Football gets overseas transfer

Glasgow design group Graven Images is designing an international touring exhibition that will celebrate the experience of British football.

Football Nation has been commissioned by the British Council and will be launched in Qatar during November, before moving on to Saudi Arabia, Thailand and South Korea.

Other countries that will possibly host the 250sqm exhibition include Japan, China, Brazil, Australia, Egypt, South Africa and Switzerland. A combination of videos, photographs, sounds and a variety of other effects will be used to recreate the atmosphere of a top-level match.

British Council sports consultant and project manager Andy Hansen says the show aims to “build on the huge global following of British football. It will transmit some of the excitement and expertise that characterises football in the UK”.

Graven Images client liaison manager Roslyn McCallum adds: “At the heart of it will be a mini-stadium, where visitors will experience a multimedia presentation on British football and stadiums. It will make you think you are actually at a football match.”

Much of the project focuses on stadium design. The award winning Reebok stadium in Bolton and the McAlpine stadium in Huddersfield will both feature prominently in the exhibition. “There will also be displays about architecturally significant stadiums, such as Hamden Park in Scotland, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and Manchester’s Old Trafford. Much of it relates to stadium design and the impact it has on the game and the atmosphere,” explains Hansen.