Graeme Souness wants football fans to learn CPR as it’s revealed that more than half of Brits don’t know how.
The football legend, who was diagnosed with coronary heart disease in his early thirties, knows how vital CPR can be.
Which is why he’s teamed up with the British Heart Foundation on its new campaign.
Graeme Souness calls on football fans to learn CPR
Graeme Souness teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to encourage football fans to learn CPR.
In honour of National Heart month, the BHF commissioned 2, 000 UK to take a survey.
The new survey showed that nearly half of Brits know someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
CPR could be the most important lesson you learn.
Meanwhile, 1 in 5 people have been in a situation where they needed to perform CPR.
There are also more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, but less than one in ten people survive.
Luckily, early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest.
Following footballer Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest on the pitch in Euro 2020, the research also found that nine out of 10 fans were keen to learn how to perform CPR.
But a staggering 45% of the population admitted that they wouldn’t be able to spot the signs of cardiac arrest.
So how can we learn to perform CPR?
Former Liverpool FC captain and pundit Graeme Souness, 69, recently surprised Tooting & Mitcham United FC with a pitch-side CPR training session.
The football star taught the team how to use the BHF’s free online tool RevivR.
Shin pads that included simple CPR instructions were also handed out to the players, as a reminder whilst under pressure.
The shin pads are part of a trial by the British Heart Foundation that could be rolled out nationwide.
Graeme suffered a triple heart bypass whilst managing Liverpool FC
Souness said if every football fan across the UK did the 15-minute session to learn CPR it could be a game changer for survival rates.
He explained: “CPR could be the most important lesson you ever learn.
“With RevivR, in just 15 minutes- the length of half time- you will have the skills to save a life. Every fan in every football club across the country can make a difference. So please join the BHF today. Let’s unit to create a new team of lifesavers.”
Graeme recounted to the team his own experience of coronary heart disease after the diagnosis left him feeling ‘how could this happen to me?’.
Whilst managing Liverpool FC, the football star went on to have a triple heart bypass in what he describes as an ‘extremely vulnerable’ experience.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, cheif executive at British Heart Foundation, also shared her thoughts.
She said: “As a nation of football lovers, we’re delighted to have the support of legend of the game Graeme Souness to encourage fans to learn lifesaving CPR.
“While some cardiac arrests in the football world have been high profile the reality is they can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age.
She also added: “If every fan in the country took just 15 minutes to learn CPR through RevivR. It could mean the difference between life and death.”
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