Posted on 23rd October 2026
The Great Save: Football heritage in action
If you believe that football heritage is important, the FSA allied members The Great Save agree with you – they campaign for the preservation, display and use of football memorabilia, by seeking to make supporters aware of the value of football ‘stuff’, what’s worth keeping, how and where to preserve it, and raising the profile of the issue here the campaign lead Roger Titford tells us more…
Last season there was a sudden growth in the number of independent club-based heritage societies and museums.
We’re delighted to see the energy and enterprise of these groups. It demonstrates the value of football heritage to ordinary supporters. And the IFR’s remit on heritage creates new and higher-level opportunities. Heritage preservation should be part of all supporter engagement.
At the start of this season the volunteer-led Southend United Museum opened its doors, and it’s a great example of what can be done.
A Shrimper’s Tale
What’s been done recently at Southend is eye-catching. Andy Leeder, a volunteer from the Shrimpers Trust, says: “None of us had ever constructed a museum before – we sought views from friends at Charlton, AFC Wimbledon and Exeter, and went from there. 
“In late 2025 an opportunity presented itself – the club were renewing the 88 casings on the four floodlight pylons overlooking Roots Hall. These were due to be scrapped, but we put out a social media post offering them for sale. Shrimpers eager to own a piece of Roots Hall history snapped them all up within five hours, and suddenly we had substantive funds (subsequently topped up by the Shrimpers Trust) to work with.
“A site for the museum – the ticket office adjoining the club shop – was then agreed with the club. All we then needed to do was create something at no cost to Southend United.
“A small army of volunteers were found, all working for love not cash, materials were sought, memorabilia gathered, and construction began in July. It was hard work, many long days (and nights), and not without its frustrations, but fun and rewarding too. That we had our former three-time Player of the Year, and expert decorator, Ronnie Pountney join us, was a particular joy.
“In August, club and council officials, the Lord Mayor, a handful of former players, and the group of dedicated volunteers gathered to watch our former player and manager Steve Tilson cut the ribbon to declare the museum open. The following day it was packed with fans prior to matchday kick-off, eager to see what had been done, and it was rewarding for all of us to see so many smiling faces.
“The response has been brilliant. Fans of all generations have been to visit, lots of old memories triggered by what’s on display, with older generations eager to point out items they once saw on the terraces to their younger friends.
“One exhibit is part of our old scoreboard, showing the result it once proudly beamed out: Southend United 1 Manchester United 0. We just now need to find a way of contacting Sir Alex Ferguson to see if he might like to pay a visit and pose by that reminder of a wonderful night back in 2006!
“As the museum adjoins the club shop, anyone can visit during opening hours. It’s free to enter and is manned by Shrimpers Trust volunteers prior to kick-off on match days. We believe that the museum complements the club shop and vice-versa.”
Work ongoing
Over the past year new heritage groups have also emerged at Carlisle United, Notts County, Gillingham, Ipswich Town, Wigan Athletic and Lincoln City, all of which have great stories to tell too.
What, if anything, is happening at your club? The Great Save would like to know and has a few short questions it would like to ask – you can take part in our survey here. You can also get in touch with The Great Save via email.
