Coach and son's defibrillator plea after fundraising
The pair said they were shocked into action by Eriksen's on-pitch collapse in 2021
A youth football coach has said "every club should have a defibrillator" after he and his son raised funds to install 20 machines at their local club.
Ben, 36, from Cuddington in Cheshire, wanted to help after he watched Danish player Christian Eriksen's collapse at Euro 2020.
He and his 10-year-old son, Oscar, ran a mile a day for 26 days raising £8,950 for Cuddington and Sandiway Junior Football Club.
Ben said Eriksen's "incredible" recovery from a cardiac arrest on the pitch inspired their fundraising effort.
"The biggest message is always that a defibrillator has got to be one of the biggest priorities on your kit list," he added.
The father and son duo raised enough money to buy 20 defibrillators
The Denmark midfielder collapsed in 2021 during the European Championship match against Finland and was saved by a defibrillator.
Ben said he was taken aback after Oscar asked about having defibrillators at their local football club.
"Oscar, who was only seven at the time, asked, 'what happens if that happens to one of our players in our team?"'.
Eriksen, who also plays for Manchester United, is set to appear at the 2024 tournament Germany on Sunday against Slovenia.
Ben said Eriksen's turn to the tournament was "bonkers", adding: "You fast forward to now and he's still playing; it's an incredible story really.
"This is why I can't push enough how important defibrillators are. Not only did it save his life, it saved his career as well."
Oscar ran a mile a day with his dad for 26 days to help raise the funds
Following the Danish player's collapse, nearly £3m has been raised for defibrillators, according to GoFundMe.
Ben, who coaches the under 10s team at Cuddington and Sandiway football club, said the need for defibrillators was taken "more seriously" than three years ago.
"You do see a lot more defibrillators at football clubs, mobile ones, ones on the side of buildings."
The club's nearest defibrillator used to be half a mile away from the grounds, but having machines nearby is "massively important", he said.
The coach has urged other grassroots and local clubs to make it their priority to have a defibrillator.
"They're not that expensive in the grand scheme of things," he said.
"You can quite easily raise the funds and you can save a life because of it. You hope that you never have to use them, but they're there."
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