Opening up its archives for a special event, adidas announces Spezial F.C. – a new footwear exhibition from adidas Originals and END. The exhibition will feature a full programme of events including talks and World Cup match screenings as well as headline musical performances from Happy Mondays, Confidence Man, Liam Fray and Pastel + Afflecks Palace.

If you find yourself at a loose end in the Manchester area this coming week, then you could do a lot worse than head to Oxford Road, as adidas Originals are hosting Spezial F.C. from Friday 18 – Sunday 27 November (noon – 8pm) in a purpose built space at Circle Square. By the sounds of things, it’s set to be a blast, with the brand rolling out a host of its archival shoes that celebrate the culture of football, and that exhibition will be supported by live music and a full programme of events. Worried about missing out on the World Cup? They’ve got you covered, with screenings of matches taking place. And best of all? It’s free admission.

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We say it’s free admission, but donations to the Manchester Young Community Champions Charity (MYCC) are encouraged, and that sounds pretty fair to us. The MYCC is a not-for-profit charity that supports young people’s development through a variety of sports programmes, focusing on growing physical, social and emotional health and wellbeing.  

Following in the footsteps of the Blackburn event that took place back in 2019, the content of the exhibition will comprise of adidas trainers (both vintage and reissues) that are strongly associated with football culture alongside a mixture of football boots (some match worn) and a complete adidas Spezial archive including unreleased samples, working prototypes and the archival shoes that inspired those designs.

To celebrate the exhibition, there will be an accompanying series of events at neighbouring venue CANVAS MCR, kicking off with a headline show from Happy Mondays followed by live performances from Confidence Man, Graham Massey, Liam Fray, DRS, Pastel and Afflecks Palace.

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For more information on the SPEZIAL F.C. exhibition and the series of events including talks and screenings taking place at Canvas please sign up at www.spezialfc.com.