International Football History Conference

6-7 June 2019 Manchester City Football Academy, Manchester, England

LFA were pleased to present to the conference on ‘Origins of the FIFA-Langton Collection’.

Abstract

The number of Football Museums & Galleries open to the public has slowly increased in recent decades with several of National and International scope. Of core value to these are artefacts of historic, artistic and cultural significance. At the heart of the National Museum of Football (NFM) in Britain is the FIFA-Langton Collection, established by sports journalist and Sporting Art aficionado Harry Langton over twenty years from the mid-1970s.

Harry Langton was a journalist reporting World Sport in the 1960s, and notably the 1966 FIFA World Cup Finals. He helped to pioneer the use of colour in newspaper sport. He then moved on to play a role in securing a greater interest in the History of World Football and other games as depicted in items of outstanding interest and Fine Art quality. Seeking both a permanent home and touring exhibitions, he promoted small, then larger sponsored Football Art public exhibitions (1981-1995) in London, Tyne & Wear, Munich, Basel, Rome, New York and Paris, with coverage of Association Football and related games from an International perspective.

The original concept from the mid 1970’s was telling stories surrounding the more significant events, people and places in the evolution of Football and related ball games around the world. Rugby Football components of Langton’s larger (to 1994) collection, The Langton Collection became a part of the Rugby Union Museum, opening in 1996 at Twickenham, London. The larger part, funded by FIFA Zurich then formed the FIFA Museum Collection. Together with additional material procured by him initially for FIFA  and then NFM 1996-1999, this collection was displayed at National Football Museum within Preston North End’s redeveloped Deepdale Stadium, Lancashire, England (2001-2010). It is now displayed at NFM Urbis in central Manchester (2012-present,) renamed in 2016 as the FIFA-Langton Collection.

‘The Womens Game’ – Paris, June/July 2019

LFA are delighted  to loan material for two summer temporary exhibitions on women’s football history to the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich and in Paris. The free entry exhibitions adjoin the fan zone (Les Halles) during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup competition. The Paris exhibition has been visited by over 30,000 members of the public and at Enge, Zurich some innovative techniques were used to engage school children and adults in learning experiences over the history of women’s participation in Football and the fight for recognition and participation.

A range of items including playing kit, die cut Victorian images, photographs, ceramics, badges, pictures and a statue were beautifully displayed thanks to the FIFA Museum curation expertise, with the exhibitions organised and designed by Hyundai Motor Company.