National Football Museum
National Football Museum
National Football Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The world's biggest and best football museum is open seven days a week in Manchester city centre. Here, you will discover how football became the game of our lives, following the stories through fascinating objects and exhibitions. Unearth the game's origins, relive the FA Cup fairytales and explore the different aspects and issues that make the game such an integral part of our culture and society. Chart the fortunes of our national teams in our new display, England on the World Stage, and see the country's footballing crown jewels: the ball from the 1966 World Cup Final, Geoff Hurst's iconic shirt and the Jules Rimet Trophy, still gleaming in its new case! Get in the game with a host of fun interactive challenges, from penalty-taking and shot-stopping to match commentary, and check out the latest changing exhibitions on the ground floor and in our Score Gallery.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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How to get there
- Victoria • 2 min walk
- Exchange Square • 3 min walk
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See what travelers are saying
- KatsukiTokyo, Japan5 contributionsNational Football MuseumNational Football Museum is a good place to know football. they have a lot of exhibitions such as old kits, football, and a chair of Wembley stadium. I could entry there as student fee with student-id of my univ. in Japan.Visited February 2023Traveled soloWritten September 19, 2023
- BelottiOberwil, Switzerland2 contributionsExcellent Museum Tour with Beth!Today I went with my son to the football museum. At 2 p.m we decided to visit the free museum tour to learn more about the history of football. We weren’t disappointed at all! Beth was an excellent guide who told us many interesting facts about football. We saw that she is very fond of football so that she was able to give us the same feelings. The excursion was very informative and thrilling. We highly recommend it! Family from SwitzerlandVisited August 2023Traveled with familyWritten September 25, 2023
- LazizCastricum, The Netherlands7 contributionsA must-visit for any football fan!The museum features multimedia displays, changing exhibitions, and match footage that will take you on a journey through the evolution of the game. You can also experience the atmosphere of a real stadium, with interactive exhibits that let you feel like you're part of the action. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just curious about the history of the sport, the National Football Museum will give you an unforgettable experience.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 24, 2023
- POB76Widnes, United Kingdom141 contributionsLots for the children.Pre booked tickets so slightly cheaper. Arrived at 10am on a Sunday morning and was first in. Plenty for my son to look at and do. Interactive games. Take penalties ÂŁ2 charge. VR game, be a commentator and goalkeeping speed game. Lots to see about the history of footballVisited January 2024Traveled with familyWritten January 28, 2024
- StuartBirmingham, United Kingdom1,347 contributionsOh wow !!This was so much better than expected. The articles and items on display were amazing. A real important walk through football history and so many amazing things to view. The VR room was also good fun. Highly recommended!!Visited January 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten January 28, 2024
- Mark G32 contributionsFantastic MuseumAs a 56 year old football nut, this place was fantastic. Visited with my 18 year old son and could have spent a couple of hours on the first floor and the games and tactics on upper floors were good fun - although i did lose 2-1 at subbuteo. The snippets of commentary on every club before entering the main exhibits on the first floor were brilliant. Fantastic welcome from the FC United fan who blamed Gillingham for the Emptihad and superb customer service from the lady with dark hair who showed us the Millwall and Gillingham pieces I should have taken your names, but hope you can identify yourselves from what I've written. If you love football, go, it's as simple as that.Visited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten March 7, 2024
- Bren SMiddlesbrough, United Kingdom37 contributionsFooty fans must doSo many interesting items and exhibits for all ages to see and interact with. A second visit is a must and fortunately our ticket allows returns. Although we weren’t on a guided tour we were fortunate enough to meet staff member Andy, with his remarkable insight and knowledge of Football History.Visited March 2024Traveled soloWritten March 13, 2024
- J CSunderland, United Kingdom421 contributionsSome people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over, it is now!We visited the National Football Museum during the day on our trip to Manchester. We paid the entry fee and were pointed to the first floor. The museum was full of history on all aspects of the game, from the beginning to recent history as well as the women’s game. They also included a sections on video games and boards games such as subbuteo. The portraits of the current England squad were great, mixed great artwork with the players flair just as the artist intended. There were certain sections which were very informative and I learned some new things about the history of the game. I particularly enjoyed the trophies section and seeing everything from the biggest achievements such as the FA Cup and Premier League to smaller trophies such as County Championships. I would’ve loved to see the Association of Northern Counties cup again, first time since lifting it a good few years ago now. Great venue to visit to teach young ones about the history of the game, I would’ve loved it to be bigger to spend more time there.Visited March 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten April 3, 2024
- Katie S37 contributionsLovely place for a couple of hoursMyself and two of my kids a girl and boy age 15 and 11 visited here. We had a lovely time, lots to read and lots of interactive games etc. Very reasonably priced. Will visit again as the ticket is an annual pass.Visited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 9, 2024
- mayccm2018Hong Kong, China1,054 contributionsWonderful MuseumLocated in the heart of Manchester.  It was a wonderful place for football fans and quite informative and interesting. Full of history about football. Some articles and items related to football were displayed. Explored more knowledge about football through this visit.  Staffs were knowledgeable. There were four floors including pitch, match, play and score galleries.  Price was a little bit expensive but worth it.Visited April 2024Traveled soloWritten April 18, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
3,929 reviews
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tonywilson77
North West England, UK139 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
How can a “national football museum” charge ten pounds to enter unless you live in Manchester and it is free. Maybe they should rename it the Manchester football museum outsiders allowed to visit at a charge.
Absolutely disgraceful should be free to all as this morally wrong
Absolutely disgraceful should be free to all as this morally wrong
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen R
2 contributions
Aug 2022
Very disappointing visit today. Visited a few years ago when it was free to all and there were loads of exhibits and lots of things to do. Visited today and despite having a Manchester postcode had to pay ÂŁ12.50 each for myself and four teenagers aged 16 plus and ÂŁ7 for a child.
Very few exhibits, loads of open spaces with nothing in them - had done all floors in just over an hour - really poor value for money and as a National Museum it is galling that visitors from outside the city (even when in my case you live in Manchester) have to pay when Manchester residents (supposedly) are allowed in for free. Some of the exhibits were closed and the activities in need of repair. The staff were friendly but the lad serving us seemed to think his banter was worth nearly ÂŁ70, trust me it wasn't!
Visited the Imperial War Museum later that day, - free entrance and lots more to see and do. Would recommend that any day. Wished we'd just gone there today as we had an excellent experience there.
My advice when they ask, give them a Manchester postcode and house number.
Not impressed atll!
Very few exhibits, loads of open spaces with nothing in them - had done all floors in just over an hour - really poor value for money and as a National Museum it is galling that visitors from outside the city (even when in my case you live in Manchester) have to pay when Manchester residents (supposedly) are allowed in for free. Some of the exhibits were closed and the activities in need of repair. The staff were friendly but the lad serving us seemed to think his banter was worth nearly ÂŁ70, trust me it wasn't!
Visited the Imperial War Museum later that day, - free entrance and lots more to see and do. Would recommend that any day. Wished we'd just gone there today as we had an excellent experience there.
My advice when they ask, give them a Manchester postcode and house number.
Not impressed atll!
Written September 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark S
West Midlands, UK125 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
I visited the museum in August 2020 and spent 3 hours in here. I'm not a massive fan of modern football these days but I love football nostalgia and the games history.
There is a brilliant collection of footballing memorabilia including a excellent gallery on the 1966 world cup win. Also there is a vast display of retro football shirts which I personally found very interesting.
Some great exhibits include Geoff Hurst's 1966 world cup final shirt, the 1966 world cup final match ball, Stanley Matthews 1953 FA Cup Final winners medal, An England shirt worn by Busby babe Duncan Edwards and Maradona's 1986 'Hand of God' shirt and many more items.
There is interactive games too such as penalty shootout games, table football etc
I really recommend this museum.
There is a brilliant collection of footballing memorabilia including a excellent gallery on the 1966 world cup win. Also there is a vast display of retro football shirts which I personally found very interesting.
Some great exhibits include Geoff Hurst's 1966 world cup final shirt, the 1966 world cup final match ball, Stanley Matthews 1953 FA Cup Final winners medal, An England shirt worn by Busby babe Duncan Edwards and Maradona's 1986 'Hand of God' shirt and many more items.
There is interactive games too such as penalty shootout games, table football etc
I really recommend this museum.
Written August 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Mark! glad you had a great time at the museum. Dickie
Written August 11, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lucy Y
York, UK59 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
We enjoyed about 3 hours here. We did spend about 45 mins queuing for the penalty shoot out (£2 for 3 goes). Luckily the play area part for u5s were next to this queue. My daughter age 4 enjoyed the colouring and a little bounce about on small soft play. The first floor is mostly things to look at but some interactive parts. Second floor was good with lots of things to do, so a bit more fun for the kids. Staff/ volunteers were friendly and chatty, always coming over to talk or show you things. We got blue light discount so it made it slightly cheaper- worth doing if you can. I think the tickets last a year so if we were in Manchester we may come again for the interactive parts / games. It was quite hot in there and by time I got to the top floor I was ready to leave. No lift working so don’t know if that was a one off or something that’s regularly happening so lots of stairs to climb.
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
toonbhoy16
Northumberland, UK66 contributions
Jun 2021 • Solo
I was really looking forward to doing this attraction while at Manchester and, despite my train time home making it a slightly rushed visit, I still found it enjoyable and informative. Its location was convenient, its exhibitions were clearly labelled and the layout easy to get through. The shop had a range of items including some football programmes, of which I picked up a few, at decent prices for a museum gift shop.
Overall, I enjoyed my visit and would return in the future to do a more relaxed visit.
Overall, I enjoyed my visit and would return in the future to do a more relaxed visit.
Written September 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks toonbhoy. Glad you had a great visit. Hope they programmes were a good read on the train home. Dickie
Written September 29, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amanda T
121 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Excellent experience for all the family. From our tour around The History of Football with a really informative guide to the interactive games, we really enjoyed our visit. The only downside was that the cafe was closed otherwise we would have spent more than 3 hours there.
Written August 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello - glad you and your family had a great time at the museum. Sorry our cafe is currently closed. We hope to re-open this in the near future. Thanks Dickie.
Written August 31, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chris P
4 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
Very helpful staff, Alan was a font of knowledge and told us some great tales. Lots to see and, we loved the interactive penalty shoot out.
Only downside was the cafe that didn’t have much of a selection and was quite pricey
Only downside was the cafe that didn’t have much of a selection and was quite pricey
Written October 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glad you had a great time at the museum!
Written November 10, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kirstie040
Nottingham, UK3 contributions
Jun 2022
Went her whilst visiting Manchester for one night. It was definitely worth a visit and at ÂŁ11 per person was value for money however I had hoped to see a little more there with it being the National museum. They have a few really notable pieces but not as many as I would of thought. Staff were lovely though, we didn't have much to do with them but I saw them often taking the time to explain things to people and seemed very knowledgeable. All in all it is definitely worth a visit and its great that once you have bought a ticket you get free entry for 12 months and if we lived closer we would probably take a another visit but as we live in Nottingham it wouldn't be worth the drive just for this.
Written June 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warby
Bicester, UK3,737 contributions
Jul 2021
Easy access and value for money. Over three floors. The first floor is the main area with the whole history of English football, too many things to mention. Second floor is primarily games and challenges which was really enjoyable. The third floor is a bit of an after thought with pictures and details on specific players. Well managed numbers so it never feels busy or rushed. Only thing is I think the mai floor could be spread onto the 3rd floor to enable les congestion of all the great things to see
Written August 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, really pleased you enjoyed your visit. Our third floor space is where we have the temporary exhibitions. Currently it's The English Hall of Fame exhibition. This will run until 23 January 2022 and then we'll have a new exhibition. Your ticket is valid for 12 months so you could always revisit and check out the new exhibition. Thanks, Dickie
Written August 31, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Thomas J
13 contributions
May 2023
Brilliant day out with my 3 year old plenty to keep minds both young & old engaged. Lots of interactive quiz/trivia games, memorabilia and artwork. 2nd floor full of challenging football games and penalty shootout was brilliant, ÂŁ2 a go but good fun. Entry fee was ÂŁ13 but lasts a year, cracking value would highly recommend
Written May 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can I pay on the door or do I have to buy tickets before I get there
Written August 11, 2019
Yes, pay at the door, adult tickets are ÂŁ10 but are valid for 1 year. There are extras that you have to pay for, and cafe area not very well organised.
Written August 12, 2019
Is it good for young children
Written April 9, 2019
Yes it is, especially if they like football. There are quite a few interactive stations that will keep them interested.
Written April 9, 2019
Yes, there are plenty of NCP car parks close to the museum. They ar easy to find. A bit expensive, but all town centres are nowadays. Probably ÂŁ3 + per hour in an NCP. But also another open air car park near Manchester Cathedral ( very close) for around ÂŁ7:50 per day.
Written February 17, 2019
No,but just before you come in to Manchester past the prison there is parking there then a 5/10 min walk to the museum
Written February 25, 2019
How far away from premier inn Piccadilly
Written January 20, 2019
10 to 15 mins head for the print works you see it signposted
Written February 14, 2019
Vishnu V
Alappuzha, India
Is cricket player sachin tendulkar's photo in the museum???
I heared about that..
Written June 13, 2018
Can you take food and drink in
e.g. cans bottles etc
Written May 29, 2018
Hi , how far is the museum from the Lowry hotel, can you walk or will we need a taxi .
Written April 17, 2018
It looks like a 10 minute walk - along the river - cross on Blackfriars st the left along Deansgate - head past cathedral and museum on town centre just across from the Printworks
Centre.
Written April 20, 2018
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