Trophy for next month’s Tour de Yorkshire unveiled

What do the FA Cup, the Rugby League Challenge Cup, and the trophy for this year’s inaugural Tour de Yorkshire have in common? Well, they’re all the work of Sheffield firm, Thomas Fattorini Ltd – though unlike its more established companions, the cycling trophy isn’t silver, but a golden shade of yellow.

The Y-shaped trophy brings together the colours of the leader’s jersey of the Tour de France – and, in next month, the Tour de Yorkshire – with the initial letter of what is England’s largest region and will be awarded to the rider who wins the three-stage race, held from 1-3 May.

In 1911, the company, then known as Fattorini & Sons of Bradford, designed the FA Cup trophy which by happy coincidence was won by Bradford City that year; an omen, perhaps, for Team Sky’s own Yorkshireman, Ben Swift, who has made a target of his home region#s race?

The company is now based in Leeds, and the new trophy was presented at the city’s Brudenell Primary School.

The company’s director of sales and marketing, Tom Fattorini, said: “We do business internationally, supplying trophies to the likes of FIFA, and when we were invited to support the production of the Tour de Yorkshire trophy and medals we felt it was a perfect fit given our Yorkshire history.

“We look forward to the winner proudly showing off the new trophy to the world on May 3.”

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the man who brought the Tour de France to the region last year, added: “The company’s history and Yorkshire roots make them the perfect partner for providing the inaugural race trophy and medals.

“We were thrilled when we saw the design and even more excited when we saw the trophy for the first time.

“The excitement is really building now right across the county as we move towards race weekend, when Yorkshire will once again go global.”

The 1911 version of the FA Cup trophy made by Fattorini survived for eight decades – a dent caused when Arsenal FC’s double-winning goalscorer Charlie George dropped it amid exuberant celebrations in 1921 notwithstanding – until being replaced by an exact copy in 1992.

That trophy, which itself got damaged twice while in the stewardship of Manchester United and then Portsmouth, was itself replaced last year, with Arsenal FC the first team to win the new version.

Wear and tear also caused the original 1897 Rugby League Challenge Cup trophy to be replaced in 2002 - neither the current trophy in that competition, nor the FA Cup used nowadays, were made by Fattorini.