Visitors who have autism and their carers can explore the galleries in a calm and relaxed environment before the general public access. Gallery sound levels will be minimal with a quiet room available. There will be plenty of opportunities to kick a football around in their Football Plus+ interactives, while non-football fans can enjoy craft activities, handling objects, trails and more.

The National Football Museum is located in Manchester City centre. As a museum they have recently taken the commitment to host an early open for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and have recently held their first trial opening which took place on Sunday 18th March. Although they are still in the early stages of introducing this initiative they feel they have had good feedback and look forward to hosting similar events in the future. The next one has been scheduled for Sunday 15th April. It is their intention for early openings such as these to become a regular part of the museum’s schedule, which they plan to run on the second Sunday of every month following this initial trial. However, they also hope that specialised events such as these will build confidence in their visitors and encourage them to attend during normal opening hours, which they believe is an integral part of improving the overall access and experience for their visitors who have ASD. Despite ASD being the focus of these particular openings, this is part of a wider scheme to improve the overall accessibility of their museum.

The activities are free of charge and suitable anyone aged 5 and above. No need to book – simply drop in and enjoy what we have to offer!

The museum will be looking to establish regular monthly openings of this nature; please check their What’s On page for the latest dates.

If you have any questions regarding our autism-friendly opening, please contact frontofhouse@nationalfootballmuseum.com.

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