Football fan reunites with lifesavers after cardiac arrest at Crawley Town match

A football fan whose life was saved after suffering a cardiac arrest at a Crawley Town match has reunited with the ambulance clinicians who treated him — and is urging more people to learn CPR.

Birmingham City supporter Steve Poulter, now 67, collapsed during his team’s away fixture against Crawley Town on Monday 23 December 2024.

He stopped breathing and was given emergency treatment at the stadium before being resuscitated and taken to hospital.

Steve’s friend alerted the event medical team from Revive Medical Solutions, who were providing cover at the match.

Student Paramedic Jack Nelson then contacted South East Coast Ambulance Service’s Emergency Operations Centre, where Emergency Medical Advisor Daisy Burrows arranged ambulance resources to attend.

Steve was later taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he spent 19 days recovering.

SECAmb Critical Care Paramedic Laini Marshall said: “Steve’s story highlights the importance of early recognition, CPR and defibrillation when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. This was a real team effort, involving the event medical team, our emergency operations centre, ambulance crews and hospital colleagues. Seeing Steve back with his family and enjoying life again is exactly why improving cardiac arrest outcomes is so important."

HART Team Operative Matthew Dale, who also attended, praised staff at Crawley Town Football Club for helping emergency crews reach Steve quickly.

He said: "A big shout out to the stewards and events team who helped clear the area and ensured we could get vehicles in quickly. Their support made a real difference during a time-critical emergency."

Cardiac arrest is one of the most time-critical medical emergencies.

Nationally, around one in ten people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive to 30 days.

SECAmb says improving survival rates remains a major priority, with early CPR, defibrillation and a coordinated emergency response all playing a crucial role.

Steve has little memory of what happened that day but says he remains deeply grateful to everyone involved.

Since recovering, he has returned to activities he enjoys, including supporting Birmingham City at matches and taking a ski trip which had initially been postponed.

Several months after the incident, Steve met some of the people involved in saving his life, including Laini Marshall, Matthew Dale, Daisy Burrows, Jack Nelson and Revive Medical Solutions staff Cerys Davies, Gary Spray and Kayne Loft.

Steve said: "I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me that day. Without their quick actions I wouldn't be here. It means so much to be able to meet the people who gave me extra time with my family and friends."

The experience has also encouraged members of Steve’s family to learn CPR through initiatives linked to Birmingham City Football Club.

His wife Judy said: “I was at home, several hours away and had no idea anything had happened. The first thing I noticed was that the match had been delayed, but I didn't think too much of it. Then Steve’s friend who was with him started trying to contact us and that's when we began to realise something was seriously wrong.

"It was a terrifying time not knowing whether Steve would be okay. To now have him back home with us is incredible and we're so grateful to everyone who helped save his life. As a family, we have since learnt CPR and I really encourage everyone to learn if they can. You never know when someone you love might need your help and it could make all the difference."

Steve’s daughter Johanna, who works as an ICU nurse, added: “As an ICU nurse, I understand how critical those first few minutes are when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, but having it happen to your own dad is completely different. We're incredibly grateful to everyone involved in giving us more time with him.

"What happened to my dad is a reminder that cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time. CPR is a simple skill that anyone can learn and it can genuinely mean the difference between life and death. I would encourage everyone to take the time to learn it because one day you could save someone's parent, partner, friend or child."

SECAmb is encouraging people across the South East to learn CPR, know the location of their nearest defibrillator and consider signing up to GoodSAM if they are trained.

The GoodSAM app can alert nearby volunteer responders to life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests, allowing them to begin potentially life-saving treatment while ambulance crews are on their way.

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