Defibrillators Australia Partners with Melbourne Storm to Build a Heart-Safe Community
May 25, 2026
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There are moments in sport that remind us it is about far more than the game. Defibrillators Australia is proud to announce our official partnership with the Melbourne Storm for the 2026 NRL season, a partnership built not around branding, but around a shared commitment to saving lives.
This is what heart-safe communities look like in action.
Melbourne Storm is one of the most successful clubs in NRL history. Off the field, the Club has built a reputation for doing things the right way, and that extends to how they take care of their people.
For Defibrillators Australia, partnering with Melbourne Storm is a natural fit. Both organisations share a belief that access to the right equipment and education can mean the difference between life and death. As our Director Peter Cochrane put it simply:
“This partnership is about saving lives, plain and simple. By working with Melbourne Storm, we’re bringing defibrillators, education, and awareness to the forefront of the community, ensuring more people are prepared when it matters most.”
That is exactly the spirit behind everything we do.
This partnership is not just a logo on a jersey. We have put life-saving equipment directly into the hands of the Club and its people from day one.
We have installed a defibrillator cabinet at Melbourne Storm’s Club Office at AAMI Park and supplied a LIFEPAK CR2 AED unit mounted on-site. The LIFEPAK CR2 is one of the most trusted and capable AEDs available in Australia, offering step-by-step audio and visual guidance to support bystanders of any experience level in an emergency.
Having an AED physically mounted and accessible at a high-traffic venue like AAMI Park is the right approach. In a cardiac emergency, every second counts.
We have also supplied a second LIFEPAK CR2 unit that travels with the Melbourne Storm team when they are on the road. This means coverage does not stop when the squad leaves Melbourne.
Whether the team is preparing for a match in Sydney, Brisbane or beyond, they have life-saving equipment within reach. That kind of consistent protection matters.
Beyond hardware, we are actively supporting Melbourne Storm’s Football Department and Medical Staff throughout the partnership. Education and preparedness are just as important as having the right equipment on the wall.
Melbourne Storm Chief Medical Officer Rebecca Beaton said the Club was proud to align with an organisation making a genuine community impact.
“Player welfare, staff wellbeing and community health are priorities for our Club, so to work alongside Defibrillators Australia is a fantastic outcome. Their commitment to education, prevention and providing life-saving equipment will have a meaningful impact across our Club and throughout our former player network.”
One of the most meaningful aspects of this partnership is the focus on former players. Defibrillators Australia will be partnering with the Melbourne Storm Old Boys to provide heart health check-ups at the annual reunion.
Retired athletes carry a complex health picture. Years of high-intensity physical training can mask underlying cardiac conditions that only become apparent later in life. Bringing proactive heart health screening to the Old Boys reunion is about showing up for people after the cameras stop rolling, which is where it matters most.
This kind of community-focused initiative reflects the broader mission Defibrillators Australia has pursued since 2014: building heart-safe communities across Australia, not just stocking equipment.
Over 30,000 Australians experience sudden cardiac arrest each year, and 90% of those who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a medical facility do not survive. Those are sobering numbers, and they underline why access to a defibrillator is so important in public and sporting settings.
According to a 2020 report from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, survival rates after cardiac arrest decrease by approximately 10% with every minute that defibrillation is delayed. Ambulance response times across much of Australia sit between 7.5 and 10 minutes, which means bystanders with access to an AED are often the difference between life and death.
Early access to a defibrillator can increase survival rates to almost 90%, but that access needs to be very quick, ideally within two to five minutes.
Sporting venues, with their large crowds, high energy levels and physical exertion, are exactly the kind of environment where an AED needs to be close at hand. It is not just the players who are at risk. Coaches, trainers, volunteers, officials and spectators all deserve the same protection. To understand more about how these devices work, our guide on what a defibrillator is is a good place to start.
Melbourne Storm has one of the most passionate and widespread supporter bases in the NRL. That reach gives this partnership real power beyond AAMI Park.
When a club of Melbourne Storm’s profile puts life-saving equipment at the centre of a partnership, it sends a message to clubs, organisations and communities across the country that AEDs belong in sport. It normalises preparedness. It starts conversations. And it saves lives.
Defibrillators Australia has been building heart-safe communities since 2014, supplying defibrillators to workplaces, schools, sporting clubs, caravan parks and public spaces right across Australia. This partnership with Melbourne Storm is a proud extension of that work, bringing greater visibility to a cause that every Australian should care about.
If this partnership has prompted you to think about your own club, venue or workplace, that is exactly the response we hoped for.
Many sporting clubs across Australia still do not have an AED on site, despite the clear evidence that rapid defibrillation saves lives. The good news is that equipping your club or community space is more accessible than you might think. There are grants available that can significantly reduce the cost, and our team can guide you through every step of the process, from choosing the right unit to getting it installed correctly.
Whether you are outfitting a suburban football club, a community gym, or a corporate workplace, we can help you find the right solution.
The LIFEPAK CR2 is a professional-grade automated external defibrillator designed for reliability and ease of use. It offers clear audio and visual instructions to guide anyone through an emergency response, regardless of training. It was selected for Melbourne Storm because of its proven track record, portability for travel, and connectivity options that suit a high-performance sporting environment.
Yes. Modern AEDs like the LIFEPAK CR2 are designed to be used by anyone, including people with no medical training. The device provides step-by-step guidance and will only deliver a shock if it detects that one is needed. You cannot harm someone by using an AED correctly, and in a cardiac emergency, acting quickly is what matters most.
The first step is to get in touch with our team. We can help you identify the right AED for your venue, advise on placement and signage, and point you toward any applicable grants that may help offset the cost. Browse our full range of defibrillators to start the conversation.
The partnership between Defibrillators Australia and Melbourne Storm is a reminder that heart safety is not someone else’s responsibility. It belongs to all of us.
Whether you are a sporting club, a school, a business, or a community group, we are here to help you get the right equipment in the right place. Explore our full range online or get in touch with our team today.
Shop Now or call us on 1300 331 193.
If you are interested in a partnership with Defibrillators Australia, visit our partnerships page to learn more about how we work with organisations across Australia.
Image Attribution: Image provided by Melbourne Storm