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George Best European Player of the Year award on display at the National Football Museum |
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National Football Museum in talks with Manchester City Council
The National Football Museum can confirm that it is in discussions with Manchester City Council about proposals for it to relocate to Urbis.
The Museum, currently located in Preston, has been a great success, attracting over 100,000 visitors each year. However, the Museum no longer has sufficient funds to continue to operate at its current location.
During the past twelve months the Museum has been engaged in discussions with a range of organisations to secure its future revenue funding. This has included the Government (Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)), the major national football bodies, Preston City Council and Lancashire County Council.
Funding from the Football Stadium Improvement Fund (FSIF) administered by the Football Foundation was discontinued on 31 March 2009. DCMS has provided annual funding of £105,000 from 1 April 2009. The Museum currently has funding in place to continue to operate until 31 December 2009. Discussions with current and potential funders are ongoing.
The National Football Museum has also continued to explore the possibilities of partnerships with other cities to secure its future. At the meeting of the Museum’s trustees on 21 August 2009, it was agreed to continue discussions with Manchester City Council. These discussions could lead to a relocation of the public face of the Museum to Manchester.
If the public face of the Museum were to move to Manchester, the collections of the Museum would remain safely and securely in storage at the current location in Preston, when not on display.
Paul Dermody, Chair of Trustees of the National Football Museum said: “While the Museum has gone from success to success in Preston since it opened in 2001, the funding of the Museum has always been a concern, but with the backing of Manchester City Council, DCMS and the football family its future will be secured and the Museum’s success will continue to expand, as the collections and the community work it undertakes will be exposed to a significantly greater audience than at present.”
Further details on the position of Manchester City Council can be seen in its news release issued today. Click here.
Urbis is a modern exhibition centre and iconic building in Cathedral Gardens in the centre of Manchester.