The FA Community Shield is one of English football’s most iconic matches – pitting the current Premier League champions against the winner of the previous season’s FA Cup. It’s a match steeped in history, and Thomas Lyte, a Royal Warrant holder as silversmiths and goldsmiths to The Late Queen Elizabeth II, is enormously proud to Design and Make the FA Community Shield medals.
As the Official Trophy Supplier of the FA and Emirates FA Cup, Thomas Lyte has a deep-rooted relationship with the sport. The Community Shield medals are presented to the winners and runners-up at the conclusion of each season opening match at Wembley. The medals are a reflection of both Thomas Lyte’s commitment to excellence and our passion for football.
First handed to the players competing in the match in the August 2021, the medals are a stunning exhibition of Thomas Lyte’s craft. Lovingly handmade in our East London workshop, the Community Shield medals are keepsakes of an occasion which is almost as old as the domestic game itself.
First played for in 1908, the Community Shield has evolved constantly over the years. Then known as the Sherrif of London Trophy, it was once the largest trophy in world football, standing at almost six foot in height. The current Shield – which is also restored by Thomas Lyte annually – is a smaller piece of silverware, but no less impressive.
And now the medals, accompanying the Shield, are some of English football’s most treasured player mementos. Each hand-engraved medal carrying the iconic Three Lions emblem and nestled in its own presentation box.
In addition to making the medals for the FA Community Shield, Thomas Lyte also designed and made the Women’s FA Cup trophy. Other FA commissions include the FA Youth Cup trophy and repairing or restoring many of The FA’s other famous pieces, including the Women’s Super League trophy.
