"Designing the Beautiful Game" delights visitors at the vernissage

The new special exhibition "Designing the Beautiful Game" was officially opened yesterday at the FIFA Museum. The exhibition was created in collaboration with "the Design Museum" in London and is open to all museum visitors in Zurich from today. The evening represents a historic milestone, which was emphasised by Marco Fazzone, Managing Director of the FIFA Museum, right at the beginning of his opening speech. He went on to thank Tim Marlow, Director of "the Design Museum" in London and his team, for their collaboration in bringing their concept to Zurich. Yesterday the exhibition, enhanced with objects from the collection of the FIFA Museum, was officially opened in Zurich. After Marco Fazzone’s introduction, Tim Marlow welcomed four guests to the stage to engage in an entertaining panel discussion about the exhibition and design in football in general. The audience learned that the former Wales international and Liverpool all-time top scorer Ian Rush, despite the inovations of today’s football boots, superstitiously still wets his shoes before every game. On the other side of the discussion FIFA’s Director of Football Technology and Innovation, Johannes Holzmüller, revealed that such was the team’s dedication to tournament technology testing, that some of them ended up sleeping overnight at the iconic Maracanã stadium. At the end of the panel, Ian Rush surprised the audience by handing over a jersey from his time at Liverpool FC along with a pair of boots to the FIFA Museum collection. Afterwards, the doors to “Designing the Beautiful Game” were opened, allowing the exhibition to be admired by visitors for the first time. The numerous pieces of players' equipment from different eras, such as balls, shoes, shin guards and shirts, attracted particular interest, showcasing not only the technological development of the equipment itself, but of the sport in general. The impressive model of the Estádio Municipal de Braga provided another exciting highlight for the evening’s guests.

’Football: Designing the Beautiful Game’ premiered at the Design Museum in London last year and marked the first major exhibition focusing on the design aspects of the sport, mesmerizing audiences with captivating narratives and immersive displays. The exhibition has now been developed in collaboration with the FIFA Museum, bringing additional objects from the museum’s own collection, to create an experience tailored to the special exhibition space in Zurich. The exhibition explores defining moments of football history through three main sections: Performance, Identity and Crowds. Each facet approaches the game from its own unique perspective through objects, photos, films, and sound clips, bringing design’s crucial role to the forefront of our understanding of football history and development. Designing the Beautiful Game" is open from today, admission is included in the regular museum ticket. The special exhibition will be shown at the FIFA Museum in Zurich until 25 February 2024. <h3>For more information and a selection of highlight objects, click here. </h3>