When football pauses, people pay attention
This Heart Month, Flutter Entertainment and Sky Bet are supporting the British Heart Foundation’s Every Minute Matters campaign, using the reach of football to encourage people across the UK to learn a simple, lifesaving skill: CPR.
The goal is clear. By the end of February, 500,000 people will have started learning CPR using the BHF’s free RevivR tool, which takes just 15 minutes to complete.
To underline how critical those first moments are, Sky Bet EFL matches across the country paused for one minute at kick-off earlier this month. It was a simple gesture with a serious message: every minute without CPR or defibrillation can reduce survival chances. Before matches, team captains led the now-recognizable heart-hands gesture, creating a collective moment seen by millions of fans in stadiums and at home.
Football icons, including Micah Richards and Luton Town defender and cardiac arrest survivor Tom Lockyer, have helped bring the message to life, supported by figures from across the game who are encouraging fans to stop, learn, and act.
The impact is already tangible, with more than 450,000 people having begun CPR training and the campaign on track to surpass its target this month. Alongside awareness, Sky Bet is donating £1,000 (approx. $1,250) for every goal scored in the English Football League throughout February and has pledged up to £3 million (approx. $3.75 million) a year to the British Heart Foundation to support lifesaving research, community defibrillators, and heart health programs. It is a reminder that when sport brings people together, it can drive change far beyond the pitch.
