Felix Speller
When looking back over the sheer entertainment and drama that the game of soccer as we know it has provided for more than 150 years, the role that design and innovation has played in the sport cannot be downplayed.
If it weren’t for constant modernisation of all aspects of the game, we’d still be watching teams dressed in hessian knickerbockers lashing heavy, rain-sodden pigskin balls around football pitches more akin to ploughed fields than the flawless hybrid turf of the 21st century. Thankfully, the sport has come a long way from such humble beginnings and that incredible progress is charted in a new exhibition at The Design Museum in London.
“Designing the Beautiful Game,” which runs until the end of August, explores the integral role that design has had in transforming the game from an earnest Victorian pastime into the slick global industry of today — from kits and boots to the architecture of modern super-stadiums.
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The installation has been curated in partnership with the Manchester-based National Football Museum, which has provided a treasure trove of items of historical significance with back stories linking them to luminaries such as Lionel Messi, George Best, Pele and Diego Maradona.
These prized artefacts sit alongside a glut of contemporary design projects that involve many of the sportswear brands responsible for revolutionising footballing apparel over the years such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Hummel and Umbro.
The show is split into five sections covering the different aspects in which design and technology have influenced association football around the world: Performance, Identity, Crowds, Spectacle and Play.
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Performance
Felix Speller
Kicking off with the core fundamentals, the Performance section examines the way in which the relentless global pursuit of peak athleticism has pushed football forwards when it comes to tactics, training and the various…
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