Malcolm Chapman, head of collections development, Manchester Museum
“The arrival of another high-profile museum in Manchester can be seen in two lights. The redevelopment of the city centre over the last decade has created a vibrant space within which Urbis has successfully found its niche.
It is hard to think of anywhere else that could develop exhibitions such as the recent Videogame Nation or the current exhibition, Home Grown, the story of UK hip-hop.
However, Manchester is, to many people, synonymous with football. With two Premiership clubs within walking distance of the city centre, a high-profile museum telling the story of the game itself rather than a specific club should be a magnet, bringing more visitors into the city for a cultural experience.”
Jonathan Schofield, editor in chief, Manchesterconfidential.com
“Urbis, as a museum (yes, at last we can call it a museum rather than a centre for urban culture or some such) is the perfect new home for the National Football Museum.
It’s in the heart of the city. In an entertainment area too. Every eight days of the season United and City football clubs have collectively at least 110,000 fans in their stadiums, compared to Preston which has around 13,000.
Urbis has higher passing trade (local, national and international) than Preston North End could ever manage. Urbis’s existing curatorial team should be retained so that the Football Museum is run with flair, vision and imagination.”
Kevin Moore director, National Football Museum
“The National Football Museum has agreed to enter into an exciting new partnership with Manchester City Council, which will see the creation of the National Football Museum at Urbis in Manchester in 2011.
The partnership will guarantee the future of the museum in the North West, create a major new visitor attraction for Manchester and bring the collections to a wider audience.
The collections, when not on display in Manchester, will remain at the current storage and research facilities in Preston. There is an opportunity to continue to maintain the publicly accessible exhibitions at Preston, if funding can be secured. This is a win-win decision for all concerned.”
Paul Mainds chief executive, River and Rowing Museum
“Football is the national sport and the National Football Museum deserves the best possible location and long-term financial support. While Preston will be sorry to lose the public galleries, it is appropriate that the museum remains in North West.
The National Football Museum tells a vital part of the nation’s sporting heritage and increasing its profile can only benefit all museums that celebrate this heritage.
The museum has led the way in its innovative programmes to engage wider audiences and shown what sport can do for museums who wish to widen their outreach work. With the World Cup in 2010 and London 2012 around the corner interest in football and sport has never been greater.”
