AFL Finals Trophy Checklist for Midwest Clubs
Football trophy orders often become urgent because clubs wait until winners are known. The smarter approach is to separate what can be decided early from what must wait. Product ranges, rough quantities, perpetual trophies, sponsor awards and volunteer recognition can all be planned before final names are confirmed. For Midwest clubs travelling into Geraldton or organising pickups around finals, early planning also gives more room for engraving, proofs and last-minute corrections. You do not need every winner to begin; you need the presentation date, likely award categories and a rough budget.
Most AFL club orders are easier when split into juniors, seniors, major club awards, coaches and volunteers. Juniors might need team awards, participation medals or smaller trophies. Seniors may need larger awards for league, reserves or women’s teams. Major club awards might include fairest and best, runner-up fairest and best, leading goal kicker, best finals player, club person of the year and milestone awards. Coaches, managers, trainers and committee members can be handled separately so they do not get lost among playing awards.
Football clubs often need one style to cover several levels. A good trophy range has multiple sizes so junior awards, senior awards and major awards can feel related without being identical. For example, smaller action-player or football-theme trophies might suit team awards, while larger pieces, cups, shields or glass awards suit major presentations. If the club wants a clean table display, avoid mixing too many unrelated styles. Send through the preferred sport page or product codes and staff can check whether the range has enough sizes for your categories.
Finals season is usually when perpetuals become a problem. Shields, cups and honour boards may need matching plates, old engraving styles, missing screws or awkward spacing checked in person. Bring them in before winners are final if possible. Staff can measure the available space and confirm whether this year’s plate will match. If the shield records decades of names, do not leave it until the last week. The physical item matters more than a photo when plate sizing and layout have to be right.
Medals can be useful for grand final teams, junior participation, carnival days or club milestone groups where quantity matters. They are easier to budget than individual trophies and can still feel special with the right ribbon and centre. Decide whether medals need to say premiers, runners-up, participation, team name or year. If a club is ordering both medals and trophies, keep the wording consistent so the whole presentation feels organised.
Football clubs often have trophies stored in clubrooms, committee sheds or with last year’s award coordinator. Before grand final week, physically check what needs to come into the shop: perpetual cups, shields, honour boards, sponsor plaques and any trophies that need to be matched. Photographing them helps, but plates and shields are best checked in person. Also confirm who is authorised to approve spelling and final award names, because finals week is when committees are busy and corrections can easily get missed.
A football presentation usually looks better when awards are grouped visually: junior team trophies together, senior major awards together, perpetuals in a feature position and volunteer or sponsor awards separated from player awards. If a club wants photos on the night, choose a few larger pieces for the major winners and keep team awards consistent. The goal is not just to buy trophies; it is to make the award table make sense when players, families and sponsors walk in.
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