Former England strikers Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora have unveiled the brand-new EFL ‘Red Boot’ Trophy, launched as part of the second year of Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Every Minute Matters campaign.The Red Boot will be awarded to the top scorer across all three divisions of the EFL during the 2025/26 season. But this accolade comes with added impact: every goal scored by the winner will trigger a £50,000 donation to support the BHF’s life-saving work. Funds will help power CureHeart, a pioneering research programme developing treatments for inherited heart muscle diseases, while also training more people in lifesaving CPR.
The campaign aims to build on last season’s success, when more than 300,000 people learnt CPR using the BHF’s free online tool, RevivR. This year, Sky Bet and the BHF want to grow that figure to half a million lifesavers.
While the traditional Golden Boot celebrates the leading scorers in each division, the Red Boot recognises the single most prolific marksman across the league. Last year, the honour would have gone to Bromley’s Michael Cheek, whose 25 goals would have raised £1.25m for the BHF. Early this season, Notts County striker Matthew Dennis leads the race with six goals in seven games.
Bobby Zamora said: "This season’s game plan is clear – for footballers across the EFL to bang in as many goals as possible and raise as much money as they can for the British Heart Foundation."
Fans can also play their part. Learning CPR takes just 15 minutes online with RevivR – a skill that could one day save a life.
👉 To get involved, visit revivr.bhf.org.uk.