Across all three English Football League divisions, 36 fixtures scheduled between 5-9 February will start one minute later than planned to highlight the importance of swift, life-saving CPR.
The kick-off times are designed to raise awareness of Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation’s transformative Every Minute Matters campaign which, with the support of the EFL, has already inspired over 400,000 people to start learning CPR since the campaign launched in May 2024.
This February is Heart Month and Sky Bet, the BHF and the EFL are on a mission to mobilise football fans across the nation, as the campaign aims to get half a million people to save hearts all over the UK by starting to learn CPR by the end of the month.
Throughout February, Sky Bet and BHF’s Every Minute Matters campaign will be calling on fans to step up and learn CPR using the BHF’s free, simple and easy-to-use online tool, RevivR. Fans can search ‘BHF RevivR’ or visit revivr.bhf.org.uk/efl
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Powerful reminder
EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said: “Our 72 Clubs sit at the heart of their communities, and they show time and again how football can drive real-world change.
“The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death.
“Since the launch of the Every Minute Matters campaign in May 2024, over 400,000 supporters have already begun learning CPR – now we’re calling on supporters everywhere to join them this February and help us pass the half million mark.”
Save lives
Bristol Rovers defender and British Heart Foundation ambassador Tom Lockyer collapsed eight minutes into the Championship play-off final while playing for Luton Town in May 2023, before suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch seven months later during a Premier League match at Bournemouth.
Of the initiative, he said: “What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
“Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and most of them never make it home.
“I’m here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.
“Football has an incredible power to cut through, and since the Play-Off Final last May, Sky Bet and the BHF have galvanised the football community in a way I never imagined.
“Fans, players and Clubs have shown that when we unite behind a single purpose, we can change outcomes and save lives.
“This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in – because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given.”
Skills
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the BHF, added: “From the terraces to the training ground, football unites communities, and this Heart Month, together with Sky Bet and the EFL, we can save lives.
“These unique kick‑off times are a powerful reminder that every minute matters in a cardiac arrest.
“Each minute without CPR reduces a person’s chance of survival, so we’re urging fans to learn the skills now, before you ever need them.
“Learning CPR with our free online tool, RevivR, takes just 15 minutes – and it could be the difference between life and death.”
EFL Kick-off times
Thursday 5 February
Sky Bet League Two: Accrington Stanley vs Salford City – 8:01pm
Friday 6 February
Sky Bet Championship: Charlton Athletic vs QPR – 8:01pm
Saturday 7 February
Sky Bet Championship
Derby County vs Ipswich Town – 12:31pm
Norwich City vs Blackburn Rovers – 12:31pm
Southampton vs Watford – 12:31pm
Birmingham City vs Leicester City – 3:01pm
Coventry City vs Oxford United – 3:01pm
Hull City vs Bristol City – 3:01pm
Preston North End vs Portsmouth – 3:01pm
West Brom vs Stoke City – 3:01pm
Wrexham vs Millwall 3:01pm
Sky Bet League One
Luton Town vs Bradford City – 12:31pm
Port Vale vs Burton Albion – 12:31pm
AFC Wimbledon vs Reading – 3:01pm
Bolton Wanderers vs Barnsley – 3:01pm
Huddersfield Town vs Blackpool – 3:01pm
Mansfield Town vs Exeter City – 3:01pm
Northampton Town vs Stevenage – 3:01pm
Peterborough United vs Wigan Athletic – 3:01pm
Plymouth Argyle vs Lincoln City – 3:01pm
Rotherham United vs Cardiff City – 3:01pm
Stockport County vs Leyton Orient – 3:01pm
Wycombe Wanderers vs Doncaster Rovers – 3:01pm
Sky Bet League Two
Crawley Town vs Crewe Alexandra – 12:31pm
Swindon Town vs Oldham Athletic – 12:31pm
Bristol Rovers vs Chesterfield – 3:01pm
Cheltenham Town vs MK Dons – 3:01pm
Colchester United vs Shrewsbury Town – 3:01pm
Fleetwood Town vs Bromley – 3:01pm
Gillingham vs Tranmere Rovers – 3:01pm
Harrogate Town vs Cambridge United – 3:01pm
Newport County vs Grimsby Town – 3:01pm
Notts County vs Barrow – 3:01pm
Walsall vs Barnet – 3:01pm
Sunday 8 February
Sky Bet Championship: Swansea City vs Sheffield Wednesday – 12:01pm
Monday 9 February
Sky Bet Championship: Sheffield United vs Middlesbrough – 8:01pm
READ MORE: Championship round-up: Norwich City run riot as Ipswich Town and Coventry City keep up the pace
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