European inventory of
societal values of culture

Yodovich – Crossing the line. Representation of Women in the National Football Museum – A case study

Yodovich, N. (2023). Crossing the line. Representation of Women in the National Football Museum – A case study

The following case study explores Manchester’s National Football Museum and its representation of women’s football with its new “Cross the Line” exhibition that opened in July 2022. The exhibition coincides with the historic win of England in the Women’s Euro cup, a win that demonstrated the importance of women’s football. In this case study we explore the narratives that the museum depicts about women’s football and the ways in which it invites the public to engage with this narrative (aligning with INVENT’s bottom-up approach). We conducted an observation in the museum in August 2022, analyzed articles and reviews written about the new exhibitions and examined the museum’s Twitter account. We argue that the National Football Museum is successful in its representation and diversity. The museum is active in telling stories of excellence and ambition among those who are normally disregarded in English football, such as women, and invites eager visitors to comment on their impressions.