Ten-year campaign for national football museum pays off

 

Campaign was backed by teenage Harry Wilson

From left, Llyr Gruffydd MS, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS and Councillor Carrie Harper at the Racecourse back in December 2015 to launch their campaign for a  national football museum for Wrecsam.

The 10-year-campaign to secure a National Football Museum for Wales will finally come to fruition this summer when the doors open at the Wrecsam site for the first time.

The campaign was launched at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham by Plaid Cymru's Llyr Gruffydd MS, Mabon ap Gruffydd MS and Councillor Carrie Harper along with Pete Jones on behalf of the Wrexham Supporters' Trust. Back then, the case for a national football museum had to be made but also the location was also in dispute. 

From the outset the campaign was clear - a national museum was needed and Wrecsam as the spiritual home of Welsh football was the clear choice for location. The campaign quickly won the support of Welsh international star Harry Wilson, from Corwen, who said at the time: “It’s important we remember and celebrate our past achievements and efforts too. Wrecsam would be the ideal place and I urge everyone to get behind this campaign."

Despite claims from Cardiff and other parts of Wales, there was no disputing the claim Wrecsam had:

• the oldest international ground in the world – the Racecourse 
•  where the Football Association of Wales was formed
•  the third oldest football club in the world.

Cllr Carrie Harper also made the point: 

“Wales has a number of national museums and galleries but none of them are in the north-east. Creating a national football museum would redress that balance and emphasise the key role the north-east and Wrecsam specifically has had in the development of the game. It’s a great opportunity at a time when the future of Welsh football has never been brighter. It would also be a welcome boost for the town, attracting new visitors, creating work and providing an educational facility for youngsters.”

Llyr Gruffydd MS said: 

“We always knew that Wrexham was the right place for this museum. The north-east has been a hotbed of footballing talent from the days of Chirk’s Billy Meredith, who played for Manchester United until he was 49, to Mark Hughes and Harry Wilson.  And what better timing? It's FAW's 150th anniversary and this summer will see the museum opening at a time when the Welsh international teams are doing incredibly well - the men on the cusp of another World Cup and the women having played in their first ever Euros last year. 

"The decade that has passed since we first launched that campaign in the Racecourse has also seen Wrexham rise from the National League to being on the brink of a play-off place to go to Premier League. I doubt even Hollywood could have scripted that story but it's there, along with a host of other amazing footballing tales that will feature in the museum."

Funding for a feasibility study into the museum was secured by Plaid Cymru from the Welsh Government. Further funding to actually develop the museum was again secured by Plaid Cymru once the consultation had decided that Wrecsam was the most suitable place. Its opening will hopefully mark that start of a new golden age for the sport in Wales.