EFL Play-Off Finals Kick Off One Minute Late Raising CPR Awareness

The upcoming EFL play-off finals at Wembley will start one minute later than usual as part of the 'Every Minute Matters' campaign, a collaboration between Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation aimed at encouraging people to learn CPR. This symbolic time change highlights the critical importance of every minute in increasing survival rates following cardiac arrest, as survival chances decrease by 10% each minute without CPR or defibrillation. The campaign has already exceeded its initial goal by teaching over 270,000 people CPR and now aims to inspire an additional 360,000 to use the British Heart Foundation's online RevivR tool to learn lifesaving skills. Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer, who survived a cardiac arrest on the pitch and is now a BHF ambassador, supports the initiative, emphasizing the low survival rate and the need for increased awareness. EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch and BHF Chief Executive Dr. Charmaine Griffiths both praised the campaign for leveraging the visibility of football to promote CPR training among fans and players. The finals' new kickoff times are set for 3:01 pm for the Championship and League Two finals and 1:01 pm for the League One final, reinforcing the message that every minute matters in saving lives.