FISCA (Football Individual Skills Challenge Australia), is a unique, fun, and exciting way to improve your football skills, and win amazing prizes. Just by showcasing your talents to the watching World however, you can help to push one of the competitions charitable objectives, including providing life-saving equipment to football clubs.

Defibrillators are devices that apply an electric charge or current to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat, and whilst you might think that this would be an asset every club carries, you’d be wrong. One club that does have its own is Tuggeranong United.

“It is massively important that all clubs have access to Defibrillators,” Tuggeranong United President Stan Mitchell commented. “Defibrillators are part of the modern first aid requirements and you just never know who or when it might be required.

“Tuggeranong United has, for the last 7 or 8 years, had defibrillators as part of our first aid equipment, whether it is at juniors on a Saturday at Wanniassa or seniors at Kambah 2, we have one available, just in case.

“We have a couple of people with knowledge of how to use them, even though we thankfully never have had to use them. TUFC brought them originally to be part of the playing kit for our Masters’ team but believe they should be at all grounds.”

FISCA, through its fun and exciting challenges that showcase individual football talent to the World, can help clubs raise the funds to purchase their own Defibrillator, something that Mitchell believes should be a given at each and every ground, and is an integral part of growing the game.

“First aid or safety should be everyone's priority at football,” Mitchell said. “Whether that is physical safety and having the right equipment and processes to ensure players, officials and spectators are safe and if they need help that they know help is there.

“Mental help is another major issue that we are addressing at Tuggeranong with our work in developing players and coaches that respect the referees or the opposition. Finally, more volunteers are needed to help to ensure clubs don't burn out those running the game.

“Without these people, the game doesn't exist. All clubs need to do more in this space and work together to reduce the risk to the health of everyone in the game.”

As one of the biggest clubs in the region, and the only one with a complete football pathway in both the men’s and women’s space, Tuggeranong are aware of their standing in the game and their responsibility to lead the way and set the standard for other clubs in the Southside of the city.

“Safety is just the starting point and a major risk for us.,” Mitchell revealed. “We have between 500 and 700 players at Wanniassa on any one Saturday and when you then add coaches, managers, and spectators that number can easily swell to 1,500 or 2,000 people over the day. So, safety is a massive responsibility to take very seriously.

“Whether it is the correct first aid equipment or removing risks, like outdoor BBQs, or the inclusion of an ice machine in the canteen to ensure we have ice for any occasion, it is important to set the bar, push it higher each time we achieve it and hope other clubs and sports follow.

“Tuggeranong United will always be looking at improving the experience for all our members and visitors to the ground and FISCA is one way that can help us to raise the funds to achieve this.”