Home at last: Wales's first football museum opens in Wrexham, thanks to National Lottery players
24th September 2026
Wales’s first football museum has opened in Wrexham, giving the Welsh Football Collection a permanent home for the very first time. The new museum brings together the story of Welsh football and the history of Wrexham, thanks to National Lottery players.
From the team sheet for Wales's first ever international in 1876 to Gareth Bale’s shirt from his last Wales game on home soil, Welsh football’s story now has a permanent new home. The Football Museum of Wales & Wrexham Museum opens its doors for the first time today (Friday 25 September), 150 years after the Football Association of Wales (FAW) was founded in Wrexham.
Known as the ‘museum of two halves’, it brings two stories together under one roof in Wrexham’s Grade II-listed County Buildings. One half celebrates the diverse heritage of football in Wales, from grassroots football through to the national teams, while the other explores Wrexham’s history, from its past as a mining community to the more modern times that have shaped the city into what it is today.
What’s on show
The museum is custodian of the Welsh Football Collection, the largest collection of Welsh football memorabilia in public ownership in Wales. Until now, the collection has been shared with the public through temporary exhibitions. For the first time since it was established in 2000, it has a permanent display space, thanks to National Lottery players.
Highlights include the original team sheet from Wales's first international, against Scotland in 1876, and The Timeline, a display of objects telling the story of the national teams from 1876 to the present day. Visitors can also watch and vote for their favourite goal in the Great Wales Goals interactive.
From the legendary John Charles to Gareth Bale, the collection spans generations of Welsh football. It includes the shirt John Charles wore on his Wales debut at Wrexham in March 1950, the Juventus telegram releasing him to play for Wales at the 1958 World Cup, and the cap and shirt of Wyn Davies, who won 34 caps for Wales.
Developed in consultation with the FAW and communities across the country, the collections represent women’s football, the Welsh language, LGBTQ+ communities, and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic experiences of the game.
Bringing Wrexham’s stories to life
In the other half of the building, Wrexham Museum’s redeveloped local history galleries open up previously under-used parts of the County Buildings. Visitors will also find interactive displays and immersive films, a new well-being garden and a café.
The museum opens at a time when Wrexham’s popularity as a visitor destination continues to grow, following the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series. First broadcast in 2022, the series has followed Wrexham AFC since its purchase by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, through three consecutive promotions.
It has been a real team effort, with local communities playing a key role in shaping the museum, helping to curate displays and contributing stories and insights that bring to life the people and places that have helped define Wrexham over generations.
Made possible because of you
National Lottery players have been part of the team behind the Welsh Football Collection for years. Long before the museum was built, grants of more than £100,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund helped buy John Charles’ collection from his wife, Glenda, and stopped other artefacts from being split up and sold privately, keeping them in Wales. Now, National Lottery players are helping to give the collection a permanent home.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £2.7 million to the new museum. This includes funding to buy a significant private collection featuring material from Cardiff City’s 1927 FA Cup final victory.
The project has also been supported by the Welsh Government, including its Transforming Towns programme, the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund, The Wolfson Foundation, the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Wrexham County Borough Council.
At its heart, this project is about people and place. It captures Wrexham’s passion and pride by bringing together football history and local heritage. It will shine a spotlight on the stories and experiences that have helped define Wrexham and inspire new audiences to discover them. It's a fantastic example of how National Lottery funding helps communities tell their own stories. Thanks to National Lottery players, these stories will be preserved and shared for generations to come.
Andrew White, Director for Wales at The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Kick-off is at 10am today (Friday 25th of September). Entry is free, but tickets must be booked in advance at www.wrexhammuseum.wales, where you can also find details of the opening weekend, including family workshops, events and activities.
Did you know?
The FAW was founded at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham on 2 February 1876.
Wrexham AFC, formed in 1864, is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional football club in the world.
The Racecourse Ground hosted Wales's first home international, against Scotland, in 1877. It is the oldest international football stadium in the world still in use.
The collection holds an 1884 Wales badge that is thought to be the oldest Welsh badge in existence. It was issued before caps were introduced in 1890.
The museum opens four years to the day after Gareth Bale’s last international appearance on Welsh soil, against Poland on 25 September 2022.