Every so often there is a statement that the Football Museum will be moved from Preston. Last time it was to Wembley, this week it is to Manchester. This time it seems a more serious threat as Manchester Council seem to have agreed to put in more funds than Preston. The museum being in debt. The likely venue is stated to be the Urbis building in the centre of Manchester.
The Urbis has been there for perhaps 5 years and although we go to museums and art galleries in Manchester it isn’t one that we’ve been in. Urbis doesn’t sound particularly interesting although it has a purpose built futuristic and expensive building. Maybe too many others have the same opinion so Manchester Council are saying that this increased subsidy will get Urbis on a firmer footing so it is worth it.
On the other hand I can’t say that I go to Manchester to see a football museum, although I have been round Old Trafford. I think the people who go to central Manchester aren’t generally there for football. If someone said go to the football museum or the science museum in Manchester it would be a no contest for me as the science and industry museum is a great museum. We usually go on Saturday and we don’t see a lot of fans dressed in colours. A football ground with a free car park is probably the best place for the museum, who wants to pay £5 to £10 to park their car to spend time in the football museum?
Preston seems a good place for it to be: close to the motorway and easy to get to, large free car park, on the oldest still current location in a modern facility, lot of football interest and teams in close proximity to Preston.
On the other hand there is obviously a funding problem that needs resolving although looking at the museum it doesn’t look as though that much has been invested so how the debt got so big without anyone complaining I don’t know.
Also having been a few times it has a lack of impact. Football is largely about excitement, noise, skill and personalities yet most of the football video is on small screens with normal sound. Lots of people have large screens with big speakers in their houses so why doesn’t the museum have one bigger than most will ever see showing great moments, even if it’s in a soundproof room that you pass through.