Strip! How Football Got Shirty – Online Exhibition from the National Football Museum

Strip! How Football Got Shirty, opened at the National Football Museum in Manchester last November and was a huge hit with visitors until you-know-what temporarily put culture (and football) on hold.

The backroom staff at the National Football Museum have been busy adjusting their tactics since their temporary closure and we’re delighted that they’ve lined-up an online version of Strip! for us all to enjoy from home during the lockdown.

They have transferred highlights from the physical exhibition to the internet so virtual visitors can enjoy in-depth analysis, opinion, and discussion by the exhibition curators and shirt industry insiders into what makes certain shirts so special.

The National Football Museum wants fans to take part in an online poll too and help them crown one shirt The GOAT (Greatest Shirt of All Time) – my money would be on Manchester United’s white 1986/87 white away kit, but I’m sort of biased.

More than just browsing images of shirts, you can enjoy interviews with the likes of Ina Franzmann – designer of the absolute classic Adidas 1988-91 West Germany shirt, which even the most tearful England fan can’t help but admire. Hear from present-day kit creators from top brands too, and read about the modern-day shirts which carry ethical and environmental messages.

A standing ovation for the National Football Museum who – like so many others – have innovated to keep culture (and football) going while we are kept at home. There might not be many in Manchester looking forward to Liverpool completing their Premier League campaign when/if that happens, but we miss the game and we especially miss our cultural places here at Creative Tourist.

Online exhibitions like Strip! How Football Got Shirty are a very welcome distraction.