Football Academy Offers Free Heart Screenings in Memory of Ben Forsyth

The Scotsman, 13th May 2019

Stirling Albion’s Junior Academy has become the first football academy in Scotland to offer free electrocardiogram (ECG) tests to players. These tests can detect most of the defects that can cause “sudden death syndrome”; important, as 80% of 14-35 year olds who die of young sudden cardiac death show no previous symptoms. According to doctors, this is more common among young athletes, with male athletes being more vulnerable than females. Stirling Albion’s Junior Academy has partnered with the Ben Forsyth Foundation to offer these screenings. The memorial fund was set up after the death of 20 year old cyclist Ben Forsyth who was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC); an incurable disease of the heart muscles. The Foundation aims to help charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) increase heart screenings and thus reduce the frequency of sudden cardiac death. Read More