Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has gone head-to-head with Andrew Henderson, five-time world champion freestyler, to answer once and for all how football kit from the past, would fare against today’s modern designs. The pair faced a series of challenges, ahead of tickets going on sale for Football: Designing the Beautiful Game, a brand-new exhibition set to launch at The Design Museum from Friday 8th April.
To showcase how football has embraced design and technology to improve performance on the pitch, Parlour and Henderson were invited to try out what they believed was a series of challenges in the latest boots, balls and kit. However, they were met with a surprise when they were presented with traditional kit, balls and boots from the 1920’s – to really test their abilities.
Ray and Andrew took on three challenges in both sets of kit, to see how design impacts performance. The players began with a free kick challenge, comparing the capabilities of the boots and flight of the ball. They were then given a timed dribbling challenge, to test agility and their close control, before finishing with a two-touch challenge, testing power and accuracy.
Ray Parlour, Arsenal legend and Invincible, said:“As a member of the Arsenal Invincibles squad which stayed unbeaten for the entire 2003-04 Premier League season, I know about the importance of making history and being a part of the record books. However, it was an entirely different experience to take a trip back in time and appreciate the challenges that footballers of previous generations had to endure. Fortunately for my career and the talents of the future, football has always looked to embrace the latest design and technology to improve the performance and spectacle of the sport we all love so much. I can’t wait to see what comes next, but I know it’s only going to get bigger and better.”
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.
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”
Andrew Henderson, five-time world champion freestyler, said:“I have travelled the world performing skills and tricks that nobody has ever seen before. However, as soon as I laced up those beaten-up old boots and I was passed the heavy leather football, I knew that I was in trouble. It’s amazing to think how legends of the game were able to perform to such a high standard with that equipment. It was incredible to find out first-hand how much design and technology has developed the sport of football and give modern-day greats the perfect platform to show what they can do on the biggest stage of them all.”
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
