Sports Medicine Australia in partnership with Defib Your Club, For Life! is calling for the mandatory placement of defibrillators in all sporting clubs and facilities in the wake of the recent tragic death of Nathan Prince.

Statistics show that one in every 1,000 persons has an undiagnosed heart complaint, and a cardiac arrest can occur without prior warning signs or symptoms. About 30,000 Australians die of sudden cardiac arrest each year.

Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) Chief Executive Officer, Nello Marino commended those clubs who have been proactive and equipped themselves with defibrillators however says more needs to be done and called on all stakeholders including government, sporting associations, venue operators and clubs to address the issue with some urgency.

“Currently early defibrillation seems to be the weakest link in Australian sporting clubs, and more often than not a missing link due to lack of funding. Key stakeholders need to step up, take some responsibility and do their bit to equip every sporting club or venue,” said Mr Marino.

“Defibrillators are relatively cheap and make a big impact in the crucial moments following cardiac arrest. It should be a no-brainer that to provide the upmost safety to players at sporting clubs defibrillators are needed. How many more tragic outcomes need to occur before this is realised?” said Mr Marino.

Andrew White, an ambulance paramedic for over 20 years and Founding Director of Defib Your Club, For Life!, a not for profit organisation established to help reduce the number of cardiac related deaths at sporting venues, hopes this recent tragic death shines a spotlight on the importance of defibrillation.  

“The evidence of the effectiveness of defibrillators is compelling. For every minute that passes following sudden cardiac arrest there is about a 10 per cent decrease in survival rate. By 10 minutes there is only a very remote chance of survival.

“The earlier a person receives defibrillation, the higher the chance of survival, therefore early intervention is most likely to have the best outcome,” said Mr White.

The past few years has seen many instances where cardiac arrest has claimed lives fielding sporting settings in a similar fashion to Nathan.

“None of these players had a defibrillator immediately available. Their chance of survival would have been increased had defibrillators been in place,” said prominent sports physician and SMA member, Dr Peter Larkins.

“Sporting clubs need to be empowered to react to their own cardiac emergency armed with the appropriate equipment, skill and understanding to do so prior to ambulance arrival,” said Dr Larkins.

Both Sports Medicine Australia and Defib Your Club, For Life! said the message to key sporting stakeholders was simple, “the more defibrillators out there, the more lives that will be saved.”

In addition to defibrillators, Sports Medicine Australia recommends all sporting clubs need to ensure they have adequately trained personnel on the sidelines to ensure players receive appropriate medical care when injured playing sport.

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Media enquiries: Amanda Boshier, National Media Manager, phone 03 9674 8703, mobile 0412 224 729.

Media interviews:

Andrew White, Founding Director, Defib Your Club, For Life!, mobile 0414 581 783

Nello Marino, Chief Executive Officer, Sports Medicine Australia,

phone 03 9674 8711, mobile 0413 006 425.

Dr Peter Larkins, sports physician, phone 03 9426 6222

Background information: 

• Defib Your Club, For Life! is a not for profit organisation established to help reduce the number of cardiac related deaths at sporting venues following the tragic death of a 19 year old Rupertswood footballer in May 2010. The organisation’s goal is to put as many defibrillators in to clubs as possible and to empower clubs to react to their own cardiac emergency armed with the appropriate equipment, skill and understanding to do so prior to ambulance arrival. Website: www.defibforlife.org.au
• Sports Medicine Australia is Australia’s peak body for sports medicine, sports science and sports injury prevention and acts as Australia’s peak advisory body on all medical and health issues for active people. Website: www.sma.org.au

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