Nothing beats seeing our sporting heroes play live in the flesh. Seeing them perfect the impossible and put on displays of jaw-dropping brilliance. Big moments can punctuate childhood and live long in the memory. 

It is no shock then that sport museums are growing in popularity across the globe — the chance as a fan to relive those feats of sporting perfection, of remembering your team win titles and trophies is something that many find seductive. 

The role of sports museums is not just honor our heroes, but also proudly display sporting heritage. Sporting stars become immortal as our heroes are enshrined in Halls of Fame. Nostalgia is a booming market theses days — it is not for nothing that the slogan for The International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA), a body that assists sports museums and Halls of Fame, is: Where legends live forever.

Some sports museums are publicly sponsored such as The National Football Museum in Manchester, in the UK. The council has supported the venue since it opened in 2012 and is providing a grant of £137,500 ($175,000) a month. It also receives grants from the UK Arts Council, and Lottery for projects. 

It would seem that that is money well spent as the venue has bucked the UK trend, recently reporting an increase in museum visitor figures.

The role of sports museums is not just honor our heroes, but also proudly display sporting heritage.

Dr. Razan Baker

Other sports museums have also entered the realm of national tourist attractions. Juventus’ museum at its Allianz Stadium has only been around since 2012, but has already attracted one  million visitors and is among the 50 most visited museums in Italy. Football may be popular in Italy, but in a country that has produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio, and has umpteen attractions displaying their beautiful works of art to tourists from around the world, that is some stat. 

In Saudi Arabia I’ve been to one sport museum — at Al-Ittihad football club. Not usually open for security reasons, it does allow visitors from time to time. For me it was a memorable experience. Photos of my father and uncles were on display along with the trophies they won — things I have never seen anywhere else. 

I heard stories about how they started playing with a ball made of socks and the places they played at, as well as learning about the people who opened their houses during training camp before matches. It was a moving and thought-provoking visit and one I will never forget.

I am sure my experience at the Al-Ittihad museum is replicated by many sport fans the world over. That is why there should be a national sport museum in Saudi Arabia, a place where the Kingdom can pay tribute to its many sporting

heroes. 

There are many stories the country has to tell and these are only going to grow with the inclusion of women taking part in sport — another milestone worth celebrating and making future generations aware of. 

A place with a door to the history of our heroes and legends, from the past to present, would be a worthy addition to the Kingdom. If we want to increase participation in sport across society then this could be an important initiative and a highlight of any visit to the country.

Dr. Razan Baker is a member of the board of directors at the Saudi Bowling Federation, a specialist in corporate social responsibility in sports, and a sports columnist/journalist. Twitter: @RazanBaker