Gino Pozzo is best known for being the owner of the Watford Football Club, a team he acquired in 2012 when it was languishing in the depths of English football and then totally turned around into a winning organization. These days, however, he’s making headlines not for his team’s impressive playing record but for helping in the fight against coronavirus. In fact, he recently made an enormous and dramatic commitment to the battle by turning over his club’s stadium to the British National Health Service (NHS) to use as a much-needed space for a medical facility as the health crisis continues.
Stepping up
When it became clear how dangerous the coronavirus was to the world, Ginno Pozzo made a public statement to the effect that it was time to focus on fighting the disease and put aside all other considerations. His attitude was an inspiration to the sporting world at the time, which was, and is, devastated by the economic fallout of the pandemic. Rather than focusing on his own financial misfortune, Gino Pozzo was making it clear that his first priority was doing everything in his power for the public good.
The Vicarage Road stadium
The stadium where Watford Football Club plays during normal times is on Vicarage Road near Watford General Hospital. Gino Pozzo understood early on during the pandemic that it was likely to be overwhelmed with patients with coronavirus and would also have a need to increase social distancing within the medical operation.
Therefore, he turned over his stadium to the NHS starting on March 25th to help deal with the overflow. This move got a lot of attention in the press and made it clear that Gino Pozzo was serious when he said it was time to set football aside until the crisis has passed.
Now, instead of being the site of training drills with football coaches and players, the stadium is being used as a space for training classes for front-line healthcare workers, a warehouse area for emergency medical supplies and even the site of a daycare for medical workers. The NHS has found many uses for it so far, and will doubtless continue to do so going foward.
Gratitude from many
Many of the events and operations that were formally held at the nearby Watford General Hospital are now being held at the stadium, and the NHS is very happy about this. The extra space allows them to use the hospital itself for patient care and to move everything else to the stadium. The community of Watford is also thrilled to see that their beloved football club is there for them in their time of need.
Still there for fans
While Gino Pozzo has put football on the back burner for now, he’s also making it clear to the loyal Watford Football Club fans that he hasn’t forgotten about them, and there will eventually be a day when he can return his full energies to his pre-coronavirus mission of running a top-notch football program. Accordingly, he’s kept the ticket office and fan shop open while maintaining social-distance rules. The real emphasis on communicating with fans, however, has been through the safety of social media.
Gino Pozzo comes from a football-oriented family in Italy, and he has been passionate about the game from the time he could walk. When he took over Watford PC, he led it to the heights of the Premier League in terms of wins and also reversed the club’s terrible financial situation. Today, people are happy to see him use his considerable organizational and leadership skills in fighting a different type of opponent.