Londoners will be able to get free flu vaccinations at Premier League and Championship football matches this weekend, as the NHS launches a week-long campaign to protect the capital from winter illnesses.
Football fans heading to Fulham’s match against Sunderland at Craven Cottage tomorrow will be offered jabs at the ground. Meanwhile, QPR supporters can visit a pop-up clinic at Loftus Road Stadium before their team’s game against Hull to get protected against the virus.
The NHS is making it easier than ever for eligible Londoners to get protected this winter, bringing free vaccines directly to where people already are during the Big Week of Vaccinations (22nd–30th November 2025).
With vaccines available at soft play centres, places of worship, shopping centres and via mobile vaccination buses across the capital, busy Londoners can get their flu jab whilst going about their daily lives.
Following the recent ‘flu jab SOS’, the NHS is urging Londoners to take advantage of these accessible options to protect both themselves and those around them during the winter months.
Last year saw a fifth more Londoners admitted to hospital with flu compared to the previous winter, with more than 36,000 of the capital’s hospital beds taken up by patients with the illness.
Karen Bonner, Chief Nurse for the NHS in London, said: “We see many hospitalisations every year as a result of flu, so it is vital that people eligible for the vaccine come forward as the flu season has hit us earlier this year. If you get vaccinated now, you can be fully protected before the festive period, as the vaccine usually takes two weeks to be fully effective.
“The NHS in London has a strong ambition to make vaccines readily accessible and convenient for eligible people, and on the Big Week of Vaccinations, it’s easier to get your jab than ever.”
Parents of two and three-year-olds can get their children vaccinated against flu at soft play centres across South West London next week.
South West London ICB is bringing flu jabs directly to families at popular soft play venues: Kidspace in Croydon, Cheeky Chimps Soft Play in New Malden, Soft Play Zone at Lantern Arts Centre in Raynes Park, and Bertie and Boo Adventure Island in Balham.
The initiative aims to make vaccination more convenient by offering jabs where families already spend time. Young children get the flu vaccine as a quick, painless nasal spray that takes seconds – and could prevent a hospital stay this winter.
It’s a timely reminder: during 2022-23, more than 6,000 children under the age of five in England were hospitalised due to flu.
This week UKHSA issued the first Cold-Health Alert of the season. Cold weather can seriously affect the health of people over 65 and those with existing health conditions. This makes it even more important for them to get vaccinated.
During the week-long campaign shoppers can get vaccinated on a vaccination van at the Dagenham Christmas Fayre. In South East London, a mobile vaccination bus will visit areas of low vaccine uptake, including Kingswood Estate, Bexleyheath shopping centre and more.
The mobile service will also give patients winter health information and offer Vital 5 health checks. The free checks will measure blood pressure, weight, and look at mental health, as well as alcohol intake and smoking habits.
From 22nd to 30th November, there are around 3.25 million flu vaccination slots ready to book in London via the NHS App or 119.
Londoners can also walk in and have their flu jab on the day, with 757 sites offering this service on the NHS walk-in finder.
