Approximately 35 miles from the footballing metropolises of Liverpool and Manchester lies Deepdale, the oldest continuously used football stadium in the world. It hosted its first football match on 5 October 1878 and for the past 130 years it has been home to Preston North End. As well as housing the local football club, it is also where England’s National Football Museum can be found – as well as the FIFA Collection.
If you thought that the matchballs from the 1930 FIFA World Cup™ would be in Uruguay or Argentina, you would be wrong. If you suspected that the shirt that Bobby Moore swapped with Pele at the end of the Brazil-England match at Mexico 1970 would be in Brazil, guess again. And if you assumed that a shirt from the world’s first international match would be kept under lock and key in a vault somewhere, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that all three are on display in Preston.
Every year, well over 100,000 people pass through the doors of the museum. Take George McPherson, for example.
a retired teacher from Edinburgh. “This place is absolutely fantastic,” he said. “It’s a football fan’s dream. I’ve just spent four hours in there and the time has flown by. I’ll be encouraging all of my family and friends to make the trip down from Scotland too.”
The museum also has Sir Bobby Charlton’s seal of approval. “I can’t think of a better museum anywhere in the world,” said the English footballing legend. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could not agree more: “Each time I visit the museum, I am so impressed by the great job it does in bringing the rich history of football to life.” Even FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, who visited the museum in the year 2004, is a fan: “The National Football Museum merits my admiration as a footballer and as the President of FIFA – it is a superb realisation, a real jewel I”
Historic exhibits
The FIFA President can be particularly proud that the museum houses the FIFA Collection. Quite simply, it is the finest single collection of football memorabilia anywhere in the world. It has a huge variety of historic items such as paintings, prints and woodcuts, as well as football equipment including balls, boots and other items of memorabilia including toys and games.
There is also a special link to the FIFA World Cup™ with historic items relating to each and every one of the 18 tournaments to date. Photographs, medals and programmes are all on display, as is a replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy, which was secretly reproduced after the original was stolen.
“It’s marvellous for us to have the FIFA Collection here,” said Philippa Duxbury, the museum’s marketing and communications officer. “Every football fan knows the name of FIFA and loves the FIFA World Cup™, so for us to hold this collection is a huge honour. We welcome visitors from all over the world and, as well as their love of football, their interest in the FIFA World Cup™ unite them all. Perhaps one of the exhibits that people flock to the most is Diego Maradona’s shirt from the game in the 1986 FIFA World Cup™ against England. It brings back so many memories for people -the ‘Hand of God’ goal, as well as the great goal he scored. It’s not just a shirt in a glass case, it’s an iconic image – it’s living history.”
Shirt from 1872
Appropriately enough, the museum is divided into two halves. On the ground floor, the “first half” deals with the history of the game, while the second is more futuristic with plenty of interactive displays and a viewing gallery that looks on to the pitch at Deepdale. Underlining the fact that football is for all, entrance is completely free.
The museum does not keep everything to itself, however. Many exhibits are loaned elsewhere in the UK and to exhibitions around the world. It also worked in partnership with UEFA to create the world’s first exhibition dedicated to women’s football to coincide with the UEFA EURO 2005 Women’s Championship.
Memorabilia from the inaugural FIFA Women’sWorldCupin 1991 is on display alongside a proclamation from The FA in 1921, which states: “The game of football is unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged!”
But perhaps the most striking and poignant piece on display is a shirt worn in the first international match between England and Scotland in Glasgow on 30 November 1872, which ended goalless. The shirt was worn by England’s Arnold Kirke-Smith of Oxford University, and it is distinctive not only for its colour but also for the presence of the Three Lions emblem, which remains to this day.
On that day over 136 years ago, that shirt was seen by 4,000 people, but now it is on display for all to see. Great Britain, the birthplace of the modern game, is giving the history of the game back to the people.

6-23 August
Olympic Football Tournaments Beijing 2008
16-17 September Johannesburg
Meeting of the Board of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa
19 September Zurich
Technical and Development Committee meeting
22 September Zurich
Meetings of the Sports Medical Committee, the Referees Committee (1st part) and the Football Committee
23 September Zurich
Meetings of the Referees Committee (2nd part), the Players’ Status Committee and the Associations Committee
24 September Zurich
Meetings of the Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup, the Media Committee and the Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup
25 September Zurich
Meetings of the Goal Bureau, the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee (1st part)
26 September Zurich
Executive Committee meeting (2nd part)
30 September – 19 October
FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008
28 October – 16 November
FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2008
19 November – 7 December
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008
25-26 November Johannesburg
Meeting of the Board of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa
11-21 December
FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008
18 December Tokyo
Meetings of the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee (1st part)
19 December Tokyo
Executive Committee meeting (2nd part)

Focus on corporate social responsibility
The focus was on corporate social responsibility at the “SONY Football Circle” at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 7 May 2008. Many invited guests from the worids of sports, politics and culture gathered together in a relaxed atmosphere in the auditorium at FIFA’s headquarters on a hill overlooking Zurich to listen to presentations by the guest speakers.
Following a welcome address by host ClaudioAmmann, CEO of SONY Overseas SA, Lander Unzueta, director of the FC Barcelona foundation, gave an insight into the social activities carried out by a top international club. The Catalan outfit are the only club worldwide not to have shirt sponsors, choosing instead to sport the logo of UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s fund. Barcelona donates EUR five million every year to the organization to support and promote its projects, and their motto – “More than a club” – illustrates their commitment to social responsibility. “Behind the badge beats a heart,” concluded Unzueta, quoting the club’s Swiss founder Joan Gamper.
Federico Addiechi, head of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Department at FIFA, then outlined the situation from a global football organisation’s perspective, explaining that the governing body’s mission was based on three pillars: “Develop the game, touch the world, and build a better future.” Addiechi revealed that 0.7 per cent of FIFA’s total earnings is devoted to CSR. He also gave a detailed description of Football for Hope which is the key element of a strategic alliance with streetfootballworld supporting worldwide projects in which football is used to reach social developments. “Founded in 2005, the Football for Hope Movement already consists of 70 programmes in 47 countries,” said Addiechi.
Fighting racism
Later in a podium discussion, Peter Kenyon, CEO of leading English club Chelsea, and Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of the Swiss watch manufacturers Hublot, detailed the social programmes of their respective companies. ” Football is a great means of doing good,” said Kenyon, “but the problem is that while football in general does do a lot of good, it gets very little publicity for it.” Kenyon also explained that “there is no basic approach which works for everyone. It is all about the fundamental principle that words need to be followed up with deeds.”
Jean-Claude Biver went a step further, saying that we are now in the “century of sharing”, and adding that “as a luxury brand, we need to start sharing”. Hublot is the official timekeeper of UEFA EURO 2008, but Biver was proud to announce that the company will not carry out any advertising. “The boards around the pitch will not carry the name “Hublot” but instead have the statement “Fight against Racism” on them,” he said. To conclude the event, which was attended by stars such as Olympic gold-medal-winning ski-jumper Simon Ammann and former Swiss international Stephane Chapuisat, the guests were treated to a delightful interview with Swiss coach Jakob “Kobi” Kuhn conducted by reigning Miss Switzerland Amanda Ammann.
Kuhn discussed the forthcoming EURO finals on home soil and gave a glimpse into his future plans. “I’ve decided that I want to be in charge of my own time again. I can categorically state that I will no longer coach at the highest level, but it may be that I get involved in youth development,” he said.
The evening illustrated how important social commitment is not only to large global firms but also to international federations in terms of improving the quality of life of those who are socially underprivileged.