Dominic suffered, and survived, a cardiac arrest in July 2003, at the age of 20, and is on the long, slow, road to recovery. It has not been possible, so far, to establish the cause of his cardiac arrest.
A Family Fun Day took place on Sunday 8th August 2004 at the Sedgemere Sports and Social Club, Sedgemere Road, Yardley, Birmingham. The day included a football match featuring the Dominic Lilley Select versus Aston Villa Old Stars. The Old Stars showed why they are such good entertainment, demonstrating their skills on the ball and winning 14 – 0 with some fine goals scored from a variety of angles.
Andy Russell, main organiser, said “The important thing to note is that all the players in the team are people who know Dom, and it was important for each of us that we took part in the game to show our support for him”
After the match, Radio Presenter Tony Brandon, from SAGA 105.7 FM, hosted an auction of sports items, including a shirt signed by Paul Gascoigne, and items signed / donated by Liverpool, Man City, Celtic, Rangers, Birmingham City and Coventry City. The auction raised £860.
The event is expected to raise over £4,000 when all the donations and prior commitments have been received, and proceeds will be split between the charity CRY, which aims to raise awareness of cardiac risk in the young, and the City Hospital, Birmingham, where Dom began his recovery.
Several Old Star players supported the charity CRY by completing postcards which will be sent to Members of Parliament to ask them to become actively involved in the All Party Parliamentary Group, launched by CRY President Ian Botham OBE.
This Group has been set up to provide a forum for MPs to support CRY’s ongoing campaign, and to highlight the risk of sudden death in young people (under 35’s) for inclusion in a new chapter on undetected heart conditions being added to the National Service Framework on Coronary Heart Disease.
The organisers’ thanks go to the Aston Villa Old Stars team, Kevin Foy for being a late stand-in for injured referee Mike Reed, and all the people who worked behind the scenes to make the day a success.