On behalf of the NFM’s 20 staff, Prospect negotiator Jez Stewart said: “Preston has made a major contribution to football’s history.

"It was instrumental in the birth of the league and therefore is the right site for a national museum celebrating the game.

“Not only do these plans fly in the face of that history but any move to Manchester’s Urbis centre means half of the staff face immediate redundancy while half face months of uncertainty.”

The union, he added, disputes claims that Manchester’s city centre location will prove any more of a popular draw than the current location. It queries the wisdom of the move, which will see the facility closed for an 18-month refit in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

Prospect is calling on government, the wider football community and local development agencies to provide the funding to enable the museum to remain in Preston.

Preston North End was one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888, becoming the first team to do the league and the FA Cup ‘double’. Its stadium, Deepdale, is one of the oldest professional football grounds in the world.