As a football tailoring service with 84 years experience, Umbro has plenty of pieces of football memorabilia – such as Matt Busby’s boots, pictured above. We’re also sure that a lot of you people out there do too, and that’s why we’re hoping to begin a series of exhibitions in which we can showcase the finest pieces of football history around. Here at Umbro, we’re hoping to open up our design space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter to the best pieces of football memorabilia we can find. We’ll look through our archives and find the best bits, but we also want you to get involved. So, if you have any memorabilia that you think might be of interest, get in touch. We’re talking photos, shirts, boots, tickets, programmes, autographs – anything football related.

Of course, that could add up to a lot of stuff, so we’re going to narrow it down with a series of categories. These will then be showcased with a number of mini-exhibitions showing the finest contributions we’ve brought together. Everyone who contributes will be invited along to see their items on display and to explore Umbro’s own elements of football history.

For the first exhibition, we’re sticking to our roots, and focusing on Manchester as a theme. That doesn’t just confine us to United and City though. We want to see stuff from these clubs of course, but we’re also interested in Greater Manchester’s other teams – Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, Oldham, Wigan, etc. If you’ve anything that you think might be of interest, we want to hear from you. You’ve got until Friday November 20 to get your suggestions over to us for the first, Manchester-themed exhibition, which we hope to put on in the new year.

So what to do now? The first thing to do is get in touch – we want to know what footballing stories should we concentrate on – United’s rise to the top? Oldham’s time in the spotlight? Great derby matches? We want to tell Manchester’s footballing story, and we want you to help us. Email your suggestions, perhaps with examples of the things we could include in the exhibition to tell these stories, to blog@umbro.co.uk or comment here on the blog and we’ll use the best ideas to shape the forthcoming exhibition.

To inspire some ideas, have a look at some photos of the Northern Quarter base where we intend to stage the exhibition over at our Flickr account.

The Winter installment of Umbro Industries opens for applicants today, offering creative types in Greater Manchester the opportunity to win up to £10,000 to fund a project or idea they’ve had. So if you’ve got a great plan for a gig, an exhibition, a club night or a special project, and all that’s missing is the funds to make it happen, this is the perfect opportunity to get the cash that will set the gears in motion.

All you have to do is head to the Umbro Industries website, where you can give a brief description of your idea and how much you’d need to get it off the ground. While you’re there, you can also vote for the other ideas that you like the best, and read up on the panel of creative and business innovators who’ll be voting for the eventual winners.

Entry to this round of Umbro Industries is open until January 28th, after which the panel will draw up a shortlist their favourite suggestions. These finalists will then present their ideas directly to the panel in order to persuade them that their ideas are the best. If you want some tips on what the judges are looking for, here’s what two of the panel had to say about the entrants and the eventual winners of the Autumn Umbro Industries.

Mike Pickering (former Hacienda DJ, now head of A&R at Sony BMG)

‘I thought the standard of entries was excellent, not just the shortlist but throughout the competition, so narrowing it down wasn’t that easy. In fact some of them, you feel like telling them to resubmit, as they’ll have a chance to be considered again.

With the two winners, there was a couple of reasons why they stood out. First of all, they’d both been doing it for a few years, and they’re all still passionate about what they’re doing. Mind On Fire have got a great website, and they’ve got a great idea to put new Manchester talent on the b-side to more established acts on their website, taking Manchester music to the rest of the world. They were also really passionate and really well thought out, and it was the same with Same Teens really. They’ve done it for a while, so it’s something that you know will work. They’ve got ties in Tokyo and Hamburg, so it’s already recognised on a global scale.

Umbro Industries can only be positive thing for Manchester’s creative community because even if it’s just a bit of money to a cause, it gives the people who are doing it a boost. When I was working my way up, if you get people recognising what you’re doing and offering a hand, it’s a big boost to your enthusiasm.’

Dave Rofe (manager of Doves and Cherry Ghost)

‘I must admit that when I first got asked to pick the best ideas, I thought it’d be quite easy.I thought there’d be about 10 or 15 to choose from, and that it’d be dead obvious who the winners would be. But I was amazed at both the amount of entries, and how well written they all were, so it was a really hard decision. On my shortlist I had to choose five because I couldn’t get it down to three.

I think this shows that Manchester’s creative community is probably as strong as it’s ever been. There’s always been a lot going on, but what’s happened in the past is that people have collaborated, whereas now I’m not sure whether that happens as much. So something like Umbro Industries is going to be good in bringing people together.

If I was going to offer any advise to any potential future entrant, I’d ask them to give us as much detail as possible, and to be realistic with what you ask for. Work out what you need in terms of money, and work on that basis. If you’ve got an idea, and you can represent it, visually, bring it along, so we can see what you want to do.’

Here’s a pair of interviews with the winners of the Autumn Umbro Industries competition, who both walked away with £5,000 to spend on their projects this weekend. We start with Ben, Joe and Lowell from south Manchester music collective Mind On Fire…

How did you think your pitch to the panel went?

‘We settled down once we got in there. About five minutes beforehand we started getting really nervous! But the panel were really friendly and welcome so that helped. We’ve all been up on stage as musicians and DJs, but it was a very different way of performing.’

What is Mind On Fire all about?

‘Mind On Fire is a collective of musicians and DJs, and we’ve been putting on not-for-profit events around Manchester for the last five years. At first it was just a way of getting gigs for everyone we knew. We did it all ourselves, from booking the sound guy to performing on stage. From a very early age we thought there was a lot of stuff that went under the radar, and we wanted to provide a platform for these artists to play. We put on all genres, it’s a real mixed back, with the emphasis on the local.’

What do you plan to spend the money on?

‘We want to develop the collective into a label, with a series of vinyl releases next year. We have a website where we can digitally release music, but the money will allow us to set up as a label that releases vinyl. The idea is to release six singles that feature an international, established artist on one side, and a local Manchester band on the b-side. We want the visual element to be really big, the artwork and the look of everything is also very important to us. It’s important that this is also a sustainable project for us, so we can keep on releasing records into the future.’

What do you think made you stand out?

‘We’ve done a lot of work with other groups already, and if we get the money, we’d like to think that we can bring a lot of other people into these ideas as well. We can involve a lot of different elements of Manchester’s creative community. There’s also the sustainability of the project; we’d like to continue it for years to come.’

What effect do you think Umbro Industries will have on Manchester’s creative community?

‘It can only be a good thing really. It’s highlighted how many creative people there are in Manchester, and it’ll hopefully provide a platform for collaboration as well. A lot of people here do things with their own money, so if Umbro can provide a bit of money to allow them to take these ideas further, that’d be great. It’ll open doors for people to bring out those big ideas that they’ve maybe had shut away in the cupboard for a while. It’s offering the resources to make these ideas a reality.’

And here’s Hannah, Ryan and Jade from Same Teens…

How did you feel about pitching to the panel?

‘It was terrifying! It was one of the scariest things we’ve ever had to do. But all the people involved are established and well known for what they do, so they know what they’re talking about.’

What is Same Teens all about?

‘Same Teens is a collective of people who take the creative energy of young people here in Manchester and try to channel it into gigs, design, fashion and music. We all met at a party, and we were bored at being underage and unable to see all the bands that we loved. We set up a club night, and from there it’s progressed to include gigs, fanzines, all sorts. We’ve worked with Tim Burgess, the Mystery Jets and a ton of other bands; we put a night on at the Manchester International Festival and we’ve just been a part of In The City here in Manchester.’

Why did you decide to apply for Umbro Industries?

‘We thought it would be a really good opportunity to move things forward for us, and to expand into areas that we’ve previously been excluded from, because we’re currently funding everything out of our own pockets.’

What do you plan to spend the money on?

‘We’ll be able to print and distribute our fanzine for a whole year. And we’d also be able to get some studio space where all these creative individuals could hang out. Giving these young people space where they can work would be great. We’l also be able to carry on setting up gigs and events, but on a bigger scale than before.
The effect will be huge – it’ll really help to move us on to another level, it’s just a fantastic opportunity. For Manchester, with all the history in the city here that’s great, but for the younger people that are coming through, they need to have the opportunity to use their passion on something.’

Why do you think you stood out?

‘Because we’re all about giving other people a chance. We’ve been doing it because we love what we do, and also because we really want to help other people. Winning is brilliant not just for us, but for all the young people here in Manchester who are part of what we do.’

What effect do you think Umbro Industries could have in Manchester?

‘It’s an amazing opportunity that they’re giving people to further the work that they’re doing. It’s also good for bringing together all these different pockets of creativity around Manchester, and getting them communicating with each other. And obviously in the middle of a recession, it’s great that funding is being provided.’

After two months and 80 entries, the first Umbro Industries initiative comes to a climax this weekend, with the five shortlisted finalists pitching their ideas to our panel of creative and business innovators. Aiming to fuel creativity throughout Greater Manchester, Umbro Industries is a new idea that offers £10,000 of bursaries to the best ideas in art, music, fashion and culture every three months. We’re very excited to be able to reveal who has been chosen for the shortlist on this occasion, earning the opportunity to impress our judges and walk away with all or part of the money this weekend.

In no particular order, they are:

Upper Space Gallery

Previously making their mark on Manchester with a gallery in the Northern Quarter and a series of art events, graffiti and street art specialists Upper Space propose to take their work online with a web-based exhibition space and shop, combined with a series of one-off collaborations in the public realm.

True Manc. Stories

Fly-posting is an integral part of everyday life. For their idea, True Manc. Stories propose an exploration and exhibition of street posters, tracing their history and examining the particular role they’ve played here in Manchester from the 1970s to the present day.

Mind On Fire

A record label and musical collective, Mind On Fire have been supporting Manchester’s bands, DJs and producers for the past five years. To celebrate this anniversary, their proposal includes the release of a series of limited edition singles, a series of events to launch the releases, and an expansion of their online resources.

Same Teens

Born out of the frustration of being unable to get into age-restricted gigs, Same Teens have since grown to establish under-18 club nights and gigs across Manchester, staging events at Manchester International Festival and In The City in the process. Their proposal involves developing a website and print publication to expand the Same Teens idea even further.

Manchester Creative Co-Working Space

Aiming to bring together the city’s creative community, the Manchester Creative Co-Working Space would offer a meeting place for freelancers and independent agencies to come together. Working on the idea that a problem shared is a problem halved, the Space would offer resources, support and a creative atmosphere to help those looking for inspiration.

So, that’s the five ideas that have been shortlisted. On Sunday, they’ll pitch to the panel at our base in the Northern Quarter, and the winners will be decided on the day. Umbro Industries is an ongoing, long-term commitment to Manchester’s creative community, and the website will open again on November 2 for the next round of ideas. If you weren’t successful this time, or have been inspired to come up with something new, you can enter your ideas and be in with a chance of getting the support next time around.

Okay, now I would never usually wish for job adverts to go on this blog but this one I think is a bit different!  We are looking for a person to run/manage our soon to open Design Studio, which will be located in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. This space will be a living, evolving place where apparel designers will work, and artists and designers will gather to learn and share information and inspiration. A portion of the space will be dedicated to an exchange where all things football will be curated, displayed, and sold: Memorabilia, collectables, ephemera, media, one-off apparel pieces, and the hard-to-find. And the third part of the space will be a gathering place for design and craft guild projects, and special events.

The design studio will have strong links with this blog and I am really looking forward to when it is all up and running.  Below is a more of a description of the person we are looking for, rather than the job itself.  If you think this is you then drop me a mail at blog@umbro.co.uk and I will pass your details onto the relevant person.

• First and foremost, a deep love of and passion for  the game of football
• Living in, or with history and roots in  Manchester
• An understanding of design
• Some business experience
• Coordinating the staff and the day to day running  of the space
• Understanding and pursuing community  outreach
• Strong roots in modern culture; music, art,  design
• Always on top of trends
• A ton of energy
• Always thinking about a fresh creative approach,  always searching for the unexpected, always reaching

The person will have to be multi dimensional, multi faceted with a keen ability to keep things together, move things forward, push things to change and evolve; with one eye always on the big picture, but a grass roots ability to handle the day to day.  I doubt if this person exists in resume readable form, but rather just IS.  We’ll be talking more about our plans for the Design Studio here on the blog in the coming weeks.