NEW ARRIVALS

Sir Stanley Matthews boots, 1953 FA Cup final

The National Football Museum recently acquired the pair of boots that Stanley Matthews wore in the 1953 FA Cup final. Blackpool beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3 in this historic final, which is since then referred to as the ‘Matthews final’. The boots have now gone on display at the museum and it is the first time that the whole kit - shirt, shorts, socks and boots - are displayed together in the same place!

The boots are very different compared to boots worn by other players of that time. They are lightweight, slipper-type boots made of thin leather and without any protection around the ankles. Boots like these were first worn by players on the continent and in warmer climates. Matthews probably encountered this style in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil and subsequently had them made specially for himself. The lighter shoes made players a lot quicker and they could manoeuvre the ball more easily. Other players in this country started wearing the boots at the end of the 1950s and beginning of the 1960s.

The boots are on loan to the National Football Museum from Oakamoor FC in Staffordshire. The football club acquired them in 1962 as a raffle prize from the local cricket club.