Custom Trophies for Clubs: How to Create Awards Your Members Will Treasure

For a sporting club, a trophy is more than a prize.

It represents the training, commitment, teamwork and achievements that make a season memorable. Whether you’re recognising a junior player’s first season, celebrating a club champion, rewarding a best-and-fairest winner or presenting a major perpetual trophy, the right award can become something members treasure for years.

For clubs in Perth and throughout Western Australia, Trophy Specialists in Osborne Park provides a wide range of trophies, medals, plaques and custom awards designed for sporting clubs, schools, associations and community organisations.

If you’re planning your next presentation night, here’s what to consider when creating custom trophies your club members will be proud to receive.

Why Custom Trophies Matter to Sporting Clubs

A standard trophy can recognise an achievement, but a customised trophy can tell the story behind it.

Adding your club’s logo, colours, competition name or award category creates an award that is directly connected to your organisation.

A personalised trophy can recognise:

• Club champions
• Best and Fairest players
• Most Valuable Players
• Most Improved Players
• Coaches’ Awards
• Players’ Player Awards
• Best Team Player
• Leading Goal Scorer
• Best Bowler or Batsman
• Sportsmanship
• Junior achievements
• Volunteer contributions
• Long-service recognition
• Premiership and championship victories

The goal is to make each award feel appropriate to the achievement.

Start With Your Club’s Award Categories

Before choosing the trophy itself, create a list of all the awards your club plans to present.

This is particularly important for clubs with multiple teams and age groups.

For example, an AFL club may have awards for:

• Best & Fairest
• Club Champion
• Leading Goal Kicker
• Best Defender
• Most Improved
• Players’ Player
• Coaches’ Award
• Best Club Person

A cricket club could instead recognise:

• Best Batsman
• Best Bowler
• Best All-Rounder
• Best Fielder
• Most Improved
• Club Champion
• Players’ Player

The award categories should reflect what your club values.

This is also where you can explore Trophy Specialists’ sports trophies and awards to find styles suitable for different achievements.

Choose Trophies That Match the Importance of the Award

Not every award needs to be the same size or style.

In fact, using different trophy styles can help distinguish major awards from secondary or participation awards.

For example:

Major Club Award

A larger premium trophy can be reserved for Club Champion or Best & Fairest.

Team Awards

Medium-sized trophies can recognise individual achievements within each team.

Junior Awards

Smaller or colourful trophies can be ideal for younger players.

Special Recognition

A custom plaque, shield or unique award can be used for volunteers, coaches or long-serving members.

This approach creates a hierarchy within your presentation and makes the major awards feel particularly significant.

Personalise Your Club Trophies

One of the easiest ways to transform a standard trophy into a meaningful keepsake is through personalisation.

Depending on the product, you can include information such as:

• Player name
• Club name
• Award category
• Season
• Competition
• Team or age group
• Club logo
• Achievement
• Sponsor information

For example:

JOHN SMITH
2026 CLUB CHAMPION
OSBORNE PARK FOOTBALL CLUB

A simple engraving like this turns the trophy into a permanent record of the recipient’s achievement.

Trophy Specialists specialises in personalised awards and has an extensive workshop with laser engraving, traditional engraving, sublimation, vinyl printing and other production capabilities.

You can learn more about personalised trophy engraving at Trophy Specialists.

Add Your Club Logo

Your club logo is one of the most valuable pieces of artwork you can add to a trophy.

It immediately connects the award with your organisation and creates consistency across your presentation.

Your logo can be incorporated into:

• Trophy plates
• Acrylic awards
• Plaques
• Medals
• Perpetual trophies
• Shields
• Honour boards
• Custom awards

For clubs that order awards every year, using the same branding can also create a recognisable award tradition.

Consider Creating a Consistent Club Award Style

One of the best ways to make a presentation look professional is to establish a consistent visual style.

You could use:

Club colours + club logo + consistent engraving layout + similar trophy finishes

For example, every annual individual award could feature the same engraving format while different trophy designs distinguish the award categories.

This means your 2026 awards can look related to your 2027 and 2028 awards without necessarily being identical.

Choose the Right Trophy Material

Different materials create very different impressions.

Resin Trophies

Resin trophies are popular for sporting awards because they can incorporate detailed sporting figures and designs.

They’re particularly suitable for awards where you want the sport itself to be visually obvious.

Acrylic Awards

Acrylic provides a modern appearance and works particularly well when incorporating logos, colours and printed artwork.

They’re suitable for clubs looking for something different from traditional trophy designs.

Glass and Crystal Awards

Glass and crystal can provide a more premium appearance and are especially useful for major club awards, corporate recognition or special achievements.

Timber Awards

Timber can create a traditional and substantial appearance, particularly for perpetual awards and honour boards.

Trophy Specialists offers a broad range of trophy and award materials, including acrylic, crystal, glass and timber options.

Don’t Forget Perpetual Trophies

Some achievements are worth continuing year after year.

A perpetual trophy is presented to a different winner each season, with the recipient’s name added to the award.

These are particularly popular for:

• Club Champion
• Best & Fairest
• Premiership
• Player of the Year
• Annual school competitions
• Major club championships
• Special club awards

A perpetual trophy can become part of your club’s history.

Each year’s winner becomes another name in the story.

Trophy Specialists has dedicated Perpetual Trophy and Perpetual Shield options, including products designed for sporting clubs and annual competitions.

Create a Club Championship Trophy

If your club runs an annual championship or major competition, consider creating a trophy specifically for it.

Instead of choosing a generic trophy, you could create an award that includes:

• Competition name
• Club logo
• Founding year
• Championship name
• Annual winner names
• Competition sponsor
• Special imagery

Over time, the trophy becomes part of the club’s identity.

It can be displayed in the clubhouse during the year and presented to the winning team or player at the end of each season.

Recognise More Than Just the Winners

A strong club recognition program doesn’t have to focus exclusively on first place.

Sporting clubs rely on many people to operate successfully.

Consider recognising:

Players

• Best & Fairest
• Most Improved
• Players’ Player
• Most Valuable Player
• Sportsmanship
• Club Champion

Coaches

• Coach of the Year
• Outstanding Contribution
• Junior Development Award

Volunteers

• Volunteer of the Year
• Club Person of the Year
• Outstanding Service

Officials and Administrators

• Outstanding Contribution
• Long Service
• Special Recognition

These awards can help acknowledge the people working behind the scenes to keep the club running.

Create Awards for Junior Players

Junior members deserve particular consideration when designing club awards.

For young players, receiving a trophy can become one of their earliest memories of playing organised sport.

Instead of only recognising winning teams, clubs can consider awards such as:

• Most Improved
• Best Team Player
• Sportsmanship
• Encouragement Award
• Coaches’ Award
• Participation
• Leadership
• Club Spirit

The aim is to encourage young athletes while making recognition meaningful.

Combine Trophies With Custom Medals

Your club doesn’t have to choose between trophies and medals.

They can work together.

For example:

Championship winners → Major trophy + gold medals

Runners-up → Runner-up trophy + silver medals

Third place → Third-place trophy + bronze medals

Individual awards → Personalised trophies

Participation → Custom medals

Trophy Specialists has an extensive Medals collection covering a wide range of sports and award categories. The current range includes medals for AFL, athletics, basketball, cricket, cycling, dance, golf, gymnastics, hockey, martial arts, netball, rugby, soccer, swimming, tennis, triathlon and volleyball, among others.

Plan Your Trophy Order Early

One of the biggest mistakes clubs can make is waiting until just before presentation night to organise their awards.

Start by preparing:

1. Your complete award list
2. Number of teams
3. Number of players
4. Trophy quantities
5. Medal quantities
6. Award wording
7. Club logo
8. Required engraving
9. Preferred trophy styles
10. Presentation date

This gives your trophy supplier the information needed to help organise the order efficiently.

For large clubs, it’s also worth checking whether bulk quantities can provide better pricing.

Trophy Specialists’ product range includes quantity-based pricing on some awards, including perpetual products.

How to Make Your Club Awards More Memorable

The most memorable trophies aren’t necessarily the most expensive ones.

They are the awards that feel connected to the achievement.

Consider incorporating:

The club’s identity

Use your logo, colours and established branding.

The achievement

Make the award category clear.

The season

Include the year so the achievement can be remembered.

The recipient

Add the player’s or member’s name wherever appropriate.

The story

For major awards, consider adding a short description of the achievement.

A personalised award becomes much more meaningful when someone can look at it years later and immediately remember why they received it.

Creating a Trophy Tradition at Your Club

A trophy can become part of a club’s culture.

Imagine a player receiving a Club Champion award in 2026 and seeing the names of previous winners engraved underneath.

The following year, another player adds their name.

Over time, the trophy becomes a physical record of the club’s history.

This is why perpetual trophies, championship cups, shields and honour boards can be particularly valuable for established sporting organisations.

Trophy Specialists also offers custom honour boards for clubs and organisations wanting to permanently display achievements.

Why Choose Trophy Specialists in Osborne Park?

Trophy Specialists is a family business that has operated in Perth, Western Australia since 1974. The business supplies trophies and awards throughout Perth and Australia and specialises in custom awards and honour boards.

The Osborne Park location includes a large showroom where clubs can visit to discuss their upcoming presentations and award requirements. Trophy Specialists also has an extensive workshop with laser engravers, sublimation and printing equipment, traditional engraving capabilities and a wood and acrylic workshop.

Trophy Specialists

If you’re based in Perth or elsewhere in Western Australia, having a local trophy supplier can also make it easier to discuss your requirements and organise personalised awards for your club.

Custom Trophies for Perth Sporting Clubs

Whether you’re organising an AFL presentation in Perth, a cricket club awards night, a netball presentation, a junior sports ceremony or a community competition, custom trophies can help turn the event into something your members remember.

The right combination of trophies, medals, engraving, club branding and thoughtful award categories can create a presentation that feels professional while still reflecting the personality of your club.

At Trophy Specialists, you can explore custom trophies and awards online or visit the Osborne Park showroom to discuss your requirements.

Ready to Create Awards Your Club Members Will Treasure?

Before ordering, make a list of your award categories, quantities, player names, club logo and presentation date.

Then consider which achievements deserve a traditional trophy, which could be recognised with a medal, and which might deserve a perpetual award that becomes part of your club’s history.

Whether you’re preparing for a junior presentation or a major annual championship, the right award can do more than recognise a winner.

It can become a lasting symbol of everything that member achieved with your club.

Start Planning Your Club Awards

Explore Trophy Specialists’ trophies and awards, browse the Medals collection, explore Perpetual Trophies or visit the Trophy Specialists showroom in Osborne Park, Perth, WA to discuss your next presentation.