It’s not unusual to see football clubs and players come under fire from news outlets when they’re involved in an incident on or off the pitch. So, I think it’s about time we praise the good guys for their efforts in the battle against coronavirus.
Whilst we have seen a number of Premier League stars, such as Jack Grealish and Nicolas Pepe, breach government guidelines, it would be unfair of us not to acknowledge the good that our clubs have been doing in these uncertain times.
Stadiums have become the centre of large-scale test centres, with Brighton’s Amex Stadium becoming the largest drive-in centre on the south coast.
Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium has also installed a drive-in test centre to help testing in the capital, as well as hosting the North Middlesex Hospital’s Women’s Outpatient Services to help ease the pressure in the hospital and keep pregnant women separate to lower the risk of catching the virus.
As you can see in the video above, Watford’s Vicarage Road has also been transformed into a sanctuary that offers free meals, beds and laundry services for NHS staff working nearby.
Chelsea have provided free accommodation to NHS staff at Stamford Bridge’s Millennium Hotel, with club owner Roman Abramovich generously offering to cover the cost.
Leicester, Manchester City, Norwich and Sheffield United have offered their car parks and other facilities to help with NHS training and accommodation, too.
Everton, Manchester United, Spurs and West Ham have all used their stadiums to pay tribute to those vital workers and the courageous work they do.
Clubs have also reached out with donations to help financially in the battle against COVID-19.
Wolves’ first-team squad, manager and technical staff have all made donations to the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Club captain Conor Coady stated: “We receive so much support from the people of Wolverhampton week-in-week-out and Molineux and for us, this is the least we can do to repay that support.”
Bournemouth first-team players have been auctioning boots to help raise money for the NHS as well as defender, Adam Smith, who donated 10 iPads to NHS Harlow to allow patients to speak with their families.
Newcastle United have been helping to look after the mental wellbeing of fans by providing materials and video guidance to help the staff of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospital.
A number of clubs including Brighton, Burnley, Southampton and Bournemouth have pledged thousands of free tickets to NHS staff when football is safe to resume.
These are just a handful of the many good deeds that our clubs have done during these uncertain times, each one vital in helping us to get through.
Whether it is donating money, offering accommodation to key workers or displaying our gratitude to the NHS, it is fair to say we can now look at Premier League clubs and, as a community, be proud of what they are doing.
It’s time to cut them some slack and not see them as businesses but as pillars of our community.
This article was written exclusively for golear.co.uk