The National League commissioned Thomas Lyte as designers and makers of the National League Trophy, and two further trophies for the respective winners of National League North and South.
Each one was lifted by National, North and South respective champions as the 2015/16 season drew 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”.
