Ensure your Club is Rescue Ready in 2025

Football NSW, together with Heart of the Nation and Heartbeat of Football, are encouraging Clubs to ensure they are Rescue Ready for the 2025 community winter football season.

The Rescue Ready initiative encourages clubs and the wider football community to make AEDs more widely available and accessible at local sporting facilities. 

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have saved the lives of players, officials and spectators in football across Australia. When a cardiac arrest occurs, if CPR commences and a defibrillator is used within the first 3-5 minutes, a person will have a greater chance of survival.

An AED is a life-saving device which should be installed, properly maintained and accessible at all times.

Check out our Rescue Ready Guide for Clubs

Football NSW acknowledges the work of Heart of the Nation and Heartbeat of Football in helping raise awareness of heart health issues and supporting Clubs with the acquisition of AEDs.

Find more information and resources on the Football NSW Member Protection page

Heart of the Nation

Heart of the Nation, a not-for-profit charity and social enterprise, is on a mission to transform how Australians respond to sudden cardiac arrest. Committed to increasing survival rates, Heart of the Nation focuses on education, training, and rapid access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) within critical minutes.

Visit the Heart of the Nation website | Shop

Heartbeat of Football

Heartbeat of Football (HOF), a not-for-profit organisation, was established in early 2016 by media personality and football enthusiast Andy Paschalidis as a direct result of cardiac arrest events on the football field.

Heartbeat of Football promotes healthy hearts in sport via:

• Awareness: player, participant, and community education programs.
• Prevention: minimisation of health risks through simple screening checks.
• Action: ‘rescue-ready’ defibrillators at all sporting fields around the country, starting in NSW.

Visit the Heartbeat of Football website | Join the Make It Red campaign