Team heart checks after player's pitch collapse

A football side is helping to rolling out free heart checks after a player's collapse on the pitch revealed an undiagnosed heart condition.

Summer Paley was playing for York City Ladies FC in October when she collapsed during a match, with later tests revealing an abnormal heart rhythm called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

The 18-year-old's experience prompted the North Riding County Football Association and the North Riding Football League to invest in cardio equipment to allow other players to assess their heart health.

Ms Paley said: "If this can save someone's life, I want to spread as much awareness as I can."

Recalling the collapse, Ms Paley remembered feeling dizzy before waking up on the floor surrounded by medical staff.

"Everyone's face looked so worried, it was a daunting situation because I just didn't really know what was going on - it was an awful experience, really," she said.

Team-mate Faye Singleton described it as "harrowing" to witness.

"I remember the linesman was shouting over for the referee and medics, I turned around and Summer was on the ground," she said.

"I knew straight away it was more serious than your classic hamstring tear."

She added: "We're such a tight-knit group of girls and we were all so concerned for Summer."

While Ms Paley was being transported to hospital, chair of York City Ladies Paula Stainton remembered passing on the news to the player's family over the phone.

"I have a daughter the same age as Summer, so I was making a call that is not the kind of call that I would ever want to receive," she said.

Ms Paley added: "[My mum] had to drive all the way up to Middlesbrough from Bradford - I think it was quite frightening for her having to drive all that way not knowing what had happened."

Medication proved successful at managing Ms Paley's SVT symptoms, with the condition making your heart suddenly beat much faster than usual.

The experience prompted the FA Women's National League side to look into the availability of heart health tests in grassroots and lower league football.

The North Riding County Football Association and the North Riding Football League later purchased a portable ECG device to scan the heart.

York City Ladies FC were the first team to use the equipment, with it now offered to both women's and men's teams in North Yorkshire.

"Luckily I didn't have a heart attack or cardiac arrest, but in some cases that can happen," Ms Paley said.

"I wouldn't want anyone to experience what I experienced that day."

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