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FIFA U-17 World Cup: Know the trophy teams will be vying for
The FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy has toured the six venues in India. The trophy for FIFA’s World Cup for teenage boys has been designed by Jane Powell and Thomas Fattorini
Whatever happens, there will be a new champion holding aloft the 49.5cm trophy in Kolkata on the night of October 28. That’s because defending champions Nigeria aren’t among the 24 finalists. The trophy has toured the six venues with a match featuring Fifa legends’ Carlos Valderrama, Fernando Morientes, Marcel Desailly, Emmanuel Amunike and Jorge Campos in Mumbai. In Kolkata, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal players posed with the trophy as did a clutch of former internationals.
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The trophy for Fifa’s World Cup for teenage boys has been designed by Jane Powell and Thomas Fattorini and has been made at Thomas Fattorini Limited in Birmingham, England. It was designed and manufactured in 2004 and Mexico were the first team to hold the 4.6kg trophy when they beat Brazil 3-0 in the final of the 2005 edition in Peru.
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The company that made this trophy is 190-years-old and run by the sixth generation of Fattorinis, according to its website. It has designed silverware for hockey, chess, cricket, tennis, horse racing, motor rally and rugby too, according to its website. It created the Rugby League Challenge Cup of 1897.
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Apart from this World Cup, the company has also designed the 2008 Euro Player of the Tournament trophy which went to Spain’s Xavi. It has also created a trophy for the best player of a round in England’s FA Cup. The FA’s Challenge Cup of 1911 too was made by this company.
THE U-17 WORLD CUP TROPHY --- VITAL STATS
Made in 2004.
Weight: 4.6kg.
Height: 49.5cm.
Widest point: 17cm
Materials used: Copper based brass alloy, zinc, copper, sterling silver and stainless steel.
THE TROPHY STORY
The creative idea behind the design was an attempt to visualise football as a contact sport requiring equal measures of strength, athleticism and poise. These elements are symbolised by the Official Trophy’s two supports at full stretch making contact with the football in a competitive spirit. The structure is at the same time strong but delicate, affording the viewer a sense of the spectacle featuring two opposing teams. The international dimension of the event is represented by the globe in the shape of the football --- a consistent feature among all of FIFA’s event trophies.
(SOURCE: FIFA and fattorini.co.uk)
