Extra-time in battle to win football museum

Exclusive: Mike Keegan

October 13, 2009

| Submit Comments | Comments (5) | Previous | Next

AN eleventh-hour bid has been launched to stop the National Football Museum moving to Manchester.

The world-famous attraction was set to switch from Preston to Urbis early next year after bosses approached Manchester city council.

Authorities in the Lancashire city had struggled to cope with rising costs and appeared to be resigned to the relocation.

But a partnership between Lancashire county council, Preston council and the University of Central Lancashire has launched a last-ditch attempt to keep the museum at Preston North End's Deepdale ground - home to the museum since its inception in 2001.

They have submitted a bid that will go before the attraction's trustees, who will liaise with an independent consultancy before making their decision on October 23.

Manchester's own bid will be completed later this week. Officials here have set a target of 400,000 visitors a year, compared with the 100,000 who currently visit.

Described as 'a jewel' by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, bosses say the museum would be expanded at Urbis, in the city centre.

They would include more interactive exhibits and soccer-themed events to cement Manchester's reputation as Britain's home of football. After the M.E.N. revealed the proposals last month it sparked an angry response from Preston's MP Mark Hendrick.

And England legend and former Preston star Tom Finney has vowed to take back all his memorabilia if it moves. Manchester United hero Sir Bobby Charlton also believes it should stay where it is.

Ken Hudson, leader of Preston council, said: "We've been working hard to come up with a funding package which we hope will be attractive to the museum trustees."

A Manchester City Council spokesman reinforced the fact that they were approached by the museum.

He added: "Feasibility work we’ve carried out around this idea has demonstrated that Manchester would make an exciting location for the museum.

"No English city except London attracts more visitors and Manchester is renowned around the world for its footballing heritage.

"However, the future location of the museum is ultimately a decision for its trustees and we await their decision."

You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.

460

275

x64OICH6A4Y

false

| Submit Comments | Comments (5) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 5 and replies | View All

ebble, manchester (13/10/2009 at 12:08)

Why should we take the word of a 'Manchester City Council spokesman' about the benefits of having the football museum at Urbis?

I expect council 'feasibility work' indicated that the pathetic and uninteresting 'Museum of Urban Life' would be a good use of the Urbis building. And we all know what a flop that was.

The council has a record of failure when it comes to Urbis. We should not take any notice of what is thinks about the building's future. Sell it off to a commercial concern.

griffin, stockport (13/10/2009 at 20:30)

The museum should stay in one of the founding homes of football.

Camosquad, manchester (14/10/2009 at 10:28)

People are missing the point. The purpose of a museum is to care for and display objects that tell our history in a meaningful way. In terms of football history preston has a place, but not a monopoly. More folk will see the exhibits in Manchester than in Preston - so surly it makes sense to bring the museum to the people by making this move.

Andanotherthing, Mcr (14/10/2009 at 15:41)

Have visitor numbers increased with all the publicity ? If not, it should be moved.

Andrew Walmsley (31/10/2009 at 21:17)

It's ludicrous that the NFM might be moved to Manchester. The prime movers in the development of the Museum were Preston people including the Club chairman at the time Brian Gray - if it wasn't for them the Musuem wouldn't exist at all. The Museum is an integral part of the Deepdale Stadium and in spite of a lack of national publicity (what have the trustees been doing??)is well used particularly by schools in the area. It also serves much more purpose in a relatively deprived area of Preston than a part of Manchester that has had development funding thrown at it over recent years. Now there is a funding package from the Local Councils and the University of Central Lancashire in place there's no need to move it at all. I suspect the some of the trustees might have always had another agenda to get the Musuem in a bigger city but any such move would be a betryal of Football Heritage and of the inital work that was done to get the museum in existence in the first place.

No surprises that I'm from Preston but it's galling that everything seems to gravitate to Manchester.....what about the rest of the North West

Andrew W.

()

Report

News