Kick off at the National Football Museum

The doors, or turnstiles rather, to the long-awaited National Football Museum open this Friday as all six floors of the iconic Urbis building are transformed into a football mecca (with bar and restaurant on top). The museum, moved from its original Preston home to Manchester over the last two years, aims to present the visitor with the full spectrum of football life: the roots of the game; fan culture; club history and what it’s like to play the game. We hear there’s a Joe Hart goalie reflex simulator (which should keep you busy unless you’re Andrea Pirlo) and the third floor is given over to temporary exhibitions, debuting with installations on football in West Africa and a photographic retrospective entitled Homes of Football. The top floors, with views over the city, host the restaurant and bar – and there’s a ground floor gift shop too.

Fri 6 Jul – ongoing, National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, M4 3BG. Tel: 0161 870 9275, 10am-5pm, FREE, www.nationalfootballmuseum.com