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Monday, 9 January 2006, 21:02 GMT

Museum celebrates football pools

Viv Nicholson The game which left viewers dreaming of being a millionaire while watching the football results is being showcased at the National Football Museum.

"Football and Fortunes" has been created by the Preston-based museum and tells the story of the world's oldest and biggest football pools.

The exhibition, which opens on Tuesday, is backed by Littlewoods Pools.

England World Cup winners Gordon Banks and Roger Hunt will be among those attending the opening.

Spending spree

Liverpool-based Littlewoods Pools began in 1923, when John Moores handed out 4,000 coupons to fans attending a Manchester United home game.

The exhibition has all kinds of memorabilia and also features Britain's most famous Pools winner, Viv Nicholson, whose spending spree was immortalised in the TV and stage play "Spend, Spend, Spend".

Mark Bushell, curator and football historian at the National Football Museum, said: "Football is indebted to Littlewoods Pools for helping to make football popular amongst the whole family.

"Littlewoods played a huge part in making football a national obsession rather than simply a game played by working-class men."

Dave Raywood, head of marketing for Littlewoods Pools, said: "This is the first time we have been able to bring all our memorabilia, winners' stories and photography together, to showcase at an exhibition that will bring the history of the Pools to life for football fans of all ages."




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Related to this story:
Littlewoods sells off pools (27 Jun 00 |  Business )
Pools really are a lottery (10 Aug 98 |  UK News )
Vernons wins lottery game (07 May 98 |  Business )

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Littlewoods Pools
National Football Museum
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