The National Football Museum has announced plans to open at Manchester's Urbis centre in 2011 after trustees of the attraction resolved to enter into a deal with Manchester City Council (MCC).

It is hoped the new partnership with secure the long-term future of the museum, which no longer has sufficient funds to remain at its current location in Preston, Lancashire, despite attracting 100,000 visitors a year. Under the plans, the National Football Museum will remain open to the public in Preston to allow for the creation of the new attraction in Manchester, while it is hoped to retain current exhibitions in Preston beyond 2012 if funding can be secured.

The museum also plans to continue its research partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), which had teamed up with Lancashire County Council (LCC) and Preston City Council (PCC) to keep the attraction in the city. A spokesperson for the museum's trustees said: "The trustees resolved in principle to establish the National Football Museum at Urbis in Manchester, subject to receiving assurances on certain potential liabilities.

"In the meantime we re-affirm our desire to maintain the publicly accessible museum at Preston and will enter into further discussions with the Lancashire County Council Consortium to achieve this aim." MCC leader Sir Richard Leese said: "Independent expert analysis shows that the National Football Museum at Urbis could attract up to 400,000 visitors a year - making it an internationally important destination.

"The museum's arrival in Manchester will ensure it has a sustainable future while adding to our existing wide range of tourist attractions, building on the major achievements of Urbis to date." However, PCC leader Ken Hudson has expressed his disappointment at the decision, despite the museum's plans to retain a presence in Preston.

Hudson said: "We are bitterly disappointed that the trustees of the National Football Museum have decided, in effect, to move the football museum to Manchester. "Now they are talking about having some sort of 'publicly accessible' museum in Preston until 2012 - as long as Preston taxpayers fund it. In other words they want us to baby sit the museum until they open a new one in Manchester."

Image: Daniel Hopkinson