Stevenage FC’s community efforts during the pandemic were captured by photographer Jim Steele Credit: Jim Steele
The National Football Museum in Manchester, UK, has curated a collection of 11 objects from its archives to tell the story of professional football during the pandemic.
The 11 objects, says the museum, reflect English football over the past year, with everything from issues on the pitch, to efforts made by individuals and groups off of it during lockdown.
Among the items included are a matchday programme from the postponed Merseyside Derby between Everton and Liverpool. At the time, the Premier League season had been suspended, with Liverpool only one win away from claiming their first championship in 30 years. It would be three months until play was allowed to resume and Liverpool were able to claim the Premier League title.
Community support is another theme included in the collection, with a leaflet distributed by Championship side Norwich City encouraging fans to offer support for vulnerable neighbours.
The leaflet is one of several community initiatives from football clubs during lockdown, including a set of photographs by photographer Jim Steele showing League Two side Stevenage FC’s staff and players delivering food and activity packs to their local community.
Manchester United player Marcus Rashford made arguably the biggest social impact of any footballer during the last year, campaigning for the government to provide free school meal vouchers to the vulnerable.
A banner with the words ‘Rashford 1 Boris 0’ - made by a community group in the area of Manchester that Rashford grew up in - is included in the collection. The banner garnered significant attention in the national press and has been acquired by the museum to share his story with future generations.
The Black Lives Matter campaign has also been highlighted, with a shirt worn by Wolverhampton Wanderers player Jonny Castro Otto bearing the slogan. BLM shirts were worn by all Premier League players during the first 12 matches of the restarted season, with the shirts also featuring the NHS logo in recognition of healthcare workers. Also in the museum’s collection are a pair of custom BLM boots worn by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
For a full list of the objects included, see the below video.
Stevenage FC’s community efforts during the pandemic were captured by photographer Jim Steele Credit: Jim Steele
The National Football Museum in Manchester, UK, has curated a collection of 11 objects from its archives to tell the story of professional football during the pandemic.
The 11 objects, says the museum, reflect English football over the past year, with everything from issues on the pitch, to efforts made by individuals and groups off of it during lockdown.
Among the items included are a matchday programme from the postponed Merseyside Derby between Everton and Liverpool. At the time, the Premier League season had been suspended, with Liverpool only one win away from claiming their first championship in 30 years. It would be three months until play was allowed to resume and Liverpool were able to claim the Premier League title.
Community support is another theme included in the collection, with a leaflet distributed by Championship side Norwich City encouraging fans to offer support for vulnerable neighbours.
The leaflet is one of several community initiatives from football clubs during lockdown, including a set of photographs by photographer Jim Steele showing League Two side Stevenage FC’s staff and players delivering food and activity packs to their local community.
Manchester United player Marcus Rashford made arguably the biggest social impact of any footballer during the last year, campaigning for the government to provide free school meal vouchers to the vulnerable.
A banner with the words ‘Rashford 1 Boris 0’ - made by a community group in the area of Manchester that Rashford grew up in - is included in the collection. The banner garnered significant attention in the national press and has been acquired by the museum to share his story with future generations.
The Black Lives Matter campaign has also been highlighted, with a shirt worn by Wolverhampton Wanderers player Jonny Castro Otto bearing the slogan. BLM shirts were worn by all Premier League players during the first 12 matches of the restarted season, with the shirts also featuring the NHS logo in recognition of healthcare workers. Also in the museum’s collection are a pair of custom BLM boots worn by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
For a full list of the objects included, see the below video.
