We recently held consultation events to gather feedback on the new design plans for the Football Museum and refurbished Wrexham Museum.
The design plans were put on display for public viewing at an open day event, held at Wrexham Museum.
Members of the museum and design teams attended the events to discuss the plans with visitors and gather thoughts and suggestions.
We organised an online presentation to enable a wider audience to view and comment on the design plans.
We also consulted with the various football specialist and community focus groups that we’ve assembled to work alongside us throughout the design process.
All the sessions included a presentation/display of the latest proposals and an opportunity for questions and feedback.
Your thoughts
Here are some of the highlights from the dozens of comments submitted at the various sessions….
Loyalties & Rivalries
“It would be good to see more about the rise of women’s football and that there is still a long way to go for all clubs to have a women’s team. Historic material related to this may have been lost.”
“The grassroots football film could include regional tournaments or the community cup that exists in Wales. The gallery also needs to show stories from diverse clubs including refugees / asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ community and those with a range of disabilities.”
Heartbreak and Glory
“It would be good to look at how press/media have covered Wales teams across time, as coverage was previously very negative and now it is all positive. Welsh teams and fan communities have prevailed despite this.”
“It would be good to show the experiences behind the scenes and all the different processes involved in setting up for a match e.g. use of clappers during the match and the process of design / manufacture”
Education
Teachers suggested that it would be great to get children to input in the design process and a number of teachers said they would like their schools to be involved in this.
Wayfinding throughout the galleries could also be playful and potentially incorporated into the flooring.
Suggestions for additional interactive elements included:
- Ability to commentate on game
- Within the galleries or externally there should be the opportunity to kick a football.
The themes within the galleries tie in well with the Welsh Curriculum and a wide variety of subjects could be taught using the galleries.
Accessibility
Acoustics of the gallery spaces to be considered in development.
Provide good light levels along circulation routes.
Consideration of how the visitor welcome incorporates BSL to let visitors know it is used and that they are welcome – this could be done in-person or on a screen.
Wrexham History
Suggestions for additional themes / stories which could be included in the Wrexham galleries included:
- The canal and railway connections which have supported the growth of the city.
- Religion and diversity
- The ‘black’ years when Wrexham felt “downtrodden” and “undervalued”
The galleries should be used to help signpost visitors to other heritage / cultural sites around Wrexham e.g. Bersham.
The links with Tŷ Pawb are important as this venue is seen as a multi-cultural hub which helps to brings diverse communities together and highlights the changing identity of Wrexham.
Next steps
The project is continuing to make fantastic progress. Your valuable feedback will be used to help inform the next stage of design work. We’ll be keeping you updated on this via this blog and our social media channels.
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Find out more about the Football Museum Wales/Museum of Two Halves project