Racecourse News Roundup

04/07/01

Appeal to the readers of Red Passion and supporters of Wrexham AFC

How you can help decide the first exhibition of the Welsh Football Exhibition at Wrexham County Borough Museum.

You may not know but the old police station or as it is now Wrexham County Borough Museum, just down the road from the Racecourse ground, is the home of the Welsh Football Collection.

We want to hold changing exhibitions on Welsh Football with the first exhibition planned for Winter 2001 - 2002, but we need your help.

The exhibition will feature the Best Welsh Football Team Ever. We would like your advice on the pick of the players from the first 125 years of the Welsh National side. We don't just want a list of names. We want to know why YOU think that a certain player was the best goalie, defender, midfield, wing or striker. You can quote statistics or pinpoint a certain match where that player made the difference. We need your comments and opinions on Wales' best ever footballers describing how your choices stood out above the rest or how they inspired the crowd and fellow teammates. It will be the reasons given that will decide which players go through to feature in the exhibition. We don't just want it to be a beauty contest. Your opinions and comments will be used in the exhibition and suitably acknowledged.

The aim once the exhibition has finished in Wrexham is to tour it around Wales, so the final choice of players will have to stand up to serious scrutiny. The Museum is currently gathering a small panel of judges who will decide the team from your recommendations. All entries have to be in by the end of August. You can send your choices to John Gammond, The Welsh Football Collection, Wrexham County Borough Museum, Regent Street, Wrexham, LL11 1RB or email to jonathon.gammond@wrexham.gov.uk

The Welsh Football Collection

Introduction

England has one and it is time for Wales to have one too. What are we talking here - a National Football Museum. The first step on the road for Wales happened earlier this year when the Welsh Football Collection arrived at Wrexham County Borough Museum. Choosing Wrexham as the home for the collection  was not a matter of chance, favouritism or football politics.

Background to choice of Wrexham for museum

The industrial communities of north-east Wales were keen footballers with local people preferring round balls to the odd-shaped ones. Wrexham itself has long links to the game in Wales dating right back to 1876. The FAW was started in the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham by local football enthusiasts with big ambitions for Welsh football internationally. The first Welsh home international took place in Wrexham at Acton Park. For a long time the FAW had their offices on Fairy Road in Wrexham before moving down south to the capital. So with this football heritage in the town it was the natural choice for the collection.

Origins of the Welsh Football Collection

The collection is the work of Ceri Stennett. Ceri has been collecting Welsh football associated memorabilia for over twenty years. During this time he has built up a collection that covers all levels of the game in Wales from amateur clubs, the League of Wales, the big clubs in the FA, womens' teams, school & youth teams right up to the big names in the national side. Ceri has always been a collector who was willing to share his collection with others rather than keep it to himself. With space running out in his home he was willing to part company with his football treasures and with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund for Wales and the FAW the collection is now housed at Wrexham County Borough Museum.

What is on display now?

Choice items from the  Welsh Football Collection are already on display in a small display called "Kick Off ~ I Mewn I'r Gol". On show are shirts worn by Mel Charles and Neville Southall, a telegramme clearing John Charles to play in the 1958 World Cup, a Full Welsh cap won by Billy Meredith and a medal earned by the only Welshman to appear in a World Cup Final. The whole of football from the historic to the tacky is on show.

The future of the collection

It is impossible to display all the collection at once and despite Ceri's endeavours there are still areas of Welsh football heritage that the Museum wants to collect. Consequently the collection will evolve and the displays change. The Museum is especially interested in photos, trophies, programmes, posters and football equipment and personal memorabilia of footballers at all levels past or present.  The social side of football and the supporters are a vital part of the game and we are always interested in anything that represents what football means to people in Wales.  However, the Museum does not require people to donate their treasured items before we will put them on display. There  are already several items on display that are short-term loans and the owners agree with the Museum how long the items will stay.

How you can be involved in the first exhibition?

There are plans to hold various exhibitions with the first exhibition planned for Winter 2001 - 2002 but we need your help. The exhibition will feature the best Welsh Football Team ever. We would like your advice on the pick of the players from 125 years of football in Wales. We don't just want a list of names. We want to know why YOU think that a certain player was the best goalie, defender, midfield, wing or striker. You can quote statistics or pinpoint a certain match, describe the football talent that made your choice of players stand out above the rest or how such a player inspired the crowd and his fellow teammates.  It will be the reasons given that will decide which players go through to feature in the exhibition.  We don't just want it to be a beauty contest.

The aim once the exhibition has finished in Wrexham is to tour it round Wales so the final team will have to stand up to serious scrutiny. The Museum is currently gathering a small panel of judges who will decide the team from your recommendations. All entries have to be in by the end of August.  You can send your choices to John Gammond, The Welsh Football Collection, Wrexham County Borough Museum, Regent Street, Wrexham, LL11 1RB or email to jonathon.gammond@wrexham.gov.uk

You can also submit your eleven best ever Welsh Footballers on the Welsh Football website at www.welsh-football.net