The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy was an association football competition that took place twice, in Turin, Italy, in 1909 and 1911. It is regarded as an early World trophy. Although it featured only European sides (in a time when the sport was successfully widespread in few non-European countries), its reported objective was to be a World Cup, as reported by FIFA and its contemporary sources.
It is predated by the Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva, which was hosted in 1908 in Turin, and the Football World Championship, which took place between 1887 and 1902.
Italy, Germany and Switzerland sent their most prestigious 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 England unrepresented in the competition, Thomas Lipton invited West Auckland FC, an amateur side from County Durham and mostly made up of coal miners, to take part. The reason why this team was selected is unknown, although contemporary Italian reports of the team's achievements in the Northern League suggest confusion with the more successful Bishop Auckland. Reports that it was intended to send Woolwich Arsenal, but that West Auckland were invited instead as they shared the same initials and due to Lipton just leaving his secretary a note that said: "contact W.A.", are unlikely to be true; Italian reporting shows they were expecting a team from the Northern League.
West Auckland won the tournament and returned to Italy in 1911 to defend their title. In this second competition, West Auckland beat the then amateur team Juventus 6âÂÂ1 in the final, and were awarded the trophy outright. The development of football on other continents: Asia, Africa and the Americas was not very advanced and Europe was where the major football was happening.
In January 1994 the original trophy, which was being held in West Auckland Working Men's Club, was stolen. An exact replica of the original trophy was commissioned and is now held by West Auckland FC.
West Auckland: J Robinson; Tom Wilson, Charlie Cassidy; Andy "Chips" Appleby, Michael Alderson, Bob "Drol" Moore; Fred Dunn, Joe Rewcastle, Bob Jones, Bob Guthrie, Charlie "Dirty" Hogg, T Riley, John Warick
Officials: M S C Barron, E Meek, W Nolli, R Hodgson, R Chamberlain
Moving Adverts of Dubai has worked with video maker Rob Kilburn on an account of the story, Our Cup of Tea.
Tyne Tees Television produced a dramatisation of the story in 1982, '.