Only a Game? hits Liverpool

Trophy trio 
The UEFA Champions League trophy, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup will all be on display at the interactive exhibition in the World Museum Liverpool. In addition, the National Football Museum based in nearby Preston has supplied the shirts, medals and trophies of great European players of yesteryear, such as Ferenc Puskás, George Best, Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Moore, as well as of modern-day stars like Chelsea FC goalkeeper Petr Čech.

Thought-provoking
While providing a traditional museum-visit experience, the exhibition also aims to provoke visitors into considering the social and cultural impact of the planet's most popular sport. Giant figures of Johan Cruyff and Kevin Keegan, among others, recount their own life stories as part of the exhibition's focus on the human face of football from the 1950s to the present day, and on how the sport can act as a uniting force for people of different nationalities, languages and cultures.

Evocative
Visitors should leave the exhibition with more questions than answers. Why do I care about football? Which emotions does football trigger? Does it strengthen my sense of local identity or introduce me to new cultures, or both? What does Europe signify in all of this?

Media world
Younger supporters can dip into the world of the media, mixing football footage with their favourite music to create their own video clip, or can show off their knowledge of the game by challenging friends to a quiz. The city of Liverpool's place in the history of football has not been forgotten, with special items from the Everton FC collection and from the museum of five-time European champions Liverpool FC adding unique local flavour.

Culture capital
The exhibition, which will run from 11 October to 1 March 2009, has been organised by UEFA in conjunction with the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the National Football Museum and National Museums Liverpool to mark the city's year as 2008 European Capital of Culture.