The Football Association of Ireland has already received over 130 successful applications to join the Government funded Defibs initiative to provide subsidised defibrillators for Grassroots clubs in phase one of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme – and now the scheme has re-opened for those clubs currently preparing for their return to competitive football in September.

Almost 200 subsidised defibs remain available to adult and underage clubs under the FAI driven Grassroots scheme which will see over 300 clubs in total offered a state-of-the-art LIFEPAK CR2 (cellular version) defibrillator along with an eight-year mobile phone data plan and training for 10 people in Basic Life Support and use of an Automatic External Defibrillator.

This package is valued at €3600 but benefits from an FAI discount which brings the total cost down to €2500. Thanks to Government funding of almost €400,000, negotiated by the FAI on behalf of the Grassroots game, the package will be made available to the 316 selected clubs at a reduced cost of €1250.

This amounts to a 50 per cent discount on the package cost price, with the balance funded by the FAI and Government and distributed via the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme founded in 2018.

Grassroots Clubs who now wish to avail of the scheme can register their interest in the defibrillator programme at www.fai.ie/defibs by close of business on September 23rd.

The FAI will then nominate the remaining clubs, based on a selection criteria, to avail of the discounted offer, capped at one per club. Each club will have access to an online fundraising site.

Those clubs already selected to partake in the programme (Phase One) have been contacted by the FAI and provided with access to the fund raising platform.

New clubs interested in the scheme can register for the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme defibrillator initiative at www.fai.ie/defibs

FAI Grassroots Director Ger McDermott said: “The response to this programme has already been really positive all across Ireland and now we look forward to reaching into even more communities with this new phase for our Grassroots clubs about to begin their traditional seasons.

"Defibs save lives and we urge all clubs to get involved in the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme.”