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National Football Museum helps secure Football League Archive for Lancashire Records Office
The National Football Museum has since its inception held The Football League collection of retired trophies, books and player attendance and transfer records, which tell the story of the English game in the museum’s permanent displays, attracting national and international visitors and football fans, and help answer many research enquiries each year from all over the world.
Football legend Sir Tom Finney has welcomed the news that historically important documents belonging to The Football League are to be deposited with Lancashire Record Office in Preston and be accessible to the general public for the first time.
Staff from The Football League, Lancashire Record Office and the National Football Museum will be working together to identify the most significant material for permanent preservation in order to secure the historical archive of the world’s original and famous league football competition and to make them available to the public.
Lancashire Record Office (LRO) in Bow Lane, Preston, is run by Lancashire County Council and has been chosen as the repository for the national archive because of The Football League’s strong connections with Preston – deemed “home of football”.
The League’s headquarters is still based in the city, and has been for much of its history, while six of the League’s 12 founder members came from Lancashire (Accrington, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Everton and Preston North End).
Examples of the information coming to light from the first records to have been transferred include:
• The 1892 minutes record that Liverpool Football Club’s application to join an expanded League was rejected:
“….not having agreed to comply with the regulations, it was resolved that their application be not entertained.”
• For the 1892-3 season the Football League expanded its first division from 12 to 16 clubs and introduced a second division of 12 clubs. New teams elected included future ‘giants’ Newton Heath (Manchester United), Ardwick (Manchester City), Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest.
• But Liverpool only had to wait a year when they were finally elected into the second division in May 1893, together with Woolwich Arsenal, the first southern team to join a north-midlands dominated league.
Sir Tom Finney, pictured studying Preston North End’s player’s attendance record from his first game, he said: "I am so pleased that all this important history relating to the Football League is going to stay here in Preston. It's wonderful that people can come here to find out about my career and all the other great players from the history of our game."
David Pearson, National Football Museum General Manager said:
"The National Football Museum is proud to look after the Football League Collection and we are so pleased that the Football League Archive will now also be held in Preston. The Football League are to be congratulated for taking such care of their history."
Ged Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council, said:
“Lancashire is very proud of its historic role as the birthplace of professional football. It is, therefore, appropriate that with the National Football Museum, also based in the county, Lancashire County Council will play a key role it keeping this history of football alive and making these fascinating records for the early years of the game available to as wide a range of people as possible. I must admit my allegiance is to Liverpool FC, but as a keen football fan I am especially delighted this partnership has enabled us to safeguard these records here in Lancashire.”
Andy Williamson, Chief Operating Officer for the Football League, added:
“The Football League is delighted that Lancashire Record Office will be looking after this part of our history and making it accessible to the public, especially given the strong connections that The League has had from its origins to the present day with Lancashire and the city of Preston.”