Spray before you play
Acciespioneernewsystemto disinfectplayersbeforegame
Hamilton Accies are pioneering a disinfectant tunnel to ensure the safe return of football in Scotland.
The Scottish Premiership side’s system appeared on national television last week, featuring in a segment on ITV’S Good Morning Britain.
It showed how players, coaches and officials walking through the tunnel at New Douglas Park will be sprayed with a fine disinfectant mist to ensure they are free of germs on their hair, skin and clothing before taking to the pitch for games and training.
The 1.5m by 2.2m chamber, which is 1.8m long, sprays a fine mist of diluted acid on to the players to kill the virus on clothes and skin.
It comes after we revealed the club had also put in airport-style fever cameras to identify Covid-19 risks among players and fans.
The system is the brainchild of Darren Cross, 44, who runs his Core Physio business from the stadium, and local businessman Paul Donnelly, 58.
Darren said: “Combined with the temperature camera, it will really give the players peace of mind that the risks are being minimised.”
Clubs will hope this can speed up football’s return at the top level, with the Premiership targeting an August start date for the new season.
GMTV correspondent Juliet Dunlop was at the stadium and demonstrated the tunnel to viewers, saying: “It’s really very simple. You enter the chamber, and roughly I stand here for 20 seconds, slowly turn around, make sure you’re fully coated in what’s coming out here, it’s a fine spray mist.
“The idea behind it is that I am now free of any germs on my hair, my skin and my clothing.
“It means that the players and the staff here have an extra level of reassurance because, while the season in Scotland for the Premiership is over, they are at some point hoping that over the summer they can get back to training and this may well help them do that.”