National Football Museum has kicked off

On July 6th it finally happened: The National Football Museum in Manchester, England opened its doors, or turnstiles rather.
The whole weekend seems to have been a great success. Both the permanent exhibitions and the temporary ones seem to have been highly appreciated among visitors as well as the family activities.

The first temporary exhibition is: Moving Into Space: Football and Art in West Africa

"A thought-provoking exhibition featuring the work of leading contemporary West African artists whose art is inspired by football to explore wider social issues. The exhibition features a wide range of work including painting, sculpture, installation, textiles, and photography.

Today, football is a worldwide phenomenon with an estimated 715 million people watching the 2006 World Cup final. The game has spread to all parts of the globe and in West Africa it is part of the fabric of society, from the street games of children to the large amounts spent on national teams by governments seeking to gain popularity and electoral advantage."

Read more about the exhibition here.
Moving Into Space: Football and Art in West Africa6 July  - 31 December 2012

Newcastle United heritage is awarded grants

Newcastle United FC reports that grants have been awarded for a heritage project including an exhibition in the Discovery Museum in Newcastle as well as an education and outreach programme. The National Lottery Fund and the Premier League Community Fund are awarding grants in the total of nearly £170'000.

The project Toon Times kicks off in september 2012 and the exhibition is planned for October 2014 - June 2015. The whole project aims to attract 360'000 visitors.

Read the news here

Just a year ago there was another Newcastle United exhibition in the Discovery Museum: NUFC: For the love of Football.

There seems to be a strong connection between the club and the Discovery Museum. It is argued that a city of Newcastle size with only one professional football team enjoys much more support from the city council as well as the local community. This gives them a much greater chance to explore their heritage than other clubs in other cities that holds rival teams such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield or Glasgow.

Exhibition: History of Swansea City FC

You still have a chance to visit the Swansea Museum and their exhibition about the history of their local team Swansea City FC called "Proud to be a Swan".

"In this football focused exhibition Swansea Museum commemorates the highs and lows of Swansea City AFC, from the earliest days of the club to present day success.
Fans Memorabilia supports and illustrates the story that deals with players, the ground and the history of the "Swans", including surprising aspects of the life of this great football club."

Roger Gale, exhibitions and events officer at Swansea Museum, said to the BBC:
"What the Swans have achieved in a short space of time is truly magnificent and this is an opportunity for people to celebrate the club and their wonderful heritage."

Exhibition is open until 30 september.
More images from the BBC here

Football in the heart of Portsmouth

Perhaps the second best thing to a museum of its own, The City Museum of Portsmouth keeps a permanent local football exhibition: ‘Football in the City: A space in the heart of Portsmouth’

Football in the City is an exciting and interactive permanent gallery space devoted to the 'beautiful game'.

The gallery space will be regularly changed and updated with new material. Currently on display are rare items such as both footballs from the 1939 and 2008 FA Cup Finals alongside contemporary exhibits such as an interactive video system allowing people to record their memories and stories about football.

Exhibition: Sexuality and Football

Germany is the host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and in realtion to the tournament the Gay Museum of Berlin (Schwules Museum) is to open a new exhibition, on June 23rd, entitled: On the other side - Artistic throw-ins to FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011. (Andererseits - Künstlerische Einwürfe zur Frauenfußball WM 2011).

The Museum has invited artists, interested in using the means at their disposal to research the conflict between sex, (homo) sexuality and football. The exhibition will raise the “flags” and broach the subject of football as a field of “doing gender”, as a playground for social and cultural issues upon which the debate about societal gender assignment is also fought very heatedly.

A catalogue will be published. Among other events Tanja Walther-Ahrens will present her new book “Seitenwechsel” (Changing Sides).

Opening: Thursday, 23rd June 2011, 7 p.m.
Location: Schwules Museum, Ground Floor and Second Floor (Entrance 1st Yard)
Mehringdamm 61, 10961 Berlin
Duration: 24th June until 25th September 2010
Project Manager: Dr. Birgit Bosold

Whatever happened to the Australian World Cup qualification winning penalty spot and ball?

When John Aloisi scored the deciding spot kick against Uruguay it meant that Austarlia would play their first World Cup in 31 years. It was 16th November 2005 and the qualification match between Australia and Uruguay had gone to a penaly shoot-out finale.

The nervous home side supporters of the Socceroos exploded in joy when that last kick put the ball inte back of the net. It was surely a moment of great national importance. The historic value of the event was acknowledged when it was decided that not only would the penalty kick ball be kept but also the very penalty kick spot, a patch of grass, were to be preserved, dry-frozen.

The ball and piece of turf was on display in the Telstra stadium before ending up in an exhibition in the Powerhouse Museum, entitled "The World Cup dream: stories of Australia's soccer mums and dads".

In June 2006 the ball and piece of turf was sold at an ebay charity auction, with the profit benefitting the Johnny Warren Football Foundation. The final sum was 17 500 Australian Dollars.

But where are those artifacts of great historic value and national importance now?
They should be in a museum, and perhaps they are? Or maybe they just decorate the mantelpiece of a wealthy football fan?

Do you know what has happened to the Aloisi penalty spot and ball?
Then, get in touch with me here

Exhibition: History of Hamburg fans

In february 2011 the club museum of Hamburger SV opened a new temporary exhibition about the HSV fan culture named: "Wir stehen Schlange vor dem Stadion – Die Geschichte der HSV-Fans“. (We're standing in line in front of the stadium - the history of the HSV fans)

The exhibition follows the development of fan culture from the Empire period up til present day, describing the various dimensions of being a HSV fan.
There are video documentaries with interviews of fans from the 1920's and presentations of fan groups world wide.
Visitors get a chance to experience the supporter terrace of the HSV arena in a replica of the Fantribüne.

Social aspects and football-related violence are two other themes of the exhibition which seems to be well worth a visit.

The exhibition will run until spring next year, so there's plenty of time.

Link to the exhibition

The HSV Museum is located in the HSV Arena in Hamburg. It changes names quite often. When I was there it was called 'Nordbank Arena' but it is 'Imtech Arena' but I feel that it would be all right to just call it 'Volkparkstadion'. In the UEFA context it is simply called "Hamburg Arena".

Display of Football during wartime

Came across a temporary football exhibition at The Royal Air Force Museum in London: "Tin Hats and Football Boots."

From the Royal Air Force Museum website:
This display explores the contribution made by various members of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal Football Clubs to the Royal Air Force and Air Raid Precautions during the Second World War whilst examining how important regular competitive football was to the upkeep of the capital’s morale.

Ellen Solall, football fan and curator:
"It was only whilst conducting research into local history for a Museum project that I realized how integral both Clubs were to London’s war effort. For 90 minutes both players and spectators could escape the horror of war and life would, for a brief period, assume an air of normality – all important for maintaining morale and a reminder of more peaceful times."

"Tin Hats and Football Boots" is on display until 4th July 2011.

New Exhibition: "Local Hero"

Last saturday 28 march the National Museum in Preston, England opened a new exhibition called "Local Hero", a tribute to Sir Tom Finney, legendary winger of Preston North End. This saturday on 4 april, Sir Tom himself will be a guest at the museum, signing copies of the commemorative brochure. Read more here, on the National Football Museum website