Free admission has already led to increased visitor numbers

Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton is officially launching the Preston museum as a free attraction.

Free admission was introduced last month and has prompted an increase in visitor numbers.

The first person through the doors of the Deepdale museum on Thursday will join Sir Bobby in the opening ceremony.

Funding for the free access policy has come from the North West Development Agency (NWDA) and the Football Foundation.

The museum, which houses a huge collection, opened in 2001 with a Lottery grant of �9.5m.

Historic memorabilia

Bryan Gray, chairman of the NWDA, said that the museum was a "unique" asset not just for Preston, but for the UK.

He added: "The National Football Museum is playing an important role in the regeneration of Deepdale and is an excellent example of what imagination and ambition can achieve."

The centrepiece of the museum is the FIFA Museum Collection of historic football memorabilia.

It has a further seven collections, with more than 20,000 items in total.