Premier League club, Aston Villa, have allowed their ground to provide maternity care support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After it was said that expecting parents were feeling anxious about going into hospitals, midwives from the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust will be based in the North Stand, at the club’s Villa Park stadium, along with support workers.
The Trust said that “the ground was un a perfect position for clinics”.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s first-team players, coaching staff and senior management team will defer 25% of their wages for up to four months to help the club ease the financial impact caused by the pandemic, while non-playing staff will be retained and paid, in full, during the lockdown.
The Premier League club say that they will not make use of the government’s furlough scheme.
Chief Executive, Christian Purslow, said: “Our players and staff feel great solidarity with the many clubs in the football pyramid who have financial problems”.
The club’s Head of Foundation and Community Partnerships, Guy Rippon, said: “The club is delighted to be able to help our local NHS hospitals”.
Across the region, fellow West Midlands club, West Bromwich Albion, is reported to be using their Hawthorns stadium for antenatal and postnatal care.
