anyone to learn the fundamentals of CPR in just fifteen minutes from their own device.
To date, the drive has already inspired over 400,000 people to begin learning CPR—a number that surpasses the capacity of Wembley Stadium more than fourfold. The symbolic delay was notably observed during last season's Championship play-off final, and now the initiative expands to encompass the entire league structure.
A Full Fixture List with Purposeful Pauses
The awareness period runs from Thursday, February 5th, through to Monday, February 9th. The action commences with Accrington Stanley hosting Salford City in League Two, with kick-off at 8:01 PM. The weekend's packed schedule of 36 matches across the Championship, League One, and League Two will then conclude with Sheffield United's clash against Middlesbrough on Monday night, also beginning at 8:01 PM.
Among the fixtures, Luton Town's League One encounter against Bradford City on Saturday holds particular resonance. The Hatters' former captain, Tom Lockyer, who now plays for Bristol Rovers, suffered a cardiac arrest during a Premier League match in December 2023, after previously collapsing on the pitch during a Championship play-off final seven months earlier.
Personal Testimonies and League-Wide Commitment
Now serving as a British Heart Foundation ambassador, Lockyer delivered a heartfelt plea: "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. This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in."
Echoing this sentiment, EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch emphasised the league's community role: "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. We’re calling on supporters everywhere to join them this February and help us pass the half-million mark in CPR learners."
This unified action by the EFL demonstrates sport's unique capacity to mobilise communities around critical public health issues, using the platform of football to champion a skill that truly can mean the difference between life and death.
