At the National Football Museum, we are always up for the cup. With the Fifth Round of the FA Cup looming, and a blockbuster League Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool on the horizon, we are dedicating our February half term to the exciting knockout action.
Make your very own medals and trophies to take home, discover more about the competition with our new FA Cup activity book, and get special selfies with one of our crown jewels: the oldest surviving FA Cup trophy, on loan courtesy of Manchester City.
Make Your Own Medal
Every day, 10:30am – 12:30pm
The museum is helping fans get in the mood for the month’s cup ties with a spot of medal-making in the Pitch Gallery.
Get inspired by some of the traditional old-school medals in our FA Cup display – including the very first (and very tiny!) medal awarded in 1872 – or come up with your own unique engravings to draw onto our golden card medallions. Finish off your medal with a coloured ribbon of your choice and wear your creation with pride!
Make Your Own Trophy
Every day, 1:30 – 3:30pm
Fancy taking your very own trophy home with you as a souvenir?
To celebrate the Fifth Round of the FA Cup and the upcoming League Cup final, we’ll be offering our young visitors the chance to clinch a cup of their own. Cut out your own cardboard trophies using our special cup templates, then decorate with tin foil, stickers and supplies from our box of tricks.
FA Cup Activity Book
Available from Tuesday 13 February
Learn more about the world’s oldest national knockout competition with our dedicated activity book, based on the iconic FA Cup Final programmes of the 1950s. Your special edition programme is filled with quizzes, object hunts, drawing challenges and colouring activities – perfect for younger football fans.
Pick up a copy of our Activity Book across the half term holiday while stocks last!
The oldest surviving FA Cup on display
Snap your selfie with the silverware in the Pitch Gallery
For two weeks only, the oldest surviving FA Cup will be transferred out of our Match Gallery display and placed downstairs in the Pitch Gallery activity space, giving visitors the chance to grab a selfie with one of English football’s most prized objects.
This trophy was created in 1896 after the original was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop. This replica was lifted by a host of top teams of the day, including Manchester City, Newcastle United and Manchester United. Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa, Bury and Sheffield United won it on multiple occasions! This design was retired in 1910, with a new style commissioned and used from 1911 onwards.
Come and see the trophy in all its glory, and learn more about its fascinating story from our expert interpreters, every day during the February half term.
If you’re specifically up for the League Cup, we have previous iterations of the competition’s trophies – the Milk Cup, used from 1981 to 1986, and the Littlewoods Cup, in action from 1986 to 1990 – as well as a replica of the original / current iteration, proudly on display in our Match Gallery trophy cabinet.