The Design Museum has launched a new exhibition, all about the world’s most popular sport, football.

The Design Museum’s exhibition Football: Designing the Beautiful Game will showcase the ways in which design has shaped the world’s most popular sport and is the first major exhibition that explores the story behind football. From the master-planning of the world’s most iconic stadiums and the innovative technology used in today’s kits, to the graphic design of team badges and the phenomenon of football gaming, the exhibition will provide visitors with an insight into the history of the world’s most popular sport.

To celebrate the launch, the Design Museum brought together Arsenal legend Ray Parlour, and five-time world champion freestyler, Andrew Henderson, to answer how football kit from the past would fare against today’s modern designs, in a series of challenges.

The Design Museum are working in partnership with the National Football Museum in Manchester to produce the exhibition, providing unparalleled football expertise including over 100 significant historical objects telling the stories of club legacies and game legends such as Messi, Pelé, George Best and Diego Maradona. These will be paired with a wealth of contemporary design projects from prominent figures across the field, as well as major sportswear brands such as Nike, adidas, PUMA, Hummel and Umbro.

Eleanor Watson, Curator at The Design Museum, said:

“Football is a hugely significant industry across the world and it employs a vast network of highly specialised professionals, with designers and architects playing an important role in shaping the development of the sport for over 150 years. Football: Designing the Beautiful Game shines a spotlight on the role that designers, architects and fans have played in the history of football, from performances on the pitch to the atmosphere in the stands. It is the design story behind the world’s most popular sport”

Football: Designing the Beautiful Game aims to promote plurality, diversity and inclusion throughout. Everyday heroes of the sport will be celebrated, and visitors will be encouraged to share their own views and visions for the future of football. A range of programmed activities will take place in conjunction with the exhibition, encouraging people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to get involved in the game.

Football: Designing the Beautiful Game opens on Friday 8 April 2022 at The Design Museum. Tickets are on sale now: designmuseum.org/designingfootball

Adult tickets are available from £16.50 while children’s tickets can be purchased from £8.25. The full range of ticket prices including concessions can be found here designmuseum.org/designingfootball