Urbis waits on final whistle in football fight

David Ottewell

November 10, 2009

| Submit Comments | Comments (8) | Previous | Next

MANCHESTER will learn next week whether it has been chosen as the new venue for the National Football Museum.

Trustees of the world-famous attraction had drawn up plans to switch from their current home in Preston to Urbis in the city centre.

Council leaders in Manchester estimate the switch would see visitor numbers quadruple and make the museum a major international attraction.

But Lancashire and Preston councils - together with the University Of Central Lancashire - have since put forward a rival bid to keep the museum at Deepdale, home of Preston North End.

The trustees were due to decide last month between the two proposals.

But that meeting was scrapped after they decided they needed more time to consider all the factors.

Now a new date has been set for next Wednesday. The Manchester bid would see £2m a year ploughed into a massively extended museum.

The Lancashire and Preston bid would be worth just £400,000 a year.

The trustees have commissioned an independent report to help them choose between the two options.

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

460

275

P9Z1lFmZViQ

false

| Submit Comments | Comments (8) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 8 and replies | View All

The Nu, Denton (10/11/2009 at 23:07)

I am incensed the Manchester City Council is selling culture and a more socially accessable and inclusive purpose for the place up the swanny for football, which causes so much fighting and destruction. Football fans, I know you don't want to read that, but there's a reason why riot vans have to attend big matches.

After what the Rangers fans did to our beautiful city, the council should not be allowing football from crushing the culture and class out of the city centre once more. Keep the thing in Preston, and let Urbis remain a universal center of culture and education.

Anthony Cutt (11/11/2009 at 10:44)

'After what the Rangers fans did to our beautiful city,'

Drink may have been the fuel, but Manchester City Council's failure to properly organise the event & use the cheapest option for the 'big screen' was the match & the screen failing lit it.

I'd actually prefer the museum to stay in Preston but wouldn't complain about it being here either.

I'm not sure of the footfall that the Urbis gets but because someone is going to say it, it may as well be me: 'If the National Football Museum is at Urbis, Urbis might actually get some visitors!'

Urbis (11/11/2009 at 18:21)

Anthony, Urbis gets 260,000 visitors or thereabouts a year. That puts it third in terms of galleries and museums in the area, behind MOSI and the Art gallery.

Andanotherthing, Mcr (11/11/2009 at 19:06)

Give me the figures....Preston please tell me that you capitalised on the publicity. Once in a Guild do you have this opportunity.

steve wilson (11/11/2009 at 21:02)

Anthony, Urbis gets 260,000 visitors or thereabouts a year. That puts it third in terms of galleries and museums in the area, behind MOSI and the Art gallery.
Urbis ,
11/11/2009 at 18:21 Offensive or Inappropriate?

Like Anthony I do not mind if the museum stays in Preston but on the question of visitors Old Trafford exceeds that number quoted in just 4 home matches.

every man & his dog (12/11/2009 at 11:27)

260,000 visitors or thereabouts a year?

Urbis must have been there 5 years and in all that time I've never seen anybody go in or come out of the place. 2600 would be more like the number of visitors. Oh and another thing football is a form of culture, maybe one some people don't like but culture all the same.

Anthony Cutt (12/11/2009 at 11:38)

'Like Anthony I do not mind if the museum stays in Preston but on the question of visitors Old Trafford exceeds that number quoted in just 4 home matches.'

Now there's an idea, build the National Football Museum on Salford Quays just across the way from Old Trafford, I like that! On second thoughts, while the best way to get there is Metrolink, perhaps not!

'Anthony, Urbis gets 260,000 visitors or thereabouts a year. That puts it third in terms of galleries and museums in the area, behind MOSI and the Art gallery.'

That's not too bad after all but if they put the museuem there it could become the most visited. That's me sold on the idea, let's have it!

Al Capone of Atherton, Atherton (12/11/2009 at 12:28)

I've changed my mind about this one. Although I like footy, I can't see anything particularly interesting in looking at old shirts, boots, medals, trophies and photos. I like the changing events at Urbis.

()

Report

News