Kicking Off: Bridgeman's Sporting Collections

The National Football Museum soon to re-open in its new home in Manchester, collects, preserves and interprets its unique heritage for the public benefit. It can claim to hold the world's finest collection of football artifacts and archives, including the official FIFA Collection. 

The set of images provide a unique insight into the development of football, bringing together a rich variety of paintings, prints and memorabilia including early board games, ‘Boys’ Own’ advertisements and a set of ‘humorous’ postcards from the 1890s, reflecting early attitudes towards women footballers.

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“I can't think of a better Museum anywhere in the world.” Sir Bobby Charlton

Marylebone Cricket Club

The MCC owns and is based at Lord’s the most famous cricket ground in the world. The MCC Museum is the oldest sports museum in the world and contains many of the game’s treasures, including the original Ashes urn. The MCC collection of paintings is unrivalled, including portraits of the greatest players in the history of the sport, which continue to be commissioned from leading contemporary artists.

MCC is delighted that the Pavilion will provide the backdrop to the archery event when, in 2012, London hosts the Olympic Games.

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National Horse Racing Museum

This Suffolk museum,  staffed by retired trainers and jockeys, brings the world of racing alive, telling the story of the people and horses involved from racing's Royal origins to today's modern heroes.

Paintings, prints and portraits of the sports leading names are amongst the images in the collection.

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Thames Rowing Club, based on the Putney Embankment in West London, was originally formed in 1860 for the purpose of 'organised pleasure or exercise rowing'. However, the Club's focus soon shifted to competition and, since then, its history is one of major success at club, national and international levels.

Images within the archive include paintings and photography of Henley Royal Regatta and medalists at the Olympic Games. 

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The British Sporting Art Trust, housed in Newmarket has been built up over the past 27 years through a combination of bequests, gifts and purchases.  The Collection spans three centuries of sporting artists and engravers, starting from the 18th century, including  works by Alfred Munnings and George Stubbs.

The first painting purchased in 1978 by the Trust was a large oil on canvas of the Pinckney Family Coursing at Stonehenge, by Samuel Spode. Images include retired national sporting activities including badger catching, ferreting and bare-knuckle boxing

A sensational selection of sporting pictures covering subjects including racing, fishing, hunting, shooting, archery and boxing.