Thomas Lyte are proud to be the official trophy and gift suppliers to the League Managers Association (LMA), an organisation whose values and traditions very much reflect our own. The jewel in the crown of the trophies we provide to an association which has been at the heart of football throughout the modern era, is the LMA Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy, which is handed to the LMA Manager of the Season at the conclusion of each campaign.
The honour was named after the man who almost single-handedly transformed the fortunes of Manchester United throughout his astonishingly successful 27-year tenure at Old Trafford.
Thomas Lyte, a Royal Warrant holder as Goldsmiths and Silversmiths to her Majesty the Queen, has deep associations with football and is the official trophy supplier to the FA, having hand-crafted the current Emirates FA Cup in 2014.
The LMA introduced the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy as a celebration of both Sir Alex Ferguson’s phenomenal career and the 50th anniversary of the award. The stunning prize handed annually to the winner, befits the magnitude of their achievements during the season.
Kevin Baker, Founder and CEO of Thomas Lyte said: “We are fortunate to be the makers of the 2014 Emirates FA Cup and many other leading trophies in the world of sport, we are though privileged to be selected to design and make perhaps one of the most important trophies in sporting history. The new Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy for the LMA Manger of the Year represents 50 years of vital endeavour in professional football achievement.”
Those traditions are very much in evidence in the trophy itself, with modern lines fused with an art deco style. The names engraved each season at the foot of the trophy leave you in no doubt that this is one of the most special on offer anywhere in the football world, which is why Thomas Lyte is intensely proud of its partnership with the organisation.
Richard Bevan, LMA Chief Executive, said: “Thomas Lyte is a globally recognised brand with an established reputation across the world of sport and especially football.”
Sir Alex Ferguson’s name was a byword for excellence throughout his time at Manchester United, and this trophy, hand-crafted in our London workshop, is the embodiment of that. Spun from 4kg of sterling silver, it stands at a magnificent 60cm, weighing 8.2kg. Meticulously custom made, the trophy has two plinths. The first owes everything to the heritage of the award, containing the names of the 49 managers who received the original trophy. The second then starts with the first recipient of the Sir Alex Ferguson trophy – Pep Guardiola – and contains every subsequent winner since, a hand-engraved list which includes the likes of Jurgen Klopp, who guided Liverpool to the title in 2019/20.
The detail on the trophy is exquisite and is a perfect illustration of the art form with which Thomas Lyte is synonymous. The art deco echoes contained in its appearance ensures that this trophy stands out as brilliantly as the individuals who receive it.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the LMA’s Manager of the Year award, Thomas Lyte also handmade 50 commemorative medals, which were handed out to the previous winners of the award, or a family representative, at the organisation’s end of season celebration in May 2018.
Once the trophy had been polished to its stunning finish by our London-based specialists, it was then handed to our quality control team. This part of the process is every bit as critical as the production of the trophy itself, with nothing leaving Thomas Lyte’s workshop until it has gone through a painstakingly rigorous series of inspections.
As the official restorers of the trophy, it returns to us on a regular basis for any work which may be required. This can range from removing any inadvertent scratches or dents to polishing the trophy, both by hand and with the use of our cutting-edge polishing lathes. Again, only after it has been signed off, does this prestigious prize return to the LMA to be awarded once more.
First awarded to Sir Matt Busby following Manchester United’s fabled European Cup triumph of 1968, this award is a celebration of the art of management. For a man who has won everything there is to win in football, Sir Alex Ferguson took enormous pride in having it named in his honour.
Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It is a fantastic honour and I am very proud to have the LMA Manager of the Year trophy named after me. When you look at the list of managers that have won this trophy going right back to 1968 it is very humbling and a reminder of the various winners’ achievements. There’s no doubt that the likes of Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Brian Clough to highlight just a few were absolute legends and they left a fantastic legacy of how their teams played.”
The LMA Manager of the Year award is just one of a huge and ever-growing number of football awards and trophies that Thomas Lyte has been entrusted to craft since our formation back in 2007. Others on the list that we have designed and made include; the Sport Industry Awards; the Vitality Women’s FA Cup, the Emirates FA Cup; the UEFA Europa League Player of the Yard award; the AFC Champions League; and the Copa America Centenario.
