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Man Utd makes sure players and fans are safe from Covid

Man Utd makes sure players and fans are safe from Covid

manchester united raphael varane

manchester united raphael varane

Raphael Varane, star of League of Their Own… (Image: )

The football giants are the first to have a science-backed “Hygiene Director” to ensure a virus-free environment.

The Old Trafford side has partnered with Ecolab since August. Ecolab is a US leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention.

It is Ecolab’s George Olden who, at the age of 29, works as United’s Hygiene Direct – making certain their Carrington training grounds and stadium are free from infection.

United also granted access to Old Trafford & Carrington to the Daily Express to see the scientific “ring of steel” in action.

George hopes United’s example of protecting players, supporters, and the game from future pandemics will inspire other major sports clubs.

He explained that his position was a first in the industry and that Manchester United is opening up a new field of science in sports.

“Manchester United is the first club to bring this type of science of hygiene in.”

Ecolab has been placing 2,000 hand sanitizers in Old Trafford since August. They average 250 litres per game of hand hygiene products.

Over 1.2 million United supporters have walked through the turnstiles to Old Trafford since then. This means that approximately five million people have been cleaned at Old Trafford.

They explained to United that humans are exposed to 840,000 germs every 30 minutes when they come in contact with 300 surfaces per day.

The risk of contracting coronavirus can be reduced by washing your hands six times per day.

So, the firm created a typical fan journey and identified more than 380,000 touchpoints at Old Trafford. Then, they deployed sanitisers along these routes.

They also use their Bioquell device for clinically decontaminating entire rooms at once and all surfaces inside.

They can, for instance, clean the United home dressing area of 99.9999% of known germs, viruses and bacteria in just minutes.

George said, “It allows me to provide safe spaces such as team dressing rooms, where a reset the environment is very important between things like the fan tour.

“Come game day. We need to make that area as safe as possible.

“It will flood the room with hydrogen peroxide vapour, which will deposit on all surfaces in the room. That micro-condensation kills organisms on the surface.

“Meanwhile, at Carrington with our laundry team, we have installed a tailored textile treatment solution to keep the kit clean and water treated there too.”

Stephen Cooper, United’s Head of Catering and Event Delivery explained how their superstar players have all adopted the new sanitizing methods.

Stephen stated to the Daily Express that he takes hygiene and cleanliness very seriously.

“We are delighted as clubs with the way the players have engaged in all aspects the difficult Covid regime.

“When we had an outbreak in December, we were able be reliant on George’s expertise.”

“We were thrilled with the way that we contained the outbreak and got the players back to training as quickly as possible,” said Mr.

Two league games were cancelled due to the December outbreak. However, George’s team had already cleaned the entire training facility within 24 hours to stop it from spreading further.

George explained that he computer-mapped the journeys of the players to highlight key areas so that we could reset that space.

“Premier League teams generate billions of dollars in economic value for the region.

“It is essential to provide a safe environment for Old Trafford’s players and fans in order to grow the economy.

“Hygiene is a key factor in keeping operations going and fans coming to the stadium. And our solutions are already making an impression across United’s facilities.”

George has more that eight years of Ecolab experience and will bring the 45,000 global workers of the US firm to United.

He said: “As a Manchester United supporter since a very young age I am honored to contribute my expertise to strengthen the Club.

“The team is always looking for that extra edge to deliver an outstanding football performance.

manchester united football

Ecolab’s George Olden (Image: )

“Now with the same focus as before, our team will support Manchester United’s operations behind the scenes.”

Ecolab has begun filtering Carrington’s local borehole water. This water is heavy in iron.

They can clean the supply to give the training ground better pitches and less need to clean the ‘orange iron stains’ off equipment and kits.

United has been able to reduce their carbon footprint by the firm helping them save 15,000 litres of water in 31 of their kitchens since November 2021.

They have also saved over 5,500 kilos plastic in food service areas by replacing bottled liquids with eco-friendly packaged solid caps.

This is equivalent to 350,000 water bottles in less that a half-season

United boasts a market leader in sports hygiene. Stephen said that United will change the way society views hygiene.

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“The pandemic showed how important sport is in our daily lives. It’s crucial to make sure that it doesn’t get disrupted.”

“We have a duty to be such a club that people will follow us.”

Colette Roche, Man United’s Chief Operations Officer, stated that George’s presence on-site as the ‘Hygiene director’ was a great benefit.

She stated that “Public health is crucial to the running of a football club.”

Manchester United places safety and health first. Our operations team is on the front lines to ensure a safer environment.

“We have made significant investments to welcome fans back at this season’s start.

“Thanks to Hygiene Director’s scientific approach we can implement best in class protocols to provide assurances to players, fans, and employees.”

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COMMENT BY ADRIAN STUTDER

“The Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us of the importance of hygiene  but future pandemics and new COVID-19 variants are inevitable.

“Antibiotic resistance is another global health issue, resulting in more than 1.2million deaths each year due to infections becoming immune to current treatments.

“And there are 4.1 million patients a year who need extra bed days due to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs).

“Pandemic, or not, infections are a burden to our healthcare systems and they impact on our productivity.

“By committing to higher hygiene standards, we are better prepared to face these threats.

“That’s why we apply the same science-backed knowledge we provide to hospitals and to an array industries – such hospitality and now live sporting entertainment.

“We helped Manchester United to identify more than 380,000 touchpoints at Old Trafford in order to implement protocols for safer hygiene practices.

“From the strategic positioning of 2,000 hand hygiene stations to bio-decontamination in critical areas, we help protect a fans journey through the stadium.

“We have learned from these pandemic times that science-based, cleaner and safer hygiene practices are crucial to our protection now and in the future, whatever it may be.

“That’s the reason we work with Manchester United. We will do our best to support any organization that makes the globe safer for all of you.”

  • Adrian Studer – Senior Vice president & Market Head Western Europe at Ecolab

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THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR  – Professor Karol Sikora

We’ve heard a lot of advice from scientists, doctors, and health professionals over the past two years about what people should not do. What about positive health advice?

While it may not attract as many headlines as other media, I believe it has a far greater value.

What activity can we do every day that is free and would have a tremendous positive impact on our overall health? The answer is walking.

Most people picture what it means to be fit and active when they think about it. They immediately picture running 10km or going to the gym.

All of that is good, but it doesn’t need to be too taxing.

Walking is a great form of exercise, but many people don’t do it enough to reap the benefits. Walking for five kilometers is not a better exercise than running the same distance. It also burns a lot more calories than running, which is why it is so much easier.

Let’s face facts, we are a lazy nation. We drive short distances to get to the shop or drop the kids at school. Walking would suffice. It is difficult to find 30 minutes extra in a day to polish your shoe leather, even though many of us lead busy lives. A car trip may take longer due to the traffic in most cities.

Having a dog is a great help.

Chico, my streetdog rescue, will become a nightmare if Chico doesn’t get his daily walks in. There is no better motivation.

There are few reasons why we can’t all get more exercise, especially as the days get longer. What is holding you back from getting more exercise?

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