By Cameron Lucadou-Wells
LIFE-saving defibrillators are set to be rolled out to all Southern Football League clubs by this weekend.
At a cost of more than $55,000, the league will underwrite defibrillators at 24 of its 30 clubs that don’t have the machines.
The defibrillators deliver electric shocks that, if delivered within a few minutes, substantially increase a cardiac victim’s survival chances.
The SFL roll-out was spurred by the cardiac arrest of Skye footballer Stephen Locke, 39, at a practice game in Dingley last month.
Dingley Football Club did not have a defibrillator on-hand at the time but had applied for one through a Defib Your Club For Life program.
SFL chief executive Wayne Holdsworth said the league had a duty of care to look after players, spectators, umpires and officials.
He said the league had had no response from the state government in its plea for a state-funded rollout of defibrillators at all sports venues.
‘‘Our view is we couldn’t wait. We had to get them out there — the sooner the better.
‘‘The incident involving a Skye Football Club player three weeks ago certainly highlighted the importance of us, as a league, to act quickly and definitively.’’
Holdsworth was hopeful that clubs and municipal councils would contribute to the roll-out.
‘‘We’ve already committed to covering those funds so anything else to offset that will be a bonus.’’
Casey Council are considering a $200,000-plus rollout of defibrillators at its 88 sports pavilions.
South East Juniors, with the help of a private sponsorship, has installed 17 defibrillators at its football clubs this season.
Defib Your Club For Life, a program promoting publicly-available defibrillators, will supply the SFL defibrillators this week, and hold defibrillator training for clubs next week.
Defib Your Club For Life founding director Andrew White set up the program after failing to resuscitate a 19-year-old Rupertswood footballer at training two years ago.
Locke, who was taken to Monash Medical Centre in a critical condition, is recovering in hospital.
The state government wouldn’t comment if it would extend its defibrillator rollout.
