Former England manager Sam Allardyce is set to return to the dugout for a day as part of a competition run by the Every Minute Matters campaign. The initiative, a partnership between Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), aims to promote CPR training in grassroots football.
Allardyce, who has managed over 1,000 games in a career spanning clubs including Bolton, Newcastle, West Ham, Sunderland and Everton, will oversee selection, tactics and deliver team talks for one lucky amateur side. The winning team will be drawn on 1 December 2025, with the match to take place between 1 January and 30 April 2026.
Entrants must be part of an adult over-18s men's or women's 11-a-side team; walking football teams are also eligible. To enter, participants need to provide their name, contact details, team name and league via the official form. The competition closes at 12pm on 1 December 2025.
Allardyce was inspired to support the campaign after witnessing Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest in 2012, during which the former Bolton player's heart stopped for 78 minutes. He emphasised the importance of CPR and defibrillation, urging grassroots footballers to learn life-saving skills through the BHF's free online tool, RevivR.
Since its launch in May 2024, the Every Minute Matters campaign has already inspired over 350,000 people to start learning CPR. The initiative is also supported by the English Football League.
