Unique materials on the history and development of football in Russia are presented at the exhibition in the Presidential Library

22 May 2018

The exhibition "More than a Game: to the FIFA World Cup in Russia" has been opened. The exhibition highlights the main milestones in the history of Russian football, tells how this sport developed and is being developed in our country now.

Svetlana Kuzmitskaya, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of St. Petersburg, at the opening of the exhibition noted the importance of such exhibitions: "Before the World Cup, any additional information about football is necessary. In the Presidential Library, anyone can learn not only about the history of this sport, but also about what will become history after a while. The most important thing in this exhibition is that it helps not to forget the history of our Motherland, it contributes to the upbringing of future generations".

Most part of the exposition is devoted to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, matches of which will be held in eleven Russian cities, in particular in St. Petersburg. Numerous photo and video materials show what work our country has done while preparing for the grandiose sports event: modern stadiums have been erected, some of them can be called unique works of architecture and engineering, new terminal buildings have been opened, training bases, sports complexes have been reconstructed, work on improvement of the tourist infrastructure and much more. Among the unique exhibits of the exhibition is the model of the new stadium "St. Petersburg", executed in the smallest details, the official ball of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The exposition also tells about people who formed and developed Russian football. One of the first coaches, the first referee Georgy Duperron, the participant of the blockade matches Victor Nabutov and others are among them. Rich illustrative material from the Presidential Library collections - the statutes of sports societies and various documents, literature about sports, the press, posters, etc., gives a visual representation of how football was gradually transformed: the rules, the technique of the game, the equipment of athletes and others.

A separate showcase introduces visitors of the Presidential Library to the activities of the volunteer movement, whose participants have already become indispensable assistants in the conduct of major events. The exhibition features details about the work of volunteers from St. Petersburg and other cities-organizers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The public movement of sports volunteers of St. Petersburg helped the organizers of the exhibition to select materials related to the forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia™ and the Year of the Volunteer held in the Russian Federation.

Before visiting the exposition you should first pre-register by phone (812) 334-25-14 or send an email to: excursion@prlib.ru.