East Sussex man's life saved by football team-mates after collapsing during a game

A player for Indomitable Veterans FC collapsed, stopped breathing and did not have a pulse during a game against Ringmer at the Caburn Conmunity Ground 3G pitch on Sunday, September 17.

The club’s defibrillator was used and the actions of five people– Ed Hall, Matt Lloyd, Kane Black, Danny Mizon and Andrea Stratford – was critical in keeping the individual alive before the ambulance crew arrived.

Ringer AFC tweeted: “Today we encountered one of the most serious incidents we have experienced at the football club. During the vets fixture one of the opposition players collapsed, stopped breathing and did not have a pulse. Our club defibrillator was used to get his heart going again.

"The actions of Ed Hall, Matt Lloyd, Kane Black, Danny Mizon and Andrea Stratford before the ambulance crew arrived without a doubt saved his life. A credit to them all who have done the club extremely proud today.

“We are glad to hear that the player is in a stable condition and on the road to recovery. By sharing this we hope that other clubs consider getting a defibrillator installed if they don’t have one already because we can vouch for it first hand that they save lives.”

The man is still under observation in hospital whilst he makes a full recovery.

The South East Coast Ambulance service tweeted: “Thank you to everyone involved in helping the patient prior to our arrival - absolutely vital. Our thoughts are with him as well as his family and friends and we wish him a good recovery.”

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A spokesperson for Ringmer AFC told SussexWorld the incident should help to raise awareness of the AED defibrillator and the associated training of how to use it within football.

The club said: “Ringmer AFC are delighted that there was a positive outcome to the collapse of a visiting player at our ground on Sunday 17th September. The use of our AED on this occasion has helped demonstrate that these are vital life saving pieces of equipment. We hope that this news helps to raise the awareness of the importance of AEDs and the associated training in football.”

Defibrillators are devices that apply an electric charge or current to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat.

The fast use of an automated external defibrillator within 3 to 5 minutes of a cardiac arrest can increase survival rates by up to 70 percent.