Fabrice Muamba has backed a new partnership between The Football Association and the British Heart Foundation which will see non-League football clubs equipped with life-saving equipment and skills.

The BHF has teamed up with The FA to help get more defibrillators into the grounds of lower league clubs in England, with Fabrice supporting the joint £1.2m partnership live on ITV during Sunday's FA Cup Third Round draw at Wembley Stadium.

He was joined by former Tottenham Hotspur captain, Ledley King.

The partnership will also spread the life-saving message about the importance of CPR with the help of Vinnie Jones, the face of BHF's  successful Hands-only CPR campaign.

A defibrillator, also known as an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), is a life-saving machine that can give the heart a controlled electrical shock during a cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, chances of survival decrease by about 10 per cent.

Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest when Bolton played Spurs in The FA Cup Sixth Round tie at White Hart Lane back in March. The 24-year-old received lengthy treatment on the pitch, which included being shocked by a defibrillator, before being rushed to The London Chest Hospital where he went on to make a remarkable recovery.

The BHF has already helped place more than 9,700 defibrillators in the community since donating them in 1996. At least 230 lives have been saved through that investment.

Working with The FA, the BHF will be helping place life-saving equipment in football clubs within the National League System from early next year.