#SRtRCSpotlight: National Football Museum
Our North West team have been developing SRtRC’s relationship with the National Football Museum in Manchester, delivering a series of half-day anti-racism training events for NFM staff. Participants explored a range of themes, including: Unconscious Bias; Racism in the Workplace; Everyday Racism and Microaggressions; Language and Terminology; and Challenging Racism.
The training also focused on how staff teams can contribute to creating a culturally competent and inclusive museum. Discussions took place around psychological safety, allyship, creating an anti-racist culture, and how to embed anti-racism in the workplace. In addition, staff confronted the question of “How do we curate racist objects?”, looking at examples from other museums initially, before focusing on their own displays.
Open and honest conversations followed, with staff reflecting on what makes visitors feel comfortable or uncomfortable, what is inclusive or not inclusive, and how they feel themselves about various items and themes displayed. The content of the new “Black in the Game” exhibition featured a great deal in discussions, as an example of just how much time, effort and consultation can be required in order to create a genuinely inclusive exhibition that celebrates diversity, promotes inclusivity and engages visitors in a thoughtful and challenging manner.
Prior to the staff training days, SRtRC had previously worked with NFM to deliver school events for pupils in the Manchester area. Most recently, the theme of unsung heroes was used, inspiring young people to find out about stories of footballers who many people might not know about. Their task by the end of the day was to design a museum panel for their unsung heroes, which including Dennis Walker, Jack Taylor and Emma Clarke.
The activities raised important questions such as: How do we know about people from the past? Who tells their stories? Who do we listen to? Where do we get our knowledge from? Pupils were also encouraged to think about what the point of a museum is, and what makes a good display.
SRtRC staff were also invited to the official opening of the “Black in the Game” exhibition, and to the North West “Black List” awards, hosted at the National Football Museum. We hope to continue the partnership work through 2026 and beyond, using the power and motivation of football and its rich and diverse history to inspire and motivate young people and adults to promote anti-racism.
Instagram – @nationalfootballmuseum
X – @FootballMuseum