The Golden Standard for Cardiac Readiness
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among young athletes, and sport accounts for a large share of cardiac arrests in people under 18. It is also one of the most survivable emergencies in sport when the response is fast: recognize, call 911, start CPR, and use an AED within minutes. The Smart Heart Sports Coalition, founded by the NFL alongside the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, NCAA, the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association, asks every venue for three policies. This page is those three policies, made practical for clubs.
people under 18 experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the U.S., and nearly 40% of those are sports-related.
Source: American Heart Associationimmediate bystander CPR can double or triple the chance of surviving cardiac arrest. The bystander is you.
Source: American Heart Associationthe drop in survival odds for every minute a cardiac arrest goes without defibrillation. Three policies exist to beat this clock.
Source: StatPearls, NIH National Library of Medicinethe maximum distance an AED should be from any field, court, strip, or platform, per the Smart Heart Sports Coalition.
Source: Smart Heart Sports CoalitionThe three policies, club edition
- A written, rehearsed emergency action plan exists for every venue (see our EAP standard)
- An AED is at the venue or reachable within 1 to 3 minutes of every field, court, strip, or platform
- The AED location is clearly marked, staff know where it is, and the battery and pads are checked on a schedule
- Coaches and staff hold current CPR and AED training
- Someone at every practice and event, not just games, is designated as the first responder in the plan
- Your club knows its nearest AED even at away or rented venues: ask at check-in, every time
One page for the kit bag and the noticeboard. Free to download, post, and share. Built on the Smart Heart Sports Coalition's three-policy framework.
What the evidence actually says
The three policies are not a wish list; they are the consensus of the people who study this for a living. The Smart Heart Sports Coalition, founded by the NFL after Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest and now spanning the major leagues, the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, NATA, and the Korey Stringer Institute, asks every state to require exactly three things for school sport: a rehearsed emergency action plan at every venue, an AED within 1 to 3 minutes, and CPR and AED training for coaches. Community clubs are not covered by those state laws, which is precisely why a club standard matters: you adopt voluntarily what the law has not yet required of you.
The science behind the urgency is unambiguous. Survival falls roughly 7 to 10% for every minute without defibrillation, and research published by the American Heart Association shows that every minute of delay before bystander CPR measurably lowers the odds of surviving with a good outcome. Flip those numbers around and they become the good news: immediate CPR can double or triple survival, and an AED reached in the first minutes is the difference the whole standard is built around.
Cost is not the barrier it used to be. AED prices have fallen, and programs from the Smart Heart Sports Coalition and community foundations like Parent Heart Watch and the Matthew Mangine Jr. One Shot Foundation exist specifically to help youth organizations get devices and training. If budget is the blocker, the fix is an application, not a fundraiser.
Minutes are the whole story
In cardiac arrest, the chance of survival falls roughly 10% for every minute without defibrillation. That is the entire logic of the standard: an AED three minutes away, a person who knows where it is, and a plan that has been walked through once. Hands-only CPR removes the last excuse: no certification is required to push hard and fast in the center of the chest while someone runs for the AED, and the video below teaches it in about a minute. If your club does one thing after reading this page, make it this: walk to your AED right now and time it. If the round trip is over three minutes, that is the gap your plan needs to close before the next practice.
Go deeper
Smart Heart Sports Coalition
NFL-founded coalition of the major leagues and medical bodies
The three-policy framework this page is built on.
American Heart Association: coalition announcement and policy detail
American Heart Association
The case for the three policies, with the data.
American Heart Association: Cardiac Emergency Response Plans
American Heart Association
CERP toolkits for schools and facilities.
Delays in bystander CPR and survival, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes
American Heart Association journals
The peer-reviewed evidence that minutes decide outcomes.
Parent Heart Watch
Parent Heart Watch
Parent-facing SCA prevention, screening, and AED advocacy.
Matthew Mangine Jr. One Shot Foundation
One Shot Foundation
EAP and AED help built specifically for youth club sports.
American Red Cross CPR and AED training
American Red Cross
Find certification classes for your staff.
Safety planning and coverage go together. Clubs in a Golden program can claim a complimentary coverage review, a membership benefit performed by a licensed specialist with no obligation.
Learn about the coverage reviewNot in a Golden program yet? and see what a full-stack program looks like.
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This resource is educational material, not medical, legal, or coverage advice. Statistics are drawn from the linked sources and reflect the populations studied. Always follow your organization's policies, your governing body's rules, and the direction of qualified medical professionals. In an emergency, call 911.