USA Football Partners with Defibtech and One Beat Medical to Provide Youth Leagues with AEDs and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Education Through Grants Program

July 19, 2023

INDIANAPOLIS – With an eye toward improving athlete safety and league emergency preparedness, USA Football, a Recognized Sport Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the sport's U.S. governing body, is forming a multi-year partnership with Defibtech and One Beat Medical to provide youth football leagues with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) education through its grants program 

USA Football strives to help football leagues build safe and healthy environments for young athletes. Partnering with Defibtech and One Beat Medical to distribute AEDs, SCA education and equipment training ensures hundreds of children will play for teams or leagues that have emergency action plans for SCA and the knowledge to operate on-hand life-saving equipment. 

“USA Football is dedicated to setting standards that drive health and safety across football for all,” said USA Football CEO SCOTT HALLENBECK. “We’re grateful to partner with Defibtech and One Beat Medical to support leagues with emergency equipment and education. The knowledge our new partners offer guards against tragedy by preparing adults to make informed decisions and act quickly in emergency scenarios. USA Football encourages all teams and leagues to complete and test emergency action plans for the benefit of their players, coaches and spectators.”  

“Many people assume that sudden cardiac arrest only occurs in adults,” said AJ PACE, Vice President of Global Marketing for Defibtech. “But that isn’t true, SCA is the leading cause of death among student-athletes. With access to AEDs and practiced emergency action plans, we can protect both players on the field and fans in the stands. We are very pleased to be a part of this new partnership with USA Football that will help to prepare their teams for an SCA emergency.” 

“One Beat Medical is proud to partner with USA Football and Defibtech to provide more AEDs to football leagues and teams across this country,” said One Beat Medical CEO LAWRENCE FRANCHETTI. “Every year, countless lives are lost on the field to sudden cardiac arrest, but together we begin to reverse this trend by ensuring all teams have emergency action plans, training, and AEDs. I look forward to working together to protect our communities.” 

In addition to providing youth football leagues with AEDs, USA Football will utilize Defibtech’s expertise to provide educational content for coaches and league leaders. USA Football recognizes the need for SCA education to help coaches be better equipped and more confident in emergency situations. The non-profit hopes to connect adults with the tools and training needed to respond when SCA arises.  

Defibtech is a leader and innovator in the design and manufacture of life-saving resuscitation devices, including their lightweight and robust AEDs. The company has shipped more than 550,000 AEDs worldwide.  

Founded more than two decades ago, One Beat Medical stands as a national leader in AED distribution, CPR training and emergency preparation having granted more than 300,000 certifications and supplied over a quarter of a million AEDs.  

The application period for USA Football’s AED grant opens on July 14 and closes on August 16, 2023. Leagues chosen for the grant will receive notice of their selection in early September. Organizations that are not selected for the grant are still eligible to receive discounts on AEDs through USA Football’s partnership with Defibtech and One Beat Medical.  

League leaders and administrators interested in learning more about USA Football’s grants can visit usafootball.com.   

About Defibtech: Defibtech is a leader and innovator in the design and manufacture of life-saving resuscitation devices including automated external defibrillators (AEDs), mechanical chest compressors, and related accessories that the public and healthcare professionals depend on every day. With more than 550,000 AED units shipped worldwide, Defibtech is committed to saving lives by producing the best AEDs that advanced medical technology has to offer. Headquartered in Guilford, Conn., all of Defibtech’s life-saving products are conceived and developed in house and are designed and built in the United States at their state-of-the-art facilities. For more information about Defibtech and its products, visit www.defibtech.com. 

About One Beat Medical: At One Beat, our mission is to ensure lifesaving emergency medical equipment is always within reach, when it’s needed most. Emergencies happen in the blink of an eye. It only takes one second for things to go wrong – and one beat to make a difference. We provide people with the training and equipment to jump into action and save lives. 

About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men’s and women’s US National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.