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The National League Commissions New Trophies

The National League has commissioned Thomas Lyte as designers and makers of three brand new trophies for the respective winners of The National League Championships.

Each one will be lifted by National, North and South respective champions later this month as the 2015/16 season draws to its climax.

Made in the Thomas Lyte London Workshop, the three trophies are each made from Silver Plate with 24 carat gold plating, with the North and South standing at 50cm tall, and the National standing an impressive 60cm tall. Each is an imposing award in its own right, though designed to create the new brand behind The National League.

The trophies are created from flat sheets of metal, which are first cut into the required size. By a means of hammering, these are then moulded into a cone shape, and soldered at the seams to secure. After which the process of spinning occurs; drawing the cone on to the chucks shaped to a lathe, which finalises the shape of the trophy. The decorative handles are then forged by hand and hammer by the master silversmith.

All components are pre-polished prior to the assembly, but once together as a piece the trophy is returned to the polisher to re-polish to a bright finish. Finally it is silver-plated with pure silver, and the finer details are picked out in 24ct gold. From design to finish, each trophy takes around 110 craft hours to complete.

Brian Barwick, Chairman of the League stated “We have worked closely with Thomas Lyte to ensure that the creative image of our League is continued into the actual trophies which each Championship club will receive as winners in a few weeks. It was so important to embody into the design the modern day thinking of the League and this has been admirably achieved through great craftsmanship”.

Kevin Baker, Founder and CEO of Thomas Lyte, said: “Having crafted some of football’s most iconic trophies, it is an honour to be the official designers and makers of the new trophies for The National League. These trophies are a masterpiece of British silversmithing, handcrafted by our elite crafts people at our London Workshop. Thomas Lyte prides itself on the skills of its expert silversmiths and this iconic symbol of competitive sportsmanship couldn’t be in better hands.”

The trophies have been designed incorporating the rose flower throughout, a symbolic icon of The National League. Engraved upon the trophy, the rose is also featured at the tip of the handles, remaining at the heart of The National League. The Thomas Lyte designer describes the conception of the trophies: “The design embodies a youthful and contemporary appeal in synergy with the look and feel of The National League. A hand spun design, it features stylised handles capped with branded medallions, accentuated by a few elements highlighted in 24 Carat Gold Gilding. Crafted to perfection to create an iconic new trophy, each winning club will have tremendous pride in showing off to their fans and communities.

Thomas Lyte are one of the few remaining craftwork workshops in the UK producing exquisite gold and silver trophies. The London workshops are world renowned for creating a variety of globally iconic sporting trophies, including the third edition, and current FA Cup. The expertise and experience also expands into a collection of rugby, tennis and motorsport trophies, awards and medals. More recently, in January 2015 they were granted a Royal Warrant as Goldsmith and Silversmith to Her Majesty the Queen.

New Trophy