National Football Museum keeping fans engaged

• How does a museum, like the National Football Museum survive during the COVID-19 lockdown?
• I spoke with CEO Tim Desmond about what it is doing during this difficult time

Football is a multi-billion dollar game with unrivaled levels of fan engagement across the world. It ranges from Netflix documentaries about teams like Sunderland

A key part of this appeal is also its rich and deep history.

Associated football came into being in 1863 in England and by 1885 professionalism was allowed by the Football Association (FA) in the country.

With over 157 years of history in the English game, The National Football Museum, a registered charity, exists to provide equal opportunity for all to enjoy football culture.

Established in 2001, it has experienced some tough times. It shuttered in 2010 at its original site of Deepdale, Preston North End’s stadium, due to funding issues. However, it bounced back in 2012, thanks to support from Manchester City Council, and moved into the gleaming Urbis building.

I spoke with CEO, Tim Desmond about how the museum, which is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic is still trying to engage with football fans, and more.

Why Is The National Football Museum Important?

It might seem frivolous to some (definitely not me) that a football museum should even exist in the first place. Yet football clubs are key parts of communities, as shown by the painful death of the English side Bury FC recently (read more about that here).

However Desmond explains its social purpose.

“Our mission is to share stories about football through our exhibitions, displays and activities, from the early days of football history right up to the current day.  

We tell these stories in a very accessible way and ensure that there are plenty of fun moments to experience.

As well as being entertained, you also go home learning about how football has evolved and what affect it has had on England and the rest of the world.

In many ways the museum is about people and social history and we tell this story through the wonderful game of football.“

It’s importance is clear in his mind too.

“The game as we know it today originated in England so it’s important that this vital part of the country’s culture and rich history is given its rightful place. We tell the story of our national game through iconic objects going back to the origins of English football.“

He continued:

“Our job as a cultural organisation is to explore football in as creative and diverse a way as possible. We do this through storytelling in our permanent and special exhibitions, public programmes and work with the community.“

Being a charity is also very important to the organisation.

“While we work with all the football bodies and engage with clubs we are an independent charity which means that we offer a neutral view of the sport and are able to be respond to it in an agile way to educate and entertain our visitors,” said Desmond.

How the National Football Museum is keeping fans engaged while closed

The Museum has some very, very famous items from football history on display to the public, but there are some clear favourites.

“We have a huge public collection which we are always adding to. I have noticed the Lily Parr statue, the first ever statue of a woman footballer in the UK, is a big draw particularly now that women’s football is growing bigger and bigger. Maradona’s shirt from the Hand of God match is always a crowd pleaser as is the 1966 World Cup Final ball.

My current favourite object is the goal post from Wembley and Euro ’96 in our Play Gallery. It is always a joy to take a penalty in front of it, in fact it was the last thing I did before the museum temporarily closed on 17 March.”

Yet the COVID-19 pandemic has obviously impact on this ability to entertain visitors.

This is why The National Football Museum has recently launched the Game of Our Lives campaign. In a nutshell, it offers fans and clubs at all levels the opportunity to get involved in a fan-led collection to feature in a future exhibition at the museum.

Desmond explained the thinking behind the campaign further.

“Pre COVID-19 the season was about to reach its climax with football being played all the time, across all levels. All of a sudden that’s been removed and left a huge void in people’s lives.

For many people football is the game of their lives and during this period when football is lost, we thought it would be a good idea to capture the nation’s stories as to why football is so important to them, what are those moments that they really treasure.”

The campaign is asking fans are to share their stories, including photos and video, on social media tagging @footballmuseum and using the hashtag #gameofourlives.

The overall aim is that “when we reopen we hope to use them in our future exhibitions,” said Desmond.

How has the campaign gone to date?

Desmond detailed that “I think this period of lockdown has given people the opportunity to raid their lofts and unearth old programmes and photos.”

“This, in turn has prompted memories of matches gone by. We’ve had some lovely submissions so far. From memories of fans attending the 1966 World Cup, to photos of the last ever game played at Huddersfield Town’s Leeds Road.”

Looking forward to the future

Future gazing beyond the current pandemic, Desmond has some clear hopes.

“The key thing is our staff and volunteers all return safely and in good health and that our visitors are confident and safe in their surroundings.  

I also really hope that life and football returns to normal as quickly as possible. In the interim we are listening to government announcements and ensuring the museum adopts appropriate measures to ensure that everyone feels secure and able to enjoy their visit.”

We are planning for the future with many exhibitions to come for our visitors to enjoy online, and here at the museum in Manchester when we re-open.”

Also, critically, in the age of social distancing The Football Museum will be able to open to the public safely once lockdown lifts.

“The good thing is we have a large linear building so visitors will be able to pass through in a safe way,” Desmond concluded.

Yet with its current campaign it is showing how creative thinking can keep fans engaged, even if they can’t physically be there.