Manchester City will continue to make part of their Etihad Campus available to the NHS even after the Premier League resumes.
City estimate their facilities have been used by 26,000 local NHS and social care staff during the coronavirus pandemic so far.
Their contribution includes opening a training centre inside Etihad Stadium that has been used by 350 nurses, a rest, relaxation and exercise facility in an adjacent building, and a coronavirus testing centre on the site.
City say the centre will remain in place for a minimum of three months but have offered to make it available for longer.
If the Premier League gets its wish, games will resume in the middle of June. Even if matches are played at neutral venues, Etihad Stadium is almost certain to be used given the space around it and the ease of access for players and support staff.
“As a club, we are acutely conscious of the role we can, and should, play in supporting our city, both day to day, and in times of crisis,” City’s chief operating officer Omar Berrada said.
“Having consulted, and worked closely, with our friends and partners from across the city for many weeks now, we feel proud to be playing even a small role within a wider community effort that has once again shown Manchester’s strength of spirit, its resilience and togetherness.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting Manchester over the coming weeks through this crisis and beyond, into its recovery, in full confidence that our city will come back stronger than before.”
It had already been revealed City were part a joint initiative with Manchester United that involved a combined £100,000 donation to the Trussell Trust Foodbank Group.
Among the club’s smaller donations have been the distribution of flowers intended for use in the stadium to local care homes. Players have also been involved in making calls to fans.
