HISTORY OF THE SUNLIGHT CUP CUP

A HISTORY OF THE SUNLIGHT CUP

WHAT WERE SUNLIGHT CUPS?

Sunlight silver plated prize cups, by John Henry Potter, Sheffield. Pre 1922
John Henry Potter produced these cups at 124 Rockingam Street, Sheffield 1884 - 1893.
The works then moved to 65 - 71 Division Street.
The firm became J.P.Potter and Sons Ltd in 1922.
These were issued to staff members and sales people of Lever Brothers Port Sunlight

SUNLIGHT CUP TIME LINE

SUNLIGHT CUP TIME LINE
At 1893 Launceston Football Club AGM. The [Sunlight] Cup described as being presented for competition by a company from the north of England (Lever Brothers)
CHALLENGE CUPS Launceston Football Club at their AGM stated that the Cups they would be playing for in 1893:
The Cornwall County Association Cup
Sunlight Soap Company Cup, given by Messrs Lever Bros 1894.
The Post Cup (given by Mr W L Powell.)
1893-94 SUNLIGHT CUP FINAL : Launceston 3-0 Liskeard

1894 -95 SUNLIGHT CUP FINAL: Boys of England 3-0 Bodmin Rovers
Capt of Launceston Mr E.C.Gee Hon Sec of Competition of sunlight Cup Competition

1901-02 Launceston Reserves did well in the first ever [C.C.F.A] Junior Cup Competition held in 1901 which was based solely in the east of the county reaching the final only to be defeated by Saltash Athletic (the Junior Cup did not start in the west until the 1903

1903-04 Season(details from Cornish &Devon Post 1904)
Local Junior Cup Final BOYS OF ENGLAND 3-0 DUNHEVED COLLEGE (U17 competition?) April

1904 September :At the LAUNCESTON F.C A.G.M held on 3rd Sept 1904 they stated they again would run a League for local clubs at u17 level with a Cup at the end of the season.

1904-05 Season
LAUNCESTON JUNIOR CUP FINAL also known as SUNLIGHT CUP FINAL
FINAL: DUNHEVED COLLEGE 6-0 BOYS of ENGLAND
LAUNCESTON JUNIOR CUP COMPETITION
BOYS of ENGLAND 3-1 ALBION (Referee J.H.BROAD

1905-06 Season
LAUNCESTON F.C Then BOYS OF ENGLAND
In a match between Launceston and Torpoint at Pennygillam Launceston player Ted Chambers is accused of striking an opponent and ordered off the field by Referee Sergeant Locock. This was reported to the CCFA and as result the Football Ground was closed from April to Oct 1906. Then due to lack of interest the Launceston FC closed down but the ground was taken over by the Boys of England in October 1906.<
The BOE were allowed to play on the ground by the CCFA but no spectators were allowed

LEVER BROTHERS and the early years of SUNLIGHT SOAP
Was this an example of early sponsorship by a company?

The 'King of Sunlight' as he was known to his soap employees, or William Lever, was the co-founder (with his brother James) of the Sunlight Soap Company that evolved to become Lever Brothers and eventually UNILEVER one of the largest companies in the world.

Born in 1851 William Lever went into the family Grocery business and became an administrator, the family bought into a failing grocery company in 1879. At this time Soap was sold in blocks cut and wrapped. William realised there was an opportunity to 'brand and package' soap.

In 1884 he resolved to capture the international soap market and registered his trademark 'SUNLIGHT'.

Soap production at the time was done by many local 'soap boilers' however he found that production of his bespoke formulae soap was inconsistent and this led to complaints. At this point he decided to take-over an ailing soap factory in Warrington and the Lever family company diversified into soap manufacturing 1885.

By 1887 the success of his company meant that a new manufacturing site was needed and they acquired land on the Wirral which they transformed into a large 'model village' to house the factory workers, with good living conditions and thus ensuring he had a healthy and happy workforce. So 'PORT SUNLIGHT' was born.

William Lever was an English industrialist, philanthropist and he was a teetotaller and did everything to promote a healthy way of living encouraging and sponsoring healthy activities and sports. Even sponsoring a worthy cause such as a lifeboat named Sunlight!

Lever used American style advertising to promote his new branded soap such as offering tokens to collect and redeem prizes. Lever's desire to directly influence the consumer led to the employment of 'District Agents' whose tasks involved engaging directly with members of the public in order to advance the merits of the company's products, as well as to act as undercover agents who reported on anything they observed that could be useful to Port Sunlight.