Sir Kenny Dalglish amongst football stars calling for defibrillators in schools and sports clubs
Sir Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson have signed a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and MPs calling for defibrillators to be mandatory at schools and sports clubs.
They have joined various high-profile sporting figures in adding their signatures ahead of the second reading of the Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill on September 10 in Parliament.
It will see a cross party call for defibrillators to be mandatory at schools and sports clubs.
It follows a campaign by The Oliver King Foundation calling for the new law to be brought in. Oliver was 12 years old when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a swimming race in Liverpool in 2011.
He had an unknown but treatable condition called Sudden Arrythmic Death Syndrome (Sads), which kills 12 people each week.
Oliver King's family call for defibrillators to be compulsory after Eriksen's collapse on the pitch
Research shows following a sudden cardiac arrest, survival rates drop between seven to 10 per cent every minute without defibrillation.
There are an estimated 60,000 cases every year of sudden cardiac arrest deaths in the UK.
The letter asking the Goverment to support the calls also refers to the collapse of Danish team captain Christian Eriksen during a Euro 2020 game against Finland in June.
The letter has also received support from ex-Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who had a cardiac arrest in 2012 on the pitch at White Hart Lane but survived after the use of a defibrillator.
Fabrice Muamba reveals moving message he sent to Christian Eriksen
Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker, former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, new Palace boss and former Manchester City player Patrick Vieira, and numerous medical professionals have also signed the letter addressed to the Prime Minister, calling on the government to support the campaign.