National Football Museum

The National Football Museum originally opened in Preston in 2001. Home to a collection of over 140,000 boots, balls, programmes, paintings, postcards and ceramics (including the prestigious FIFA collection), it was situated at Preston North End’s Deepdale ground.

While the museum was a critical success and popular with visitors, external funding was withdrawn and the doors closed to the public in 2010. Manchester City Council agreed to fund a new National Football Museum to be situated in the Urbis building, designed by Manchester architect Ian Simpson.