The Houston Texans and the American Heart Association helped equip youth sports coaches with lifesaving skills during a CPR and AED training session on May 30 at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
Held ahead of National CPR Week, which runs June 1–7, the training focused on preparing coaches to recognize sudden cardiac arrest and respond quickly with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator use.
Youth sports coaches from the Texans Showcase League and Fort Bend Youth Football League participated in the hands-on session, learning how immediate action can help protect young athletes in moments when every second matters.
Preparing Coaches to Respond
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen without warning, including during youth sports activities. According to the American Heart Association, more than 90% of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital do not survive without immediate CPR.
The 2026 American Heart Association Statistical Update reports that more than half of youth under age 18 participate in sports, and nearly 40% of sudden cardiac arrests in this age group are related to sports activities. CPR, especially when performed immediately, can double or triple a person's chance of survival.
Through the training, coaches learned how to:
- Recognize the signs of sudden cardiac arrest
- Begin CPR quickly and confidently
- Use an AED during an emergency
- Share lifesaving skills with other coaches, parents and volunteers
Each participating coach received a CPR Anytime Kit, allowing them to take the training back to their teams, leagues and communities.
The Houston Texans also donated three AEDs to the F.U.N. Football League, this year's Texans Showcase League, to help support emergency response readiness across its youth football programs.
The training is part of the Texans' commitment to improve bystander CPR awareness and support the American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, which aims to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030.
By helping youth coaches build confidence before an emergency happens, the Texans and American Heart Association are working to create safer sidelines, stronger youth sports programs and a more prepared Houston community.
