Dad of Crowland footballer, 23, who died during game campaigns for all UK referees to carry mobile defibrillators

The grieving dad of a “fit and healthy” young footballer, who collapsed and died during a game, is campaigning for all referees to carry mobile defibrillators pitch-side.

Mike Palmer, 51, wants all referees at England's 40,000 clubs to have life-saving defibrillators with them during matches and for them to be trained to use them.

His campaign follows the tragic death of his son Michael, 23, who died while playing for Crowland Football Club (FC) near Peterborough on February 25.

Mr Palmer fears an eight minute delay in getting the device – which delivers electric shocks to the heart – to Michael may have contributed to his death.

Crowland FC had a defibrillator at its clubhouse but it was a distance of three pitches from where Michael collapsed and took a team-mate a minute and a half to run there.

Software firm boss Mike, from Holbeach, Lincolnshire, said: "If a mobile defibrillator was pitch-side he would have had it on his chest in under two minutes.

"I don't know if it would have changed the outcome, but no one can't tell me that it wouldn't.

"Equipment is needed so urgently to give people a fighting chance – how can we make sure eight minutes is not the norm moving forward?

"It's not just at football pitches – any place of sport needs one on hand.

"I'm not interested in blaming anyone, but why is the Football Association (FA) which accredits the 40,000 football clubs across the country able to mandate that a referee must be present at every match, but a defibrillator isn't?"

‘I want our story to change things’

Mr Palmer said that if every mandatory referee carries a mobile defibrillator and knows how to use it, every game in the country would then have a defibrillator pitch-side.

He was called by his sister to the pitch at 3.30pm after hearing Michael had collapsed.

The player, who had been fit and healthy, was lying in the middle of the pitch before being moved to an ambulance.

He was about to be moved to a helicopter to be taken to Peterborough Hospital, but it was confirmed that there had been no activity in his heart for over an hour and the ambulance life support was turned off.

A post-mortem failed to establish the cause of his death.

Michael's dad, aunt, step-mum and one of his sisters were all present. Michael was the youngest of four siblings,

Mr Palmer added: "Things like this have always been someone else's story – that Saturday it stopped being that and became our story.

"I don't want our story to be one of the hole and loss we feel and will forever feel – it's my son for goodness sake.

"I want our story to be how we can change things.

"I can't guarantee Michael will be the last person to collapse and die doing sport, but we can ensure that an eight-minute wait and the wrong code doesn't happen again."

‘You never know when this could happen again’

So far his JustGiving page which launched a week ago has received £11,260 and exceeded his £2,000 target.

He has since been contacted by the charity London Hearts and offered a free defibrillator and training, and the Red Cross reached out and offered discounted defibrillators.

One football club, which did not want to be named, told Mike that their nearest machine was 21 minutes away.

An under-seven's team in Suffolk are now looking into getting one because of Mike's campaign.

Crowland Football Club secretary Keeley Cole, 46, said: "I agree with Mike 100 per cent.

"I have three teens myself. You never know when this could happen again.

"If we can successfully campaign for more defibrillators to be present pitch-side, if it saves one person's life, it was worth it."

According to the American academic medical centre the Mayo Clinic, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes, with an estimated one in 50,000 dying each year.