The National Football Museum holds the world’s finest collection of football artefacts and archives. The collection is made up of the following main elements:

• The FIFA Collection – the finest single collection of football memorabilia in the world. The collection includes a huge variety of historic items such as paintings, prints and woodcuts. Also part of this collection is early football equipment including balls, boots and other items of fans memorabilia including toys and games as well as ceramics and sculptures from around the world. Originally assembled by Harry Langton.

• The Football Association Collection – historic items donated and loaned by the FA. These include a huge range of international gifts and pennants from around the world.

• The Football League Collection – historic material on loan from the Football League. Handbooks, transfer lists, attendance records, programmes, a large range of books and a large range of trophies no longer used by the Football League.

• The Priory Collection - the finest privately owned sporting collection in the UK.

• The FIFA World Cup Collection – historic items relating to the World Cup, owned by FIFA. Memorabilia and photographs of each tournament, including mascots, medals, footballs, programmes, guides to tournaments and first day covers. The Jules Rimet trophy is the star item - the official FIFA substitute trophy and only surviving version of the most famous trophy in world football.

• The Preston North End FC Collection – one of the best collections relating to a single club in the country. One of the most complete individual club collections in the world. The collection includes photographs, programmes, gate books, minutes,

• The Harry Langton Collection – further material from the collector who assembled the FIFA Collection, purchased with the assistance of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

• The Sir Stanley Matthews Collection – items relating to the career of one of the greatest English players of all time. The collection includes correspondence, ephemera, playing kit, items relating to the retirement of Matthews. Purchased with the assistance of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

• The Littlewoods Collection – items relating to the history of the leading football pools company, who have played a major role in the development of the game. An excellent and rich archive of social history showing winners photographs, celebrities from the world of sport, film and television, Littlewoods ephemera, advertising leaflets and correspondence.

• The People’s Collection – an amazingly rich and constantly developing collection of objects and ephemera donated or loaned to the Museum by members of the public, footballers (and their families) and key benefactors. Magazines, player contracts, caps, badges, programmes, clothing, trophies, photographs, albums, toys and games, merchandising, fans campaigns groups, fanzines, cigarette cards, floodlight bulbs, autograph books, song sheets, scarfs, tickets, mascots, models, pennants.