A PIONEERING football club in Rugby has launched a cardiac screening service for members and fans.

Rugby Borough Women’s FC is the first football team in the midlands to offer a new ECG technology for cardiac screenings to its players, and the first in the country to open the service to supporters.

In a bid to expand its support for the community, the club has pioneered a single patch ECG technology that allows team medical staff to perform cardiac screenings on site during home matches.

The new service allows players and fans to detect heart defects sooner and seek referral to health care specialists.

After early trials proved a success, the club launched the service earlier this month at a home match against Liverpool Feds.

Heart screenings at the club are now a permanent ongoing service for the community.

Andy Frampton, Head of Medical and Performance for the team, said: “Even professional athletes can be living with undetected heart defects, and with this technology, we can expand the reach of early screenings, and catch problems early.

“We hope the service will help improve the health of the community and raise awareness of heart disease.”