The iconic PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year trophies will be showcased at the National Football Museum in a unique collaboration between the players’ union and the Manchester-based museum.
The exhibition, housed in the museum’s Pitch Gallery, will open to the public ahead of the 51st edition of the PFA Awards which will be hosted in the city. The awards evening will see the top performers from across England’s professional football divisions voted the season’s best by their peers.
The National Football Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of football archives and will house the iconic PFA trophies from Monday 12th August to Sunday 18th August. The exhibition will be open to the public and is included within the price of the museum admission. City of Manchester residents are also able to enter the museum for free to see this unique exhibition.
The PFA Players’ Player and Young Player of the Year titles are among the most coveted individual prizes in football, with the winners chosen exclusively by the players.
Players cast their votes during the closing weeks of the 2023/24 season, and the winners will be revealed on Tuesday 20th August at a ceremony in central Manchester.
The awards have been won by some of the game’s best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Mohamed Salah, Kim Little and Lucy Bronze.
The current holders of the PFA Player of the Year titles are Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Chelsea’s Lauren James are the latest winners of the Young Player of the Year awards.
Ritchie Humphreys, PFA Player Services Executive and Trustee of the National Football Museum, said:
“For two institutions of English football to come together in this way is incredibly special. This exhibition gives fans of the game a chance to get up close to two of football’s most iconic trophies days before new winners are crowned only a stone’s throw away at the ceremony in central Manchester.
“We extend our thanks to the National Football Museum for their friendship and collaboration and look forward to seeing visitors connect with the rich history of the PFA Awards.”
Tim Desmond, CEO at National Football Museum said:
"We're honoured to be able to showcase the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year trophies at the museum. It's a rare and brilliant opportunity for visitors and we're delighted this joint effort between us and the PFA has resulted in such an exciting and creative ‘pop up’ exhibition.
“At the National Football Museum, we believe football is important as a game, of course, but it's also a way of generating positive impact in society. It represents positivity and diversity. It's about coming together.
“Great teamwork brings about great results for everyone - just like this collaboration with the PFA shows.”
Visitors can book tickets at the National Football Museum website.
