Chester FC Kick Off With UK Sepsis Trust to Raise Life-Saving Awareness

Chester FC is supporting the UK Sepsis Trust’s new awareness campaign, It’s Game On for Sepsis Awareness, which launched this September for Sepsis Awareness Month.

The club is calling on its players, staff and fans to play the Sepsis Savvy Shoot Out game and equip themselves to identify sepsis so early action can be taken to save lives. Chester FC promoted the campaign at its home fixture against Scarborough Athletic on Saturday 6th September, using its matchday programme to share life-saving information about sepsis with fans.

General Manager of Chester FC Albert Davies said:

“We are proud to stand alongside the UK Sepsis Trust to raise vital awareness.

“As a fan-owned football club, we recognise the importance of our role within the local  community and hope by promoting this campaign we can help our supporters recognise the signs of sepsis and take early action - as it could save a life.

“We encourage all supporters, players, staff and volunteers to get involved, and we look forward to working with UKST to make a difference for many years to come.”

Legendary footballer and manager Harry Redknapp is fronting campaign following his wife’s hospitalisation with sepsis in 2018, and is calling for better recognition of the condition to ensure swift and effective treatment.

The UKST Sepsis Awareness Month campaign engages sports clubs and communities across the UK with an online game, the Sepsis Savvy Shootout. The game helps players learn about sepsis in a fun and easy way, equipping them with the knowledge they need to recognise sepsis and take life-saving action at the right time. Participants are invited to enter a prize draw to win an exclusive meet and greet with Redknapp.

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that can strike anyone at any time, and five lives are lost to the condition every hour in the UK. But, if spotted early, it’s often treatable. That’s why UKST is reaching out to clubs, including staff, players and fans: to reach as many people as possible with life-saving information. The charity is asking sports clubs to make sepsis awareness one of their goals this September by promoting the game in communications (including matchday programmes), displaying UKST resources around clubs and encouraging their communities to get Sepsis Savvy.

In the UK, sepsis affects 245,000 annually, claiming 48,000 lives. Sepsis can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death if not recognised early and treated promptly.

Harry Redknapp, UK Sepsis Trust Ambassador, said:

“In 2018, my wife Sandra developed sepsis from a kidney infection. It was a terrifying experience – but we were lucky. She survived. 48,000 families across the UK aren’t as fortunate. That’s why I’ve teamed up with The UK Sepsis Trust to get life-saving information in front of as many people as possible.”

Sepsis arises in people of any age, whether or not they've got underlying illness, and although it always starts with an infection (such as pneumonia, chest infections, or UTIs), it’s unknown why some people develop sepsis in response to these common infections when others do not. As a result, sepsis presents very differently in each patient and can be challenging to identify. Early diagnosis and swift action are essential to improving outcomes for people with sepsis.

Sepsis is as common as heart attacks in the UK: nearly 80,000 people each year suffer life-changing after-effects in the UK, with 82% of sepsis survivors experiencing ‘Post-Sepsis Syndrome’ more than a year after hospital discharge, and 18% left permanently unable to work.

The deadline to enter the Sepsis Savvy Shootout prize draw is 30th September. The campaign, It’s Game On for Sepsis Awareness, will however be live all year-round.

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the UK Sepsis Trust, said:

“Sports communities look after one another and rally around those in need. It’s this very ethos that inspired the idea for our Game On campaign.

“We’re especially grateful to Chester FC for showing leadership in bringing this message to its fans and wider community. Football clubs like Chester are at the heart of their cities – and by helping us raise awareness, they’re helping to save lives.

“The likelihood is that someone in your community has already been impacted by sepsis, whether directly or indirectly, and at UKST we’re committed to raising awareness of this life-changing condition. Our goal is to empower every community to become Sepsis Savvy.”