A Football club is taking part in a pilot scheme to teach people vital life-saving skills.

Aylestone Football Club, based in Dorset Road, will be offering its club members and supporters the chance to take part in Joe's Mini HeartStart, where they will learn cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Making this training available through the club is the brainchild of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, a local charity set up to raise awareness of sudden heart conditions such as SADS (Sudden Arrythmic Death Syndrome). It will be delivered by instructors from the trust and Leicester City Council, and follows the ethos of the British Heart Foundation's HeartStart Programme.

People who attend the two-hour course will learn a variety of emergency life support skills. They will also learn about a defibrillator, a device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to try and restart it.

Deputy city mayor Cllr Rory Palmer, who leads on health, said: "I'm delighted that the city council can support the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust with this pilot scheme. This vital training will help to ensure people with suitable skills can step in whenever the need arises."

For most sports clubs, someone – usually the club coach – is required to be a trained first-aider. But the coach can't be everywhere, and early action is vital if someone collapses in cardiac arrest.

Dr Ffion Davies, consultant in emergency medicine at University Hospitals of Leicester, said: "If CPR is started immediately and a defibrillator can be got to the victim within eight minutes, the majority of people can be saved. We saw that with the excellent resuscitation that former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba received."

SADS can sometimes – but not always – be triggered by the physical exertion of sport. It's a random condition that can affect anyone, at any time.

Joe Humphries died one year ago this week, aged 14, whilst returning home from a training run near his home in Rothley. Since then, his family and friends have campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of SADS.

The first pilot schemes will run in November, at Aylestone Football Club. Any clubs wanting to register their interest in the training can email mandy.shepard@leicester.gov.uk orcharles.poole@ntlworld.com