Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy "The First World Cup" 1909 -1911
Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy "The First World Cup" 1909 - 1911
Sir Thomas Lipton (10 May 1848 – 2 October 1931), best known for his tea business, was a keen sportsman and a world-renowned yachtsman. He was also interested in football and donated the the Copa Lipton trophy which has been contested between Argentina and Uruguay from 1905 to 1992. Lipton decided to organise a European football competition,
which was unofficially dubbed the First World Cup. The competitions took place in Turin, Italy, in 1909 and 1911.
Italy, Germany and Switzerland sent their most prestigious professional club sides to the competition, but The Football Association of England refused to be associated with it and declined the offer to send a team.
Not wishing to have Britain unrepresented in the competition, Lipton invited West Auckland FC, an amateur side from County Durham and mostly made up of coal miners, to take part.
West Auckland won the tournament and returned to Italy in 1911 to defend their title. In this second competition, West Auckland beat Juventus 6-1 in the final, and were awarded the trophy outright.
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