Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion have allowed their stadiums to be used for COVID-19 testing during the pandemic.
A drive-through facility has been installed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has also been transformed for clinical use.
The stadium will also host the North Middlesex Hospital’s Women’s Outpatient Services to help free up much-needed room at the hospital itself and to keep pregnant women away from risk of the virus.
Here’s the detailed plan of how we are transforming our stadium facilities for @NorthMidNHS. pic.twitter.com/qjpxtLOUaG
— Tottenham Hotspur (at 🏡) (@SpursOfficial) April 13, 2020
“We are proud to be handing over our stadium to our wonderful NHS as we fight COVID-19 together," chairman Daniel Levy told the club's official website.
“We reached out to the NHS and the Mayor of London’s Office when the pandemic first started to explore ways in which our stadium’s facilities could be of use, so we are pleased to see this now becoming a reality."
As well as providing testing facilities, Spurs' NFL away changing-room areas will be used as a Maternal Day Unit, with the football away dressing room area converted into a clinical room for midwives and a staff administrative office.
The stadium’s "pitch pocket" in the basement has been used as a distribution hub by the London Food Alliance for several weeks.
Behind the scenes
Brighton have also converted their Amex Stadium into the south coast's biggest drive-in testing centre.
Chief executive Paul Barber told the club's official website: "The centre was scheduled to see more than 50 NHS frontline workers on Saturday afternoon, and they will have the results of their tests within 48 hours.
"Within a few days, the site should reach its capacity of up to 1,000 tests a day."
Spurs and Brighton join other Premier League clubs in making their facilities available to the NHS.
Chelsea have provided free accommodation to staff at Stamford Bridge's Millennium Hotel, with owner Roman Abramovich covering the costs of health workers using the rooms.
And Watford have opened up all facilities at Vicarage Road to Watford General Hospital to help support NHS workers and their families.
