New Virtual Reality exhibition to open at Scottish Football Museum

While the Scottish national team are thousands of miles away in pursuit of World Cup glory, back home, supporters can visit a new virtual reality exhibition.

This will kick off at the Scottish Football Museum, located within Hampden Park, this week, just in time for the start of the tournament.

University of Glasgow and Scottish Football Museum team up to bring virtual reality wonder to Barclays Hampden for World Cup. Pictured is Demi Boyd, curator of Hampden Museum, using the UNBOX at the Hampden Wall of Fame. (Image: Martin Shields)

The immersive experience titled ‘The Treasures of Scottish Football: A Virtual Reality Experience’ is being delivered in partnership between football heritage chiefs and experts at the University of Glasgow (UoG).

It will showcase football objects from the national collection, bringing to life some of the Scottish game’s most iconic trophies, artefacts, and memorabilia in a specially-curated virtual gallery.

Fans will be able to view and ‘hold’ objects using VR headsets thanks to ‘groundbreaking’ extended reality technology developed by researchers at the university.

Neal Ross, chief executive at the Scottish Football Museum, said: “This has been an incredible project to work on with the team at the University of Glasgow, and it will enable us to really take the treasures of the Museum to the world.

“As World Cup fever sweeps the nation and the whole world, we are so excited to be part of this groundbreaking initiative.”

Demi Boyd, curator of Hampden Museum, with Calumn Livingston, Hampden Visitor Services Officer, with Craighead Primary School pupils in Milton of Campsie, Annabell Gelston (10) (left) and Roma Stevenson (9) (Image: Martin Shields)

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Artefacts include the original Scottish Cup from 1874 (the oldest national football trophy in the world), Sir Kenny Dalglish’s football jersey from the 1978 World Cup, and the match ball used in the Scottish Qualifying Cup Final of 1898.

Other treasures include the ‘Rosebury shirt’ worn by the Scotland men’s national team against England in 1907, the Meissen Vase that was presented to the Scottish FA by the German FA for the first meeting of the two national teams in 1929, and football legend Billy Steel’s boots from the 1940s.

Headsets will be deployed in the [un]box Virtual Reality kiosk, developed by the UoG’s Museums in the Metaverse team.

This was previously exhibited at Glasgow Science Centre, St Giles Cathedral, and the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The attraction will open at the Scottish Football Museum at Barclays Hampden (Image: Martin Shields)

The technology uses advanced photogrammetry and digital artistry to create museum-quality 3D models.

The exciting gallery of objects has been created in collaboration with curators at the Scottish Football Museum and will be situated in the museum’s ‘Hall of Fame’.

Proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to Alzheimer’s UK.

Professor Pauline Mackay, co-director of RIG and a co-founder of Infinite Muse, said: “We’re incredibly proud that our ‘Wonder’ technology will enable awe-inspiring new interactions with the nation’s football heritage as the men’s team return to the world stage.

“The story of Scottish football is extraordinary and deserves to be known far and wide. We’re delighted that we’ve been able to support the custodians of this heritage to tell the story in exciting new ways.”