MANCHESTER will be the new home of the National Football Museum.

Trustees of the world-famous attraction agreed today to move from their current base in Preston to Urbis.

The decision came despite a last-ditch bid by Preston and Lancashire councils to keep the museum at Deepdale stadium.

Urbis is now likely to close for up to 18 months from early spring next year. It will reopen as the main site of the new football museum in summer 2011.

The current museum, in Preston, is likely to remain open as a secondary site, with a smaller number of exhibits and items in storage. That will depend on extra funding being found.

The main part of the museum will relocate to Urbis, where it is expected to draw in up to 400,000 visitors every year – four times more than at present.

Priceless

Manchester council will be expected to organise – and has agreed to underwrite - a funding package of up to £8m to prepare Urbis and move priceless exhibits from Preston. The majority of that money is likely to come from external sources, with the North West Development Agency likely to be asked to provide up to £5m.

The trustees commissioned a report by consultants PKF to help them make the decision.

It recommended the move to Manchester as the best way of ensuring the long-term future of the museum.

The National Football Museum, which opened in 2001, was described as ‘a jewel’ by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Exhibits include the 1966 World Cup final ball, Bobby Moore’s shirt from the legendary England-Brazil match in 1970, and Stanley Matthews’ kit from the 1953 ’Matthews’ FA Cup final.

Expanded

The move to Urbis will see it expanded to include more interactive exhibits and soccer-themed events.

Trustees of the museum – fearing for its long-term future due to a lack of funds – approached Manchester about a possible move earlier this year.

When the M.E.N revealed news of the planned switch, Lancashire and Preston councils – together with the University of Central Lancashire – put forward a rival bid worth £400,000 a year to keep the museum at its current home.

But Manchester’s proposals, which will see £2m a year ploughed into an extended museum, proved too attractive to turn down.

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “I’m delighted that the trustees have accepted our offer for the National Football Museum to relocate to Urbis.

“Manchester is not only a city with football in its blood but also one of the country’s leading visitor destinations, the most visited English city outside London.

“We strongly believe that this move will significantly strengthen the National Football Museum. Independent expert analysis shows that the National Football Museum at Urbis could attract up to 400,000 visitors a year – making it an internationally important destination.

“The museum’s arrival in Manchester will ensure it has a sustainable future while adding to our existing wide range of tourist attractions, building on the major achievements of Urbis to date.

“The Urbis team will use their creative expertise to reinterpret the football story as part of popular culture in an imaginative and interactive way.

“We’ve put forward a strong partnership proposal with Preston which we hope will ensure a continuing presence for the National Football Museum in Preston alongside the main storage and archive which will remain in its current location.”