Thomas Lyte are proud to be the designers and makers of the medals for the NEOM Beach Soccer Cup. A flourishing global sports event, Eight of the world’s top beach soccer men’s teams, and four of the top women’s teams, took to the Arabian coast to challenge for the NEOM Beach Soccer Cup, as part of the NEOM Beach Games 2022. The NEOM Beach Games also features kitesurfing, mountain biking, 3×3 basketball and triathlon – all hosted in a stunning natural landscape in Saudi Arabia.
Played at a much faster pace than general soccer, beach soccer is an exhibition of speed, style and acrobatic goals. It is played on the sand, between two teams with five players each, including the goalkeeper. The players are not allowed to wear shoes, but they are allowed to have ankle guards.
In Beach soccer, the field of play is compact which allows players to score from anywhere on the sand. This means there is on average, sixty attempts at the goal in a single match with a scoring rate of around one goal every three of four minutes – guaranteed to keep spectators on the edge of their seats.
The NEOM Beach Soccer Cup took place over four days in November 2022, reaching its climax with both the men’s and women’s Brazilian national teams emerging victorious in two thrilling finals. Brazil beat Paraguay 6-4 in the men’s final, whilst the ‘Canarinhas’ beat England 5-3 in the women’s final.
The winning teams received a beautiful bespoke gold medal crafted by Thomas Lyte. The design of the medal, created by our own in-house medal designers, features a special contrasting finish that highlights the range of shapes and textures within the NEOM logo.
Silver medals were struck for the competition runners-up and bronze for the third place teams, with a bespoke ribbon for each medal designed to include all the vibrant colours that characterised the NEOM Beach Games.
For more information about the NEOM Beach Games visit their website: neom.com
