Temperatures topped 30 degrees Celsius in parts of England over the weekend, but fans of Manchester City were still not allowed to bring sunscreen into their stadium for the team’s most recent game.
Key points:
- Manchester City beat Bournemouth 4-0 in a Saturday afternoon game over the weekend
- City’s supporter services tweeted that fans would have to apply sunscreen before arriving at the match because it would not be allowed into the stadium
- A UK melanoma charity replied, saying “this is very worrying”
The sun was beating down on the crowd at the Etihad Stadium, during Saturday’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth, but according to City, fans were not permitted to bring any sunblock into the ground.
The club’s supporter services Twitter account flagged the importance of staying hydrated at the game, but when a fan asked if they could bring sun protection to the game, they were told no.
“We advise supporters to apply this before coming and to bring a hat and water,” the account replied, linking to a ‘Matchdays at Etihad Stadium’ page on their website that did not detail the sunscreen policy.
The account later tweeted that the city’s metro rail was struggling due to the heat, advising people to walk home from the afternoon game “where possible.”
Charity Melanoma UK jumped into the replies dumbfounded.
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When one Twitter user pointed out that this was not a unique policy at major sporting events, the charity suggested a simple answer.
“Dispensers in all the stadiums,” it tweeted.
“If they are going to allow thousands of fans to sit in the blazing sun, at least acknowledge this is a problem.
“A few burns in early life can lead to skin cancer later on. It’s not that difficult.”
A number of stadiums in Australia and around the world already provide dispensers at the ground.
The United Kingdom has sweltered through a record-breaking summer, with temperatures topping 40C at times.
Drought was also declared in parts of southern, central and eastern England.
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