Pride of England Celebrates Local Footballing Heroes

New portraits of Chloe Kelly and Bukayo Saka to feature in exhibition

Three Lions - A sculpture co-created by Matt Small and local school children

January 15, 2025

Pride of England, a community-focused exhibition celebrating the legacy of the England football teams, is opening shortly at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery.

Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the displays will feature sculptures made from recycled footballs co-created by artist Matt Small with young people in Ealing, which then accompanied the England Men’s Football Team to Germany for EURO 2024.

There will also be two new commissions of Lioness Chloe Kelly and Bukayo Saka who both come from Ealing. The portraits are Matt Small's trademark mixed media on wood board, and measure 180x140cm.

Chloe, who was awarded Freedom of the City of London following the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph and whose extra-time goal sealed a 2-1 victory over Germany, was born on this day (15 January) in 1998 in Hanwell where she went to school at Elthorne Park High School. She often played in football cages in Windmill Park in Ealing, which she credits with making her the player she became. A plaque honouring Kelly was installed at the cages in 2022. Before joining Arsenal's Centre of Excellence, she played for Queens Park Rangers.

Bukayo Saka, who plays for Arsenal also grew up in Ealing and has strong ties with the local community.

The exhibition will also feature photos and videos capturing the Three Lions in Germany with the football team, offering a special behind-the-scenes perspective on this international project.

On 6 February there will be a panel discussion -“Three Lions and a Unicorn: Penalty Taking, Belonging, and the England Football Teams”. Speakers will include: Professor Robert Vaughan of the University of West London who has written about the psychology of penalty taking, which was such a key theme in the England team’s EUROs quest; Art critic Orit Gat will discuss football as a prism through which to explore questions about immigration, nationalism, race, gender, money, love, and the possibility of belonging. And artist Matt Small will discuss how he sought to convey the inspiration of the players and their team spirit through art.

Additional events include family-friendly workshops during the Spring half-term holiday (15–23 February). Also, a special Teachers’ CPD session on 23 January, in partnership with the University of West London, will equip educators with creative tools to inspire their students through themes of teamwork and resilience.

Matt Small says, “The Three Lions are not just sculptures, they are symbols of teamwork and belonging. They represent strength in diversity and the pride we feel when we come together as a community. Bringing them back to Ealing, where they were created, feels like the perfect conclusion to this journey.”

Clare Gough, Director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, says: “Thanks to the support of our community, we are thrilled to be bringing the ‘Three Lions’ home to Ealing, together with this fascinating exhibition, celebrating what it means to represent England and the impact of the national teams in local communities.”

The exhibition runs from 22 January – 23 February 2025.

Visitors to Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery can also view two other exhibitions: Antoni Malinowski and Hélène Binet: Pigments and Photons and Language of the Physical: Katherine Gili’s Sculpture. From Light— an exhibition by the award-winning artist Alison Watt OBE, is to be held this spring, running from 5 March to 1 June,

Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery will be closed from Wednesday 15 January to Friday 17 January. essential conservation and maintenance. It will reopen on Saturday 18 January.

There is unlimited free access for Members at all times and Ealing borough residents can get free entry on Sundays 10am–noon and First Thursdays 5–8pm.

Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday 10am–5pm , including Bank Holidays (First Thursday of the Month: 10am–8pm).