As legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly’s most famous quote goes: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I can assure you it’s more important than that.”

But what happens when football literally becomes a matter of life and death, such as when a player collapses in a park after a sudden cardiac arrest.

Thankfully it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it often has devastating consequences. Such was the case with a teammate of sports media personality Andy Paschalidis during an over 35s match they were playing in Forrest Ranges. “You see someone’s life disappear in front of you, and you feel helpless about the tools and mechanisms in place to make a difference,” he says.

Witnessing the death of a teammate, and meeting in person the bereaved families of four other players who died playing football over 2014-2015, moved Paschalidis to a personal vow to make a change.

He set up the Heartbeat of Football foundation and took time off work to devote his energy to getting the not-for profit organisation up and running.

Meetings with various football associations, health bodies, politicians, referees associations and committees have led to an increasing number of people and organisations willing to support the foundation, culminating in the unveiling earlier this week of the first ever 24-7 defibrillator at a sporting ground in this country. The FFA threw its support behind the foundation, sending some of its big guns such as Tim Cahill, Bailey Wright and Ange Postecoglou along to the unveiling at the home of the Marrickville Red Devils in Sydney.

That was followed on Friday by the official Sydney launch of the Heartbeat of Football foundation, and it’s Melbourne’s turn this Monday when Kinisi Live in Richmond hosts the Victorian launch.

A key strategy of the foundation is to roll out defibrillators at sports grounds across the country. Research indicates that immediate access to a defibrillator can lead to a 70 per cent survival rate if applied quickly, compared to a 5 per cent survival rate following cardiac arrest if no defibrillator is applied.

“In the day and age we’re in, you go to most corporate locations, shopping centres, train stations and there are first aid kits. There are defibrillators 24-7. Why don’t we have that at sporting grounds?” Paschalidis says.

He believes supplying local grounds with an on-site defibrillator, to be shared by clubs of various codes sharing that facility, is also a great opportunity for collaboration between the codes, and for developing a strong sense of community.

Heartbeat for Football foundation is also advocating setting up a National Register of Defibrillators so that their location can be known, and areas of need and undersupply identified and prioritised. He also wants the foundation, through its medical committee, to conduct a review of the spike in the number of onfield deaths, and produce a report and recommendations which may reduce the risk of further deaths.

Developing community education and awareness campaigns will also be a key strategy of the foundation.

” As a game, we have an issue but we’re not blaming the game,” Paschalidis says. “It’s just that more and more people are playing the game for longer and longer. Now you can imagine how many people we’d lose to heart attacks off the field if they weren’t playing, if they weren’t being active and healthy and getting checked. We’re sort of saying ‘come on guys. Look, we want you to play. Go and get yourself checked. Just like a motor vehicle, you need the pink slip. You need to go and get yourself registered that you’re mechanically sound’.”

Tickets for the 6 June Melbourne launch at Kinisi, Richmond are on sale at $100 per head, which includes dinner. Special guests include NSL stars Alan Davidson, Joe Biskic, Stan Lazaridis, Con Boutsianis, Kimon Taliadoros, Peter Tsolakis, Joe Palatsides. Melbourne Knights, Oakleigh Cannons, Heidelberg, Green Gully and Kingston City will also be represented. PFA rep Simon Colosimo and Perth Glory CEO Peter Filopoulos will also be in attendance.

For tickets to the foundation’s Melbourne launch contact andy@heartbeatoffootball.com.au or phone 0412 184 048.