As part of my research into English footballing identity in the early post-war era, I was recently able to undertake a trip to Switzerland, visiting the FIFA Museum library in Zurich and the Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne. The FIFA library holds virtually every football book ever written, with extensive collections of magazines and documents as well. During my visit, I was able to view the minutes of Football Association meetings, correspondence related to the USSR's entry into FIFA, and documents relating to the arranging of international fixtures from this era.
A couple of days later, I travelled to Lausanne, where the Olympic Studies Centre held valuable information on the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games. I was able to view the minutes of IOC meetings regarding the organisation of both events, a wealth of primary source material on the 1948 Games, particularly magazine features, and special publications documenting the Games. Both archive trips were incredibly useful for my research, and would not have been possible without this funding from the BSSH, and I am truly thankful for this opportunity. The views from the Olympic Museum alone were well worth the visit.