‘Going to the Match’ Community collaboration kicks off at National Football Museum

The National Football Museum has kicked off an innovative exhibition in collaboration with four local community groups, inspired by LS Lowry’s iconic artwork Going to the Match with a celebration event last weekend.

The exhibition showcases a range of creative responses to the much-loved painting, produced by the Sight Loss Council Group, the Manchester United Foundation Youth Group, a Ukrainian Refugee Group and the museum’s Sporting Memories group.

Artwork was previewed on Saturday 31 August, at a celebration event hosted at the National Football Museum. Attendees included representatives from the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, The Lowry and Arts Council England, who joined the community groups in viewing the pieces displayed alongside Lowry’s original painting.

As a part of its UK tour, Going to the Match was loaned to the museum by The Lowry. The museum seized the opportunity to reach out to local community groups, encouraging them to explore and express their interpretations of the famous painting.

Participants worked with Manchester-based visually impaired artist Alice Christina-Corrigan to create artworks that reflect their community’s connection to football, responding to the theme, ‘What does football mean to me?’

Supported by ThickSkin, the Manchester Sight Loss Council created a braille canvas emblazoned with the words ‘Theatre of Dreams,’ a nod to Sir Bobby Charlton’s famous nickname for Old Trafford.

The Manchester United Foundation Youth Group contributed a piece highlighting football’s vital role in mental health support while The Ukrainian Refugee Group designed a football shirt for Melitopol Cherry, a local team from Melitopol, a city renowned for its cherries and now under Russian occupation.

The exhibition also features a short film titled ‘High Rise and Footie Lines,’ created by Alice Christina-Corrigan. The film captures the presence of football in everyday life and its importance as a support system for those facing mental health challenges.

The community display will open to the public, alongside a limited edition print of Lowry’s artwork from Wednesday, September 4, until September 27.

Tim Desmond, Chief Executive Officer at the National Football Museum, said: “Going to the Match is such an iconic piece and represents one of the greatest aspects of football for any fan. At the museum we believe that Football Creates is not just about looking at a painting but using it to support and inspire others to be creative which positively contributes to their wellbeing.

We were thrilled to give our community groups the opportunity to engage with such a prominent artwork; football and art are two vastly emotive aspects of culture and intertwining them has produced such a meaningful insight into their thoughts and experiences of what football means to them.”

Alice Christina-Corrigan, artistic director, said: “To me, football reflects life. As an artist and a massive footie fan, I’m fascinated by how separate these worlds are, especially when some of the best pieces of theatre I have seen happen on a football pitch.

“The project has provided a diverse range of people a chance to create, play and remind themselves what it is we love about the match. Football represents so much more than the 90 minutes on the pitch and the work here today is a real testament to that.

“No matter what group we have worked with, one common outcome of the conversations is how football has helped with mental health and sometimes football can become a support system for us, which is a really beautiful thing, and I wanted to document that in a creative and celebratory way.”

Jane Bateman, Vice Chair and Executive Director of the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation said: "Football has the power to unite people, to inspire hope, and to bring joy. This exhibition at The National Football Museum is a wonderful example of how art and football can combine to connect communities and create something truly special.

The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation is privileged to partner the exhibition and celebrate through art one of Sir Bobby’s favourite pastimes: going to a match.”