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NWSL to Train All 16 Teams in Hands-Only CPR and AED Use During 2026 Preseason

The effort, developed with the American Heart Association after Savy King’s on-field cardiac arrest, seeks to improve bystander response across the sport.

Overview

  • Announced at the league’s awards in San Jose, the program partners the NWSL, Angel City defender Savy King and her nonprofit with the American Heart Association.
  • The league says all players, coaches and staff will receive instruction from certified trainers on the AHA two-step method and AED use before the 2026 season.
  • Officials say this commitment makes the NWSL the first U.S. professional league to provide CPR training at this scale across every team.
  • A player ambassador program led by King will appoint one representative per club to promote CPR awareness with social campaigns and PSAs throughout 2026.
  • King credits on-field CPR for saving her life after collapsing during a match earlier this year and was recently cleared to return to contact training, while the AHA notes most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests receive no immediate CPR and that brief training can double or triple survival.