Trophy Store Blog

In response to recent feedback from some of our customers Trophy Store is now accepting American Express as a payment method.

To make a purchase using your American Express card simply follow the usual checkout process and select American Express as the card type in the payment section. We do of course continue to accept all other major credit cards as well as payment by Google Checkout.

All debit or credit card details are processed securely using either Sage Pay, an industry leader in secure internet transactions, or if you choose by Google Checkout. For more information please visit our Secure Shopping information page http://www.trophystore.co.uk/secure-shopping

We're sure that some of you (like us) watched the Chris Moyles Quiz Night Final on Channel 4.  Well you would have seen James Corden being presented with a rather nice Star Trophy by Abbey Clancy - guess who supplied the trophy ;)

Most of the guys here at Trophy Store didn't even notice the trophy as they were more focused on Abbey Clancy, but on a second viewing they just about noticed!  We've put a copy of the clip on our Facebook and also included it here if you'd like to take a look.  Remember to become a fan of us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for latest Trophy Store news and special offers.

Wow things have been really busy around here lately, the football season is coming to an end so we are sending out more football trophies than ever before as well as our usual orders. But we've found a bit of spare time to start our own Facebook and Twitter accounts, we hope that we can connect more with our customers via these and keep you informed of special offers. We're also keen to hear your feedback so if you want to do this via Twitter or Facebook then you now can.

Just like the FA Cup the Carling Cup has now become a very important annual event in the English Football season.  As with the FA Cup the Carling Cup History is varied.  Below we take a look at some of the facts relating to this important event that takes place annually.

Fact 1 – Only the clubs who are in the British Football League tables are able to compete in this event.  So there are only 96 teams involved rather than the 762 who participate in the FA Cup.  The teams that play in this are the ones who play in the Premiership, Championship and the Football Leagues 1 and 2 along with the Conference League.

Fact 2 – The name of the Cup has changed over the years dependent on who the sponsors were.  Originally it was known as the Milk Cup as the Milk Marketing Board were the sponsors and it retained this name from 1981 to 1986.  Then the name changed in 1986 to the Littlewoods Challenge Cup.  This name only remained for four years and then in 1990 it changed again this time to the Rumbelows Cup.  However, its name then changed once again in 1992 to the Coca Cola Cup before it again changing in 1998 to The Worthington Cup.  It retained this name until 2003 when finally it changed to the Carling Cup and remains at this now. 

Fact 3 – Should a minor club win this football trophy they are then provided with the opportunity to participate in events against European teams from Italy, Spain, France and Germany.  This is because the winner of the Carling Cup is automatically given a place to compete in the UEFA Cup.    This is a competition that is crucial to many teams at it offers them a chance to bring more money into their club.

Fact 4 – The first club to win this title when it was inaugurated back in 1960 and known then as the League Cup was Aston Villa.  But since it’s renaming in the early 1980’s there is one team that has won it more than any other and that is Liverpool.  This football team has won it a total of 7 times with them winning the trophy during the early 1980’s four times in succession. 

Fact 5 – When it comes to the Carling Cup History not only has Liverpool one this trophy the most times they are also the team that have competed in the final the most.  They have appeared a total of ten times.

Fact 6 – As a result after extra time of the final last year (2009) being goalless it was decided on penalties.  As mentioned Manchester United won it by putting 4 penalties past the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper. 

Fact 7 – During its history there have been occasions where some of the minor teams have been able to beat the more well know bigger teams.  For example during the 1974-75 season Leeds United (League Champions) were knocked out in the quarter finals by Fourth Division side Chester.  Then in the second round of the 1995-96 season Manchester United were beaten by York City who scored three goals whilst Manchester United scored none.  Plus Manchester United has been beaten and knocked out of the competition by other much smaller teams such as Southend United (2006-07) and Coventry City (2007-08). 

Above we have looked at a brief Carling Cup History.  An event that is very important to all those who follow teams that participate in this very important sport in the UK.  Certainly for the minor league teams this event can prove very important to their finances especially if they are the team that play at home against any teams that are involved in the Premier League.

If you manage or coach a local football team why not consider rewarding individual players with football trophies and awards that could include 'Man of the Match' or maybe even a 'Top Goal Scorer' football award.

 Photo Source Caughtoffside.com

At Trophy Store we often get asked about recycling old trophies, as nice as it is to receive a trophy, we know that after some time they can build up and take up space.  Especially if you are very active and talented which means you have probably built up a fair few trophies over the years!

So we thought we'd put together a few ways to recycle your old trophies and make good use of them.

1. Donate to a local sports club or school

Many sports clubs and schools have very small budgets to work with and would welcome a donation of trophies for their end of season presentation.  This is even better if you have trophy cups where the engraving plate can be easily taken off and replaced with a new one, so it can be personalised for the sports club too.

2. Donate to a local charity

Similar principle to our first tip, charities often run sports events such as short runs, walks and marathons.  It can be a nice touch to give the winner or participants a medal or trophy at the end so this is another good option.

3. Send to a local recycling plant

This wouldn't be ideal for all trophies, but some which are made from metal may be useful to a local recycling plant who take scrap metal etc.  They can probably break the trophy down and use the metal parts.  You do need to be careful though as some trophies will have plastic resin components as well as metal.

As England women win the Six Nations Women's Championship 2010 this is their fourth Grand Slam win in six years. England's women won the RBS Six Nations in a close final as they edged out France 11-10 and bring home this fantastic rugby trophy.  As we celebrate this win we started to think about previous and championships but also how did the game of rugby start?

When it comes to the history of the game of Rugby those who play this invigorating sport will have heard one particular story.  That is the one that whilst at Rugby School in England a young lad by the name of William Webb Ellis in 1823 decided when playing football to ignore the rules and pick the ball up and run with it.  However, there is plenty of evidence around that will suggest that when it comes to how did it all start this occurred well before William Webb Ellis’s time.  In fact there is evidence around that will suggest that those involved in sports where a ball was involved were picking it up and running with it centuries before. 

Yes there may be some truth to the story revolving around William Webb Ellis when it comes to the history of the game.  However, many historians who have looked closely at this sport feel that the earliest form of football played at this school at the time Ellis was there was similar to the Rugby we see played today.  But if Ellis was the actual creator of this sport is still under some discussion and it may be that the game evolved of its own accord during the time that he attended Rugby School. 

If you were to ask the members of the English Rugby Union they say that the kind of football played when Ellis was at the school was not in fact the kind of football we are so fond of today.  Instead it was a combination of both the rules that you will find in football and Rugby today.  During this period of the sports history you were not allowed to handle the ball unless it was in the air and this was when a player was allowed to catch it.   But unlike the modern game of Rugby where you are able to run with the ball once caught this was not allowed.  The player who had caught the ball along with all others on the field would be required to stand still.  Then this player could choose either to kick the ball wherever he wanted or to place it on the ground and then attempt to kick the ball into the opponent’s goal. 

Another thing that you need to take into consideration when it comes to the history of the game of Rugby that when it was played originally at the time of Ellis the students in public schools would develop their own rules for each game of football they played.  This was as a result of their being little or no refereeing occurring when matches were played.  So of course there may have been an opportunity during one game where Webb Ellis chose to pick up the ball and run with it rather than kick it and this is something others playing in future games chose to do.

However there is one thing that we can be certain of when it comes to the history of the game of Rugby and how did it all start is that it did not originate from the game of football.  What most historians believe is that in fact these two games actually developed beside each other.

 Photo Source: Official RBS Six Nations

We've all heard of the Top 100 Beautiful lists that feature the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney - but what about that famous line that the girls here at Trophy Store certainly like - the one that goes - behind every good man is a good woman! Here at Trophy Store we have thought about those women that are not only beautiful but also definitely can relate to this line. They are often referred to as 'Trophy Wives'. Many of the women today are very strong characters and made a name for themselves prior to their marriage. 

No 10 – Georgina Chapman

This former model who is also co designer of fashion label Marchesa is married to the co founder of Miramax and Weinstein Co film production companies, Harvey Weinstein.  Although she is beautiful she is renowned for having a somewhat fiery temper.  However she maintains somewhat of a career as she has been a panelist on the TV show Project Runway as well as having some small parts in films produced by her husband.

No 9 – Nicole Austin

Known better as Coco is the wife of Rapper and Actor Ice T.  She certainly is the epitome of what a trophy wife is in that she is 21 years younger than her husband.  Although she has had a great career posing in magazines such as Smooth and Playboy really she is most well known for being Ice T’s wife.

No 8 – Paula Fortunato

Yet another woman married to a much older man.  Paula is the wife of the Sumner Redstone who runs global media company, Viacom.  Unlike many other trophy wives rumours abound about Mr Redstone’s second wife who in married in 2003 following divorcing his first wife who he was married to for 55 years.  One rumour spread about her is that she influenced her husband to end Paramount Pictures relationship with Tom Cruise and his production company of 14 years.

No 7 – Shawn Southwick

This lady has built a career for herself.  As well as being acting in shows such as Knight Rider she has also been the host of the show Hollywood Insider.  She is married to talk show host Larry King for more than 20 years.  Yet still has made her own fortune including over $23 million from providing people with consumer friendly hair extension products.

No 6 – Lucy Page Southworth

This young lady who is married to Larry Page founder of Google is not only beautiful but very intelligent and does a lot for others.  She has two degrees and has spent time in South Africa doing medical work.  However, because of her husband’s estimated wealth of around $18.5 billion this lady needs only to concern herself with the finer things in life if she wishes.

No 5 – Jeri Thompson

Wife of Republican Candidate Fred Thompson was talked about more than her husband during the presidential campaign.  Although she is a political media consultant in Washington DC during the campaign it was her perma tan and form fitting dresses that had everybody talking about her. 

No 4 – Melanie Craft

Well known for writing Fabio covered romance novels her life changed when she met and married the founder of Oracle software Lawrence Ellison.  Yet although he is worth an estimated $18 billion this woman hasn’t sat back to enjoy it.  When her husband set up the Ellison Medical Foundation she chose to become the director of it as well as continuing to write her romance novels.

No 3 – Carla Bruni

Before marrying the French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy this lady have relationships with many other celebrities and politicians.  Most famously she has been linked with Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Donald Trump.  Plus of course the form French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius.  As well as having a career as a supermodel Carla is also a well respected singer/songwriter.

No 2 – Penny Lancaster

It is her marriage to aging rocker Rod Stewart that helped to get Penny further in to the spotlight.  All a lot of men already knew who she was because of her photo being plastered on numerous bill boards when modeling Ultimo Lingerie.

No 1 – Melania Knauss

Married to Donald Trump this lady in our list of top 10 trophy wives was born in Slovenia she met her husband to be at a fashion event in 1999.  Then shortly after meeting him she got a job as a model for Allure magazine.    They eventually married in 2005 and then their first child was born in 2006.  Today she boosts her husband’s brands images by appearing at public relation events for him along with making sure that she still gets involved in the New York Social Scene to help boost her own.

Photo courtesy of Celeb101.com

Its nearly that time of the year again, the 82nd Annual Academy Awards are due to take place this Sunday 7th March.  More commonly known as the Oscars, this is one of the highlights of the film calendar year.  Here at Trophy Store, one of our more popular products is our range of Oscar Trophies which many of our customers love for their own awards style evenings.

One of the guys here was doing some research to see who was up for what award this year when they came across this fantastic info-graphic which contains loads of facts and figures about the Oscars.  Thanks to the guys at Locate TV for creating this great graphic.

Source: LocateTV

Pretty cool isn't it, if you want to watch the awards live then you'll have to stay up quite late if you are in the UK like us.

Following on from our blog post on the Top 10 Non-Sporting Awards and Trophies, we wanted to share what we think are the top 10 Sporting Trophies as well. So we've been asking around the staff here at Trophy Store to see what people think and here is what we came up with.

Sport plays a vital part in many people’s lives and those who compete in various sporting events are aiming to win a trophy for all the effort they put into their training and playing.  There are many sporting trophies and awards that not only teams but individuals would like to be presented with.  Below we take a look at what we consider to be the top 10 sporting trophies or awards.

1.    The FA Cup – For some football teams this is the most prestigious trophy that they can be presented with.  For the fans it is a chance to go out and watch their team play at the most famous football ground in England, namely Wembley.  It also gives smaller teams the chance to play against large professional teams as the competition is open to amateur teams as well.  We have written an article on the FA Cup Trophy if you'd like to learn more.

2.    The Stanley Cup – This is the trophy that all teams involved in the National Hockey League in the USA want to win.  It is one of the largest trophies presented these days measuring a total of 89.5 cm high and weighing a total of 34.5lbs (15.5kg).  It is presented at the end of the NHL Playoffs to the team that wins them.  Last year it was won by the Pittsburgh Penguins and their Captain Sidney Crosby is the youngest one to ever win it being only 21 years old.

3.    The Jules Rimet Trophy – It was originally called the Coupe de Monde but FIFA the governing body of Football world wide chose to rename it in 1946 in honour of their Chairman at the time.  Since the first one was presented in 1930 to Uruguay it has been stolen twice.  The first time was in 1966 prior to the World Cup commencing that year and then again in 1983. However this type the trophy was not found and so FIFA had a replica made which was then presented to Brazil who had won it in 1970 for the third time.

4.    Football World Cup – Following Brazil being presented with the Jules Rimet Trophy after winning the Football World Cup for the third time a new model was commissioned.  This was then presented to Germany who won the competition in 1974.  This trophy weighs just over 13lbs (6kg).  Five of these trophies have been made and each one is crafted from 18 carat solid gold.

5.    The European Cup – For any football team that participates in the various leagues across Europe holding this trophy up is the ultimate prize.  This is because not only are they competing against teams from their own country but those from football leagues in other European countries.    Since its inception there have been several teams who have been able to keep the trophy if they win it five times or three times in a row.  Teams who have the trophy in their cabinet permanently include Liverpool and AC Milan.

6.    America’s Cup – This is the oldest sporting trophy on our top 10 sporting trophies or awards list.  It was first lifted back in 1851 and although it is a trophy that everybody knows it isn’t a sport that many people choose to watch although those who do watch sailing tend to take part too.

7.    The Ryder Cup – For any professional golfer in Europe or the USA being asked to compete for this trophy is very special.  The first time it was presented to the winning team was in 1927 and since then has been presented a further 37 times.  It is one of the smallest trophies on this list measuring 17 inches tall by 9 inches wide.

8.    The Men’s Singles Wimbledon Trophy - This was first presented in 1887 and is one of the most recognizable of all trophies that people who enjoy the sport of tennis recognize.  There are several players who have had the opportunity to raise the trophy aloft more than one including Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg.  You can read more about this famous trophy in our article on the Wimbledon Trophy.

9.    The Ashes – Although this is a trophy that only two teams are competing for it is very important to them.  This is the smallest of all trophies that the England or Australian cricket team will be presented with should they win the competition.  However, the actual trophy as small wooden urn is kept in the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) Museum.  The team that wins gets presented with a crystal version of this trophy.  You can read more information on the story behind the Ashes Trophy here.

10.    The Challenge Cup – This is presented to the top Rugby League team.  Each year the team that wins the trophy are allowed to retain the trophy until the following years final.  At present the trophy resides in the cabinet of Rugby League team Warrington Wolves following their beating Huddersfield Giants at Wembley in 2009.

There are a number of reasons for people to be given an award or trophy.  Most of the trophies and awards presented are in relation to sporting achievements such as Gold, Silver and Bronze Olympic medals.  Yet there are just as many non sporting ones presented as well and below we take a look at what some may consider to be the top 10 non sporting trophies and awards that are given out.

1.  Academy Awards – More commonly referred to as Oscar Trophies, they look like a human being and are presented each year to those involved in the world of movies normally in March.  It is the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that give out these awards and is considered to be one of the oldest media ceremonies today.

2.  Hugo Awards – This award has been presented annually since 1955 and is named after the founder of the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, Hugo Gernsbeck.  The people who receive this award are those who the previous year have produced a great science fiction or fantasy work.

3.  Victoria Cross – This is the highest decoration that can be given to members of the armed forces whether they serve in the UK or the Commonwealth Countries.  It is medal that is awarded to military personnel who have shown extreme bravery when faced with their enemies and since the first one was presented in 1856 a total of 1,353 individuals have received this medal.  However following the end of the 2nd World War only another 13 medals have been presented to UK and Australian military personnel.

4.  Military Cross – Another medal presented to military personnel whether part of the UK or Commonwealth Armed Forces.  This one unlike the Victoria Cross is awarded those people who have carried out an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during the time of conflict.  In some cases since 1979 the medals that have been awarded to military personnel have been done so posthumously.

5.  George Cross – This is a medal that will be awarded not just to military personnel in the UK and Commonwealth countries but civilians also.  It is a counterpart of the Victoria Cross and is given out when a person is believed to have carried out an exceptional act of bravery but is not part of a conflict.

6.  Queens Gallantry Medal – In 1974 this medal was presented and is the one that replaced other Gallantry medals such as the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry, the British Empire for Gallantry and the British Empire Medal for Gallantry.  It is one that is not only presented to military personnel but also civilians who carry out an act of extreme bravery.

7.  BAFTA’s – This is another award to be presented to those involved not just in movies but also television.  Presented each year like the Oscars, the recipients of this receive an theatrical mask shaped award.  It was designed by an American sculptor by the name of Mitzi Cunliffe in 1955.

8.  BRIT Awards – Most people refer to this one as the BRITS and every year a ceremony takes place that allows the British Phonographic Industry to celebrate the achievements of those involved in all genres of music.  Each year people watch this ceremony to not only see their favorite singer or band perform but also to see who is presenting.  Some presenters are better received than others!

9.  Nobel Peace Prize – This is a prize that is easily recognizable along with the Oscars.  Every year a committee will create a short list of those that they feel should be considered to receive this accolade.  Since its inception the prize bequeathed by Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel has been presented to many people including Nelson Mandela and more recently Barack Obama.

10.  The Man Booker Prize – This is the last of our top 10 non sporting trophies and awards.  This one is presented every year to an author who the committee feels has created a truly magnificent novel in the English language.  However it is only citizens of the UK, Commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe who can be nominated for this prize.  Yet although only one person can be presented with this prize, just to be nominated is an honour.