Alistair Hardaker | A render of the new museum's design (Manchester City)
1,700 sq m experience designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates features ten spaces combining memorabilia with interactive technology.
Manchester City has revealed details of a museum experience set to open later this year at the club’s Etihad Campus in Manchester.
The Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across ten spaces covering over 1,700 square metres within the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district. It has been designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, whose previous projects include the London Transport Museum, the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The experience will combine technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history. Visitors will be able to visit recreated environments from the club’s past, including Moss Side, the location of Manchester City’s Maine Road Stadium from 1923 to 2003. All 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams will be on display.
Interactive elements include football punditry experiences and a “City x PUMA Arena” where visitors can take part in football challenges, including a shooting game based on Sergio Aguero’s last-minute goal against Queens Park Rangers in 2012.
A temporary pop-up space will allow new stories to be shared over time. A separate area will tell the story of PUMA’s relationship with football.
Danny Wilson, managing director of Manchester City operations, said the football club’s story “isn’t traditional and straightforward, so why should our museum experience be?”
“We want something different. Something immersive which will resonate with our fans, as well as excite the wider city. In doing so, we have developed something that appeals to fans, complements the Etihad Campus and provides a year-round attraction for the city.”
The museum will sit in Medlock Square, which once complete will also offer a hotel, office space, food and drink options, a covered fan zone and a roof walk experience.
