Friends of teen footballer hope his death leads to mandatory cardiac arrest training

Friends of a footballer who died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest say they hope the Football Association (FA) will make life-saving training mandatory.

Adam Ankers, 17, collapsed with chest pains while he was playing for Wycombe Wanderers Foundation's under-19s in January 2024 and later died in hospital, having suffered brain damage.

He had a heart condition but it wasn't diagnosed at the time of his death.

The FA has until Thursday to respond to the coroner who examined Adam's death, who has called for sudden cardiac arrest training to be made mandatory for "at least one person" on the football pitch, particularly coaches and referees.

An inquest looking into how he died found that a failure to spot the signs of a cardiac arrest contributed to his death, as nobody attempted to perform CPR or use a defibrillator on him.

A defibrillator - a life-saving medical device used to restore a normal heartbeat - was brought onto the pitch but not used after confusion over whether it could be performed safely on a teenager, which it could.

Two of Adam's friends tell BBC Newsbeat they previously felt safe while playing football, but Adam's death has changed things.

"In the weeks and months after, I got two or three cardiac tests, I was pretty scared," says George Callie, who grew up playing football with Adam.

"I was playing football four or five times a week.

"This can happen to anyone and I was OK. But it does affect you."

The 19-year-old from Risborough says he supports the coroner's recommendation.

"I think it's really important that you learn how to deal with that if you're going to be on the side of a football pitch," he says.

"I think there's got to be some sort of rule where between the referees, the two linesmen and the two coaches, there's five of you, I think if two or three of you are able to carry out the procedures then that's more than enough people to save a life, and it shouldn't always be on the referee."

Tom Gough, who was a close friend and teammate of Adam, agrees he "wouldn't feel so safe" stepping on to a pitch now "because of the circumstance that happened with Adam".

"I think there's always going to be a bit of me that's worried that something like this might happen again."

The 19-year-old from Wycombe, who spoke at Adam's funeral, says his death took a "big toll" on his mental health but it would "mean the world" if it led to change.

"If Adam's death is the reason one or two or how many kids' lives could be saved on the pitch, I think that is a great thing," he says.

"Trying to take the positives out of a negative situation."

The FA told Newsbeat it supported the coroner throughout the inquest and is "reviewing their findings and recommendations".

It does have a free and voluntary training module on its website which provides knowledge on how to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest, and how to use CPR and a defibrillator.

Newsbeat understands that more than 90% of affiliated youth teams have at least one qualified coach who's done the training.

More than 600 young people under 35 die from sudden cardiac arrest every year in the UK due to undiagnosed heart conditions, or about 12 a week, according to the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

Adam's parents are among those supporting a campaign by CRY which is calling for more funding for research and for the introduction of a national cardiac screening programme for all over-14s.

Tom says knowing the coroner ruled that there was a "missed opportunity" to help Adam has made him "upset" and "mad at the situation".

However, he says it did encourage him to get his heart checked.

He was also inspired to study languages at the University of Leeds as Adam had been his partner in French classes and had helped him through his lessons.

Adam played for Risborough Rangers in Buckinghamshire from a young age before joining Wycombe Wanderers Foundation team, whilst studying for a BTEC diploma in sport at Henley College.

Each year they now hold a charity football match in Adam's honour, and as he was an Arsenal fan, the tune of North London Forever has soundtracked a lot of these key moments.

"I think a few weeks ago Arsenal winning the league and lifting the trophy... there was an extra feel-good moment about it," says George.

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