There may or may not be a new FA Cup
winner on Saturday, but there will be a
shiny new trophy, as the current
edition - hoisted aloft in the past 22
finals - has been retired.
Hull
City, in a first final, or 10-times winners
Arsenal,
will lift only the third edition of this
iconic
cup, designed over a century ago in
1911.
The
Football Association is retiring the
current cup due to wear
and tear.
Originally
clubs played for a smaller-sized
trophy
between 1872 and 1910.
'National treasure'
The
latest edition of the world-famous
silverware,
to be unveiled at the Wembley
final,
has been made by Thomas Lyte Silver.
The
firm's UK craft workshops produce
high-end
gold and silver trophies and, as
well
as being the FA's silversmiths, are also
official
restorers of silverware to
Buckingham
Palace.
The
new trophy is made from sterling 925
silver,
and underwent a process of casting,
hand chasing
"After
many years of restoring the previous
trophy,
we are honoured to be making the
new
FA Cup," says Kevin Baker, chief
executive
of Thomas Lyte.
"It
is a national treasure, an icon of British
football,
and its heritage is embedded
within
the design and craft of the new
trophy.
The new trophy is an absolute
replica
based on the 1911 trophy."
Cup tours
He
says that the new cup would be heavier
than
previous versions, but there is a good
reason
for that.
Whereas
the FA Cup would at one time
remain
in the winning club's trophy cabinet
for
a year, now it is a touring attraction.
"The
way trophies are used in the modern
era
has totally changed - there is more
presentation and use of
the FA Cup than ever before," says Mr Baker
"You
might take it - for example - to a school and it gets dropped, and then they
try
to repair it themselves and accidentally cause more damage.
"It
is amazing the way football has entered into everyday life. The trophy is
constantly
in demand - that is why we have made it in a way that is more
equipped
for those changes."
Bradford connection
Mr
Baker says that as well as being more robust, the new FA Cup trophy would
bring
"incredible clarity" to the original design and its delicate
features.
A
company employee will be at Wembley with their tools, ready to inscribe the
name
of Hull City or Arsenal on to the cup as soon as the full-time whistle
blows.
The
firm makes sporting medals for sports federations and tournaments in the
UK
and around the world, including the Football League, US Major League
Soccer,
Asian Football Confederation, and non-footballing bodies including for
ATP tennis and the
Rugby World Cup.
The
FA Cup trophy being "retired" was introduced in 1992, when Liverpool
were
the
winners, and was last won in 2013 by Wigan Athletic.
However,
the first version of this instantly
recognisable
cup was made more than a
century
ago, in 1911.
Bradford
City were the first winners, beating
Newcastle
United in a replayed final.
It
was an appropriate triumph as the trophy
had
been designed and manufactured by
jewellers
Fattorini's of Bradford.
Cup stolen
There
have actually been two different
designs
of the FA Cup - the current design - dating back to 1911, and the first,
smaller
design.
That
initial trophy, standing 18in high, and known as the "little tin
idol", was
competed
for from 1871-72 until 1910. And even that version had to be made
twice.
The first was played
for until 1895, when it was stolen from the window of a
Birmingham
shoe shop.
It
was later said to have been melted down to make counterfeit coins. Holders
Aston
Villa were fined £25 in order to pay for a replica to be made.
That
cup was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving
president
Lord Kinnaird.
In
2005 it was bought at auction by then Birmingham City joint chairman David
Gold
(now West Ham co-chairman) and presented for permanent display at the
National Football
Museum, now based in Manchester.
The
first was played for until 1895, when it was stolen from the window of a
Birmingham
shoe shop.
It
was later said to have been melted down to make counterfeit coins. Holders
Aston
Villa were fined £25 in order to pay for a replica to be made.
That
cup was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving
president
Lord Kinnaird.
In
2005 it was bought at auction by then Birmingham City joint chairman David
Gold
(now West Ham co-chairman) and presented for permanent display at the
National Football
Museum, now based in Manchester.
More
modern trophies have cleaner designs, but for me they lose a little
something
compared with those Victorian and Edwardian designs," he says,
adding
that the 1910 cup is a great attraction at the museum for those
interested
in the early days of football history.
Ahead
of Saturday's final Alex Horne, general secretary of the FA, has welcomed
the
introduction of the newest model, which will be heading to East Yorkshire or
north
London.
"This
is a historic moment in the proud 143-year history of the FA Cup," he
said.
"This
is only the third version of the iconic trophy since 1911, which is quite a
record,
especially given the trophy's extensive and growing use in modern
times, particularly through the media."