Exhibition celebrating history of local football kicks off in Emsworth

A Brief History Of Local Football – a collection organised by local football fan Steve Miller, with the help of his wife Christine – went on display at Emsworth Museum on Saturday.

Comprising memorabilia and pictures belonging to Mr Miller and the Emsworth Museum archive, the exhibition provides a visual and historical background to local football teams.

Items on display include newspaper clippings and reports following Emsworth Youth Football Club – tracking their performance from 1958-1962, as they progressed from the Lads’ League to playing men’s football in the Portsmouth League.

Speaking to The News following the exhibition’s opening, Mr Miller, 74, said: ‘The whole thing has been nice for me because it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years now.

‘It all came out of a little book I wrote for friends and family about football.

‘I then went through the archives at the museum and tried to pick a few people’s brains about various things that had gone on in Emsworth and gradually pulled it all together.

‘People have come into the museum and have named some of the lads in our photographs – it’s been a catalyst.

‘Hopefully it’ll lead on to something bigger to really do the subject justice.’

Ex-Pompey and England forward Ray Crawford, 80, opened the exhibition at the weekend.

He said: ‘It’s a fantastic exhibition. There are a lot of people I played against in my amateur days included in the collection – it was nice to reminisce over what Steve has put out.’

Margaret Rogers, vice-chair of Emsworth Museum, said: ‘It was a marvellous opening – the collection is so well-presented.’

Admission to the exhibition – which will run until Sunday, July 9 – is free.

Emsworth Museum is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm on Saturdays and 2.30pm to 4.30pm on Sundays.