2 April 2011

Moving the English National Football Museum

Almost a year and a half ago, it was reported that the National Football Museum of Preston, England was to be moved to Manchester. When the decision was made final it was not an uncontroversial one. Preston and Lancashire officials claimed to be treated wrongly and put forward the heritage value of Preston as venue for the National Football Museum as it is the place for England's oldest club. However, they city and region lacked the ability to fund the museum and the trustees of the museum got their relocation to Manchester.

The move will presumably attract more visitors than in Preston, which is also one of the major reasons for the move. The aim of 400 000 visitors a year is four times the latest average visitor number in Preston. The National Football Museum is set to open in the autumn of 2011 in the Urbis exhibition centre, Manchester.

And there are talks if the current museum, in Preston, will remain open as a secondary site, with a smaller number of exhibits and items in storage. That will depend on extra funding being found.

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