Johnstone’s Paint Trophy… a potted history
Posted by beesy on April 2, 2011
The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy has a long and mostly illustrious history. Starting in 1907 it originally started as a Fencing competition for Victorian Ophans from all over England. The structure of the tournament was set early… orphans, being notoriously short of money and therefore unable travel even on the pre-Beeching Railway system, were grouped into regional and area rounds. The final saw north meeting south champion orphans in a field just outside Coventry.
Unfortunately this didn’t take off, mostly in part to the Victorian period ending in 1901. Secondly the public’s tolerance of orphans stabbing each other with swords was woefully overestimated even in the cruel, cruel past.
However unperturbed from these tentative steps the Johnstones Paint Trophy has run the full gamut of sports starting with Stoat Chasing (1909-27); Log Rolling (1928-39); Rugby League (1945-1969) and latterly Las Vegas Foxy Boxing (1970-2005).
It wasn’t until 2007 and the death of the UK’s van manufacturing industry that the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy found a permanent home in the heart of the lower league football calendar by taking over the LDV Trophy nee Auto Windscreen Trophy nee Freight Rover Trophy.
Here is an array of paint stats:
• The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy itself is known as the Gilded Paint Can. It is, well… a gilded paint can with diamond studded handle. Jimmy-ing open the top with a screwdriver will release paint in the winning teams colours. How does it know who will win? It is the mystery of the [gilded] can.
• Johnstone’s have been providing excellence in paint from 1890. Prior to this the company was content with being slightly above average in paint.
• In keeping with its Victorian origins the only colour available for its first 50 years was black. This changed in 1932 with the introduction of “White”.
• Johnstone’s Paint sell 15,000 different colours of paint. At least one member of Beesy has a background in art and frankly doubts there are that many colours in the world.
• The first Johnstone’s Paint Trophy was won by Doncaster.
• Carlisle is making their second visit in two years. Their lost to Southampton last year.
• According to the official Johnstone’s Paint Trophy website “The 2010 Football League Supporters’ Survey states that Johnstone’s Paint is only second to Coca-Cola in brand awareness”.
Ladies and gentlemen… The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy!
