STOKE CITY supporters may wish to pay a museum visit before they head to the theatre on Saturday . . . making it a day out in Manchester.
Those fans making the trip to the Theatre of Dreams for City’s Barclays Premier League encounter with Manchester United could head for the National Football Museum which has become an essential part of any football trip to the city.
The world’s biggest and best football museum tells the best stories of the beautiful game from fans, players and officials, as well as everyone from club directors to tea ladies.
It does this with the help of an amazing collection of over 140,000 objects, artworks and photographs which pieces together how football became the national game and grew into an international obsession.
City are among all the League clubs represented in the Museum and this is, of course, an historically significant season as we celebrate our 150th anniversary.
Sir Stanley Matthews, Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton all feature in the National Football Museum Hall of Fame, while many of the Club’s other heroes are also included.
Favourite moments of each team’s history are available to listen to in the BBC Radio Football Commentary Archive and an interactive Around The Grounds feature gives those visiting the Museum a look at the home of each club.
A special immersive film, called Our Beautiful Game, looks at a month in the life of English football; all over the country, at all levels, people of all ages, abilities, shapes and sizes play the game in parks, streets, sports centres and stadiums.
Visitors get the chance to prove their worth in a full-sized Penalty Shootout or as the next Motty with the Match of the Day Commentary Challenge.
There are many more stories out there to tell, so the Museum would love to hear from Potters fans about the object they would love to see on display, and what story it would tell.
Club legend or cult hero, glory days or grim realities, what’s the one thing you would put on display to tell the country why you love your club?
You can let them know on twitter @footballmuseum using #pottersNFM or via facebook.com/NationalFootballMuseum
Entry to the National Football Museum is free and it is open seven days a week from 10.00am to 5.00pm (opens 11.00am on Sundays).