Five-a-side football tournament in Leeds to learn CPR and raise money for British Heart Foundation

The tournament, which will be held at Goals in Redcote Lane, will raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

And alongside a kickabout, participants will also be able to learn CPR through a demonstration held on the day.

The Leeds branch of law firm Squire Patton Boggs will be putting a team forward for the event.

Karen French, from Squire Patton Boggs and a member of the BHF Leeds Business Fundraising Group, said: “Our team is limbering up ready for the event and can’t wait to get out onto the pitch.

“Knowing that we’ll help to raise funds for the BHF’s life saving research will really make it all worth it. We hope other businesses in Leeds will join us by entering this tournament, for what looks set to be a really enjoyable evening.”

In Leeds alone, around 85,000 people are living with heart and circulatory diseases – and, tragically, every five hours, someone in the area dies from one of these conditions.

Becky Beevers, BHF’s Fundraising Manager for Leeds, said: “We’re calling for fans of the beautiful game to join us for a fun-filled event in aid of a good cause. Those taking part will not only be raising funds for the BHF’s vital research, but they’ll also be taught skills that could help save a life in the event of a cardiac arrest.

“This year, the BHF is marking 60 years of funding pioneering research to save and improve lives. Covid-19 dealt a brutal blow to our work and caused our investment in new research to be cut in half last year. We can only fund this life saving research thanks to the generous support of the public, so in our 60th year, we urgently need more people to help us.”

The football tournament will take place on Friday, September 24.

Doors will open at 5pm, with the tournament getting underway at around 5.45pm.

Each team will play a minimum of 45 minutes of football before the knockout stages.

Food will also be served after the tournament.

The cost will be £250 per team, with all proceeds going to the BHF.

This will help fund the BHF’s life saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia, and their risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Anyone interested in taking part in the event can contact Becky Beevers, BHF’s Fundraising Manager by emailing [email protected] or calling 07971 484539.