Sport

Manchester National Football Museum offers ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to see 125 years of Football League

By Matt Naylor

A ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to see items from the Football League’s illustrious 125-year history open to the public today at Manchester’s National Football Museum.

Game Changers: 125 Years of the Football League, will run until April and replaces the outgoing ‘Football and Fashion’ showpiece.

The display features a detailed look into the history of the world’s original football league competition, originally devised in 1888 by Scotsman William McGregor.

Among those at last night’s opening was Football League chairman Greg Clarke, who told MM: “The content of the exhibition is extraordinary.

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see items from 125 years of football history and we’re thrilled that it features contributions from all 72 League clubs.

“I strongly encourage supporters to go and see the exhibition and the rest of this outstanding museum.”

Another of the five zones in the exhibition is dedicated to Manchester United legend George Best, and features several memorable artefacts including old school reports, letters to his parents from when he first arrived on our shores, and the Mini he owned and drove from 2001 until his death in 2005.

Curator and Head of Creative Programmes at the museum, Andy Pearce, spoke to MM and expressed his pride that the Football League was being so passionately celebrated.

“It’s a huge league. It’s a very competitive league,” he said.

“This is football’s national museum, where we embrace the whole of the game.

“We are hoping that this display can bring in all sorts of people, regardless of whether or not they are fans already.”

The museum recently celebrated its own anniversary, having opened last July, and has already received more than half a million visitors. 

Image courtesy of Sue Adair, with thanks

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