Sports Awards

One of my favorite times of year, the Pacific Northwest is beautiful in fall.  Autumn includes warm September days, crisp clear nights, fall colors in the trees, the return of the salmon, Octoberfest and best of all, FOOTBALL!

Even though football is in full swing, now's time to look forward to the end of the season, celebrating accomplishments of players and thanking those who support your team.  There's three categories of important people to acknowledge - Players, Coaches and Parents, and Sponsors.

Players

Our top selling football awards for your team, top players, and outstanding coaches!

For young pee-wee players, they may receive a participation trophy from their league for playing this season.  This is especially common for kiddos in their first few years of football. Great choices for football participation awards include Star Spinner Football Trophies, Pee Wee Football Trophies, and the Boys Football Column Trophy.  Football medals and Football dog tags are also popular choices for your youngest players.

As the kids get older, they may get trophies less for participation and more for winning.  Popular choices are football tournament trophies , large football trophies, and resin awards, such as our Lombardi Replica Junior Football Championship Trophy.  For even more ideas, read the Guide to Kids Trophies by Age.

Then there are special awards, such as Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP.  Many times these players receive plaques such as a Full Color School Plaque.  Be sure to make it meaningful with special words of praise, individualized to each player.

For graduating seniors, probably the coolest trophy I have ever seen was a custom designed plaque made by Issaquah High booster parents.  They split a helmet in half (I have no idea how they do it!) and then mount it onto a large board.  We then supply the engraving that is attached to the board next to the helmet.  It is a gorgeous award that becomes a treasured keepsake for those players and their families.

Coaches and Team Parents

Get even more great coach gift ideas on our Pinterest Page!

Coaches get many gifts over the years, so if you do give a coach award, make it personal.  I recommend a signed ball with a holder, a picture plaque, an engraved whistle or clipboard.  Another small funny gift is a coach bobble head.

Then pool parent's money together to purchase a gift card to the coach's favorite store or restaurant.  For more ideas visit Top Gifts for Coaches or our Coach Gifts & Awards Pinterest Page.

Team parents, such as booster club members, PTA supporters, concession seller, and other adult volunteers also deserve recognition for their contributions to the football season.  A small gift, such as a coffee gift cards, with a hand written note, is a nice gesture for those parents who go the extra mile to support your team.

Sponsors

Whether you like it or not, community sponsors are often necessary to support the team.  Being a community business that often gets hit up for money, I understand how sponsors want recognition and exposure for supporting your team.  Here are some ways to acknowledge your football team's sponsors.

1. Publish them and what they do in the program. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a sponsor name, but I have no idea what they do or sell.  Make sure to tell your fans.

2. Announce the sponsor on the loud speaker.  Maybe you feature a sponsor a game.  Just make sure your fans see and hear the name.

3. Memento of their contribution.  Favorite items include plaques that sponsors can hang on their wall.  One extremely popular option for sponsors are picture plaques with a photo of the team and then the sponsor's name and year.  Another choice is the Full Color School Plaque, completely personalized to your school colors and mascot.  Our engraver Lori individually designs each plaque to match your school!

4. Thank you.  A hand written note from the players makes an impact.

Your football season is a memorable time for all involved, including the coaches, team parent volunteers, sponsors and most of all, players.  Make it count with awesome football awards everyone will cherish for years to come.

Cheers!
Jessica

Let me help you choose the perfect trophy for your league!

Hi I'm Jessica, Owner of Trophies2Go and a fantasy football widow.  My husband has been in a league over 20 years so I know a bit about the fantasy season. At Trophies2Go, our team has helped many commissioners choose epic trophies for their draft. We often get questions about how to order Fantasy Football Trophies online - let me help you!

Choose Your Fantasy Trophy First!

Step 1: Choose Your Trophy. Many leagues choose perpetual trophies that they pass each year from winner to winner. This adds hype to the draft.

Step 2: Side Plates. To engrave the winner's name each year, add the three blank side plate option. It costs an extra $10.

Step 3: Enter Engraving For the FRONT. On the “customize” page, add your League Name and CHAMPIONS or whatever engraving you wish, it's FREE!

Then add the trophy to your cart.

Next ADD your past winners!

Log your league's winners on the side of the trophy!

Step 4: Search Product #7170. This is 'Fantasy Perpetual Engraving' (aka the winners).

Step 5: Add Your Years to the Cart. Figure out how many years of engraving you need. If you want to add winners for 2013, 2014 and 2015, add "QTY3" for 3 years.

Step 6: Enter engraving for the SIDES.  On the 'Customize' page, each year gets 3 lines of engraving. For example,

-Line 1 is the Year (2013),

-LIne 2 is the Winner's Name (Jeff Anderson) and

-Line 3 is the Team Name (Big Money).

Then move on to the next year, etc. After you've typed all the info, add it to your cart.  That's it!  You can request a proof to check over your engraving - our awesome engravers work directly with you before etching.We ship your trophy to you and then you're all set for your draft! Slick & easy!

Order an epic trophy for your draft now and have a fantastic football season!

Cheers! Jessica

Spring means breaking out the clubs and hitting the course!  If you are planning a tournament for your organization, country club, or work, below are our top awards for your event.  In a range of price points, there's a golf trophy for every budget.

Tournament players at Fairwood Golf and Country Club. Can you find Jeff?

High Budget: $100+

If your country club really pulls out the stops for your event, consider a beautiful crystal award for your tournament winners.  Sure to impress, crystal is the ultimate in awards.  Here are a couple of my favorites that your players will covet:

1.  Crystal Museum Bowl:  This award is deep etched with your club logo and champion around the edge.  Beautiful to display, this elegant award will impress your winners.

2.  Shinnecock Elite Crystal Golf Trophy:  This crystal award features a golf ball above a silver tee.  In three sizes, this makes a great 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place award.

3.  Expressions Green Golf Vase:  Vases are beautiful and functional gifts, especially for ladies golf tournaments.  The green crystal bottom radiates through the vase.

Medium Budget $50-$100

Most of our customers shop for golf trophies in this price range with many fun and creative awards available for your tournament!

Our Cameo Golf Cup Trophy is one of the most popular golf trophies we sell.

1.  Cameo Golf Cup:  This cup is our best selling golf award.  For both men and women, this resin cup includes an engraved plate attached to the bottom.

2.  Monster Golf Perpetual Trophy:  Another best seller, what is unique about this trophy is it can be passed around from year to year with winner's names engraved on the side.

3.  Golf Cart Award Trophy:  This trophy is a little different, which makes it fun to give at a tournament.  Another best seller!

Small Budget $20-$50

Even groups with a small budget can get awesome awards for their tournament.

1.  Burst Thru Golf Resin:  This attractive award features a golfer bursting through the background.  Available for both male and female golfers!

2.  Golden Throne Golfing Resin Award:  A hilarious toilet your loser will get a kick out of winning!  This loser toilet is a winner for your highest scorer!

3.  Duffer Trophies - Another joke trophy for both male and female players, our duffer trophy is a best seller.  For those tournaments that don't take themselves too seriously!

We offer dozens of other trophies for your event.  Browse our Golf category now to see all of the choices!

All of our golf award include engraving in the price.  For ideas of what to etch onto your award and which award categories to offer at your tournament, see my past post Golf Tournament Trophies.

Here's to spring and a well-played round!

Cheers!
Jessica

Last week at the 2016 Awards and Personalization Association (APA) trade show in Las Vegas, I saw all of the newest products in the trophy and awards industry.  Sports resins, fantasy football awards, color printers, crystal corporate awards, promotional products and apparel were all featured at the show.

After walking the show, I have narrowed down the best new awards that Trophies2Go will be adding to our 2016 product line.  Read below to find out what's hot for spring.

This ring will be a hit with Fantasy Football Winners.

1. Fantasy Football Ring - the new fantasy football ring award will be a hit with fantasy commissioners in 2016.  This resin award can be attached to a perpetual base to immortalize winners each year!  We also found a fantasy football bobble head, which features a fan on his laptop checking out his team.

This new art glass award features vibrant colors!

2. New Art Glass awards for corporate recognition - Art glass awards, a popular choice with our customers, are a great value. Inexpensive and beautiful to look at, we found many new colors and shapes of art glass, including this primary color beauty from Tropar.

Burst Thru resin awards feature bright colors and fun designs, such as this one for car shows!

3. Resin Sport Awards - we call this particular line of resin plaques "Burst Thrus" because the image seems to be bursting through the awards, creating a 3-D effect.  One supplier, Tower Awards, offers some beautiful new Burst Thrus with vibrant colors in all kinds of sports and activities.

Glass perpetual awards make great recognition for Employee of the Month awardees.

4. Perpetual Corporate Awards - We found some unique glass and crystal perpetual trophies for corporate achievement.  Made by Marco, this award features little glass blocks can be engraved with the winners' name, date and achievement and then stacked on the award.  This is a great option for awards you want to last longer than just one use, such as Employee of the Month awards or recognition for Years of Service.

Leatherette awards engrave beautifully and are a hot new trend in awards for 2016.

5. Leatherette Awards and Gifts:  Made by our supplier JDS, leatherette is a huge trend this season.  Many products feature a tan, rust or black colored exterior, laser engraved with a logo and message.  These new products are quite impressive and will be added to the Trophies2Go online offerings soon.

Overall, the APA show was a great success! Thank you for suppliers for featuring all of your new products for us to touch and feel. It's going to be a great year!

Cheers!
Jessica

I don't give participation awards because I don't think kids can handle losing. I give them because I reward their contributions to the team.

Sunday night I was watching the Golden Globes and yet again, Participation Trophies got trashed.   I was crushed when Ryan Gosling, one of my favorite actors, made a negative comment about participation trophies when presenting.  Why is everyone hating on participation trophies?  I know I'm the owner of a trophy company, but I'm also a mom and I don't see how awarding participation trophies is making a slacker society.

So this post is a counter argument - reasons WHY TO GIVE PARTICIPATION TROPHIES.

If you haven't heard, Bryant Gumbel plus many others are slamming the practice of awarding participation trophies to kids. The argument says that the over praise of our youth is causing problems with that generation and participation trophies are to blame.  It's sad that something so positive is being twisted into a negative.

I feel that when a young child participates in youth programs they learn commitment, dedication, and team work. I see no problem when a small reward, such as a trophy or medal, is awarded for successfully completing one of these programs.

Adult Participation Awards

Adults receive participation awards all the time, yet they don't make the headlines. Here are some examples of widely accepted grown-up participation trophies:

My Mother in Law Bonnie and I after we finished a sprint triathlon. Why is ok to get participation awards at a race, but not ok to give kids at the end of a season?

1.  Every 5K, 10K, Half or Full Marathon gives participation medals and t-shirts for finishing the race. These runners train and at the end of their event, whether they finish first or last, they get a medal. How is this different from a child who attends every practice and game and then gets a medal at the end of the season?

2.  Pro Athletes get Championship rings whether they are on the star line up, are injured, or sit on the bench the whole season as the third string. When the team wins, everyone gets an award, regardless of how much they contributed.

3.  Many employees receive Years of Service awards for working for a particular amount of time at a company. Whether the employee receives hardware or cash, this is an award to motivate retention, regardless of performance.

What gets me is when adults get these types of awards, they are a good thing, but if a child gets a participation award, the argument is that the child is going to grow up being entitled and/or have easily hurt feelings.  Is this what happens to adults too?

Coach Push Back

Are you a coach with a kid who is a star athlete on the team? Then your child has probably been getting trophies their entire life and they really have no value to you or your kid – I get it.

But most children are not stars; they have to work to do well. My kids are not naturally gifted athletes but like to participate to stay active and be social with their friends. Kids like mine are the real reason for participation awards - kids that show up week after week but may only play in the game for a few minutes.  They are the ones who earn a trophy, because without those kids sticking with it, you may not have a team.

I see participation trophies as a “sports retention award”. With so many options of what to do with their time, kids can choose to play video games instead of joining a team. Why not reward them for keeping with the sport so they will continue to play?

Trophy Haters

Have a hang up about giving trophies? Fine, don’t give a trophy. But DO give something as a memento of the season so the kids know you care.

My daughter played on a soccer team with an awesome coach. He was amazing with the girls and they had a great season. But he didn’t believe in giving participation trophies. Well my daughter was crushed, especially since her parents own a trophy company. Sure, we could make her a trophy, but it doesn't mean anything if it doesn't come from the coach. As I stated above, she wasn’t the fastest or most aggressive player on the team, but she did try and she attended all of the practices and games.

At the end of season team party, true to his word, the coach didn’t give trophies but he did give the kids a photo collage with pictures from the season. To me I don’t see the difference between a small trophy and this photo gift. They are both small mementos to recognize the season. Neither one results in kids being spoiled and entitled; they are both a way to acknowledge a season well-played.

I know to an adult a participation trophy is no big deal, but to a young child, these really matter.   Getting a trophy from a coach or teacher is quite meaningful and a participation trophy becomes a prized possession and point of pride for young children.

When to Give Participation Trophies (And Not)

I am a fan of participation trophies for young kids.  This is the carrot that gets them through their commitment, whether that's a sports season or a year of piano lessons.  However when kids get older and more skilled, a participation trophy may no longer be useful.  Once in select sports and activities most kids no longer receive participation awards; they only receive trophies when winning tournaments, competitions, or other championships.

However these older kids may still receive mementos, just in a different form.  Pins, coins, t-shirts, water bottles are all forms of participation awards that kids receive for attending different events, such as tournaments. festivals and jamborees.  These are fun for kids to collect, trade and wear with pride.

However, I do not condone craziness - there is a line that can be crossed.  For example, we had a recent customer who changed the engraving on her son's trophy from "Most Improved" to "Most Inspirational" because she didn't like the award her son received.  In my book that is NOT ok and gives my industry a bad rap.

In Conclusion

Coaches, teachers, league organizers, administrators, and parents - there is a value and a necessity of recognizing our youth for committing to and participating in positive activities such as sports, academics, and the arts. A small reward in the form of a participation award at the end of the season is a good thing, especially for younger kids who are trying out activities to see what sticks.

Read more thoughts about Participation Awards, check out my past blogs, A Mom's Opinion of Participation Trophies and Making Sports Trophies Meaningful. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to let me know.

Cheers!
Jessica