What Is the Premier League Trophy Made Of?

**TL;DR: **The Premier League trophy is made of solid sterling silver and silver gilt, with a malachite plinth and a gold-coloured crown on top. It weighs roughly 25 kilograms and is around 76cm tall.

Every May, the cameras zoom in on a captain lifting a trophy that looks heavier than it should be. There is a reason for that. It actually is heavy. The Premier League trophy is one of the largest and most distinctive in club football, and the materials are part of why.

The basic materials

The trophy is constructed primarily from sterling silver and silver gilt, with the figures and decorative elements applied as separate components. The base, which is the heaviest part, is made of malachite - a deep green semi-precious stone with characteristic banded patterns. The crown that sits on top of the cup is gold-coloured.

The malachite was sourced specifically because of its distinctive green colour, which echoes the green of a football pitch. The two lions on either side of the trophy are sculpted as part of the cup itself, and the third lion - the one being held by the captain - is the player at the moment of victory.

How heavy is it?

The trophy weighs around 25 kilograms in total, including the malachite base. The cup portion alone is lighter, but it is awkward to lift because of the size and the angle of the handles. That is why captains usually grab the underside as well as the handles when they hoist it.

Compare that to the Champions League trophy, which is roughly 7 kilograms, and the FA Cup, which is around 6 kilograms. The Premier League trophy is in a different weight class, partly because of the malachite, partly because of the size of the cup.

The design history

The current trophy was designed by silversmiths Asprey of London ahead of the 2003-04 season. It replaced the original trophy that was used from the league's founding in 1992. The design was specifically intended to represent the heritage of English football, with the lions referencing the three lions on the crest of England.

There are technically two identical trophies. One is the official trophy, awarded each season. The other is a replica, used for promotional photography, exhibitions and marketing. The winning club gets to keep a smaller scaled replica as a permanent memento.

Why the captain lifts it differently each year