The National Football Museum trustees announced on their website that the museum will move to the Urbis in central Manchester opening in 2011 with some items remaining in Preston if funding can be found. Newspaper reports say Manchester is paying an £8m transfer fee plus £2m a year subsidy for the museum. Cheap by Cristiano Ronaldo standards but quite a lot if you’re looking for a job in what was said to be Britains poorest area when the casino was located there (from Blackpool).
If longer term funding can be found a display will remain at Preston. Although my own opinion is that it won’t be viable. Some other use of the facility will need to be found. It is easily accessible by road with plenty of free parking and is a modern building.
Disappointing news for Preston, once more fuelling the opinion that Manchester gets priority in the North West from both the government and regional bodies. Although it can be seen as a difficult call as I’d rather the museum and any other facility was in Manchester than in London or Birmingham in our centralised state. Even so, it isn’t clear that this museum has any natural home as football is built on loyalty, to the supporters at least. Yet it seems difficult to factor the pride and loyalty into the displays.
Also the choice of the Urbis isn’t an obvious one. I’m a keen art gallery and museum attender and havn’t been as there are too many better things in the area and I doubt the NFM will change that. The appeal of the NFM is to those interested in football so it isn’t a particularly female or family outing. The Urbis is close to Victoria Station, recently named the worst station in Britain, car parking in central Manchester costs a fortune and in general people who go there are more interested in the shops. The Science Museum and the revamped Peoples History Museums aren’t too far away. The Science Museum being one of the best museums of its type in the country and of educational value. The other well known museums and galleries being quite a distance away. On the other hand it is another item to the list of Manchester attractions that as a minimum add to its appeal as a destination worth more than a day and a good option if you’re looking to fill an hour in the centre.
It isn’t known if the funding offered by Lancashire and Preston councils will still be there for a reduced football museum or for a different type of museum. I’d guess not as times are hard and nationally we’ve yet to start repaying. How much councils should fund a museum for a sport with such riches is questionable.
If an alternative in Preston was to be founded I’d prefer a museum and a futurama. Perhaps with a broader theme using football as focus to take advantage of the location. The Football Museum’s view over the Deepdale pitch making it come alive. Maybe it could be an office and / or cafe as it would be an attractive working environment.
Overall it’s a loss to Preston as the museum has a national and international awareness and advertising like that can’t be replaced.