Reminder that defibs are needed for 2022-23 club affiliation

England Boxing clubs are reminded that they must have access to a defibrillator (defib) before applying for membership for the new 2022-23 season.

From 1st June 2022, every member club will need to either have a defib on site or be within five minutes’ walk of one (both ways), in case of an emergency.

Clubs will be required to enter the details of the location of the defibrillator they have access to upon registering for the 2022-23 season.

Any clubs taking part in a Box Cup or club show within England that have already been issued a permit through their region – for the month of June only – will receive dispensation.

To receive dispensation the following must be in place:

• Clubs must have been affiliated for the 2021-22 season
• Any boxers must have been affiliated during the 2021-22 season and have an in-date medical
• All coaches must be affiliated where possible in time for the event. All coaches must have an in-date DBS, safeguarding and first aid certificate on The Vault. Should affiliation not be possible, they must have had an active affiliation for the 2021-22 season and must have an in-date DBS, Safeguarding and First Aid certificate on The Vault.
• All Officials must be affiliated where possible in time for the event. Should affiliation not be possible, they must have had an active affiliation for the 2021-22 season.
• Any international participants who are taking part must have gained permission to box abroad by England Boxing following this process https://www.englandboxing.org/rules-regs-resources/boxing-abroad/

Please note: there is no dispensation for Boxing Abroad events.

All other clubs who are not taking part in Box Cups or participating in clubs shows should register in the usual way.

The value of having a defib

There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the UK every year and, without immediate treatment, 90 to 95 per cent of sudden cardiac arrest victims will die.

However, the chance of survival increases by 50 percent with immediate access to a life-saving defibrillator.

The importance of having a defib in boxing clubs was highlighted earlier this year when one saved the life of Zoe Cluett.

The 36-year-old mum of three was attending her usual Box Fit class at Western Counties club Wimborne when she suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest.

But because the club had a defib on site to use, emergency services were able to successfully resuscitate her after club Head Coach Dave Rimmer and Cassie Barber had performed CPR until their arrival.

Help at hand to get a defib

For those clubs who do not yet have a defib in place, England Boxing has set up a website page to give clubs all the information they need to know.

It explains what defibs are, some key stats that underline their importance, how you can find where your nearest defib is located (and therefore if your club needs to buy one or not), the cost of a defib and how you can get grant support through partner London Hearts, the UK’s leading defibrillator charity.

You can access the page by clicking here.