Football fans in Wrexham have been celebrating the team’s promotion back to the Football League – and soon they will be celebrating a major new football attraction in the north Wales city.

Currently in its development stage and scheduled to open in 2026, the Football Museum for Wales (Amgueddfa Bêl-droed Cymru in the Welsh language) will be located in Wrexham and will “celebrate Welsh football, past and present, in all its diversity”, said VisitWales.com. From grassroots clubs to the national teams, it will also highlight Wrexham’s “historic achievements in the sport”. 

‘Museum of Two Halves’

Nicknamed the “Museum of Two Halves”, the project won’t just see the development of the Football Museum for Wales, but also a new Wrexham Museum in the current museum building on Regent Street.

Wrexham Museum is home to the official Welsh Football Collection – the largest collection relating to Welsh football in public ownership. The museum has cared for the collection for more than 20 years during which time it has been used in more than a dozen exhibitions, as well as being a resource for researchers, TV production companies and other museums.

‘Spiritual home of Welsh football’

Regarded as the “spiritual home of Welsh football”, Wrexham has been the focus of global attention after Wrexham AFC’s National League title-winning season. The takeover of the club by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds formed the basis of a superb TV documentary series – Welcome to Wrexham – and the success of the team on the pitch has seen Wales’s “it” city experience a “tourism boom”, said BBC Travel. 

However, it’s not just the recent achievements why Wrexham will be home to Wales’s new football museum. There’s also a many historic milestones which connect the city and Welsh football heritage:

• The Football Association of Wales (FAW) was founded in Wrexham during a meeting at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in 1876.
• Wrexham AFC was established in 1864, making it the oldest professional football club in Wales and the third oldest in the world.
• The club’s stadium, the Racecourse Ground, hosted the nation’s first home international match in 1877. 

What the officials said 

Councillor Paul Roberts, lead member for partnerships and community safety at Wrexham County Borough Council: “This is a really exciting project as football plays such a large part in our culture and identity, and the people of Wrexham and across Wales can now be assured that the Welsh Football Collection will be preserved for present and future generations in Wales.”

Dawn Bowden, deputy minister for arts and sport: “Wrexham is the birthplace of Welsh football so it’s the ideal location to celebrate the sport’s heritage. We have seen many successes, especially in recent years, in men’s and women’s football, and ensuring the dramatic and emotive events on the international stage, the history and development of club football in Wales and the spirit and diversity of the Welsh football community is told in one place will be vital for present and future generations. The new museum will become a key venue in the city as well as for north Wales’ tourist and visitor offer.”

See more at wrexhamheritage.wales, visitwales.com and Twitter.com/FootyMuseumWal  

Top image: designs for the Football Museum of Wales in Wrexham (Credit: Haley Sharpe Design)

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