The Coupe GNC Cup: Unveiled as Perpetual Award for the Gridiron Nations Championship, the Mullin-Fraser Trophy

Historic 1888 English cup repurposed to honour the World GNC Champion, linking the sport’s 19th-century roots to its global present

VANCOUVER — The Gridiron Nations Championship (GNC) today announced that a late-19th-century English presentation cup will serve as the competition’s new perpetual trophy, formally titled the Mullin–Simon Fraser Trophy will serve as the GNC Cup. The cup—crafted by Philip Ashberry & Sons of Sheffield and registered in 1888—was donated by IFAF VP Jim Mullin and the Simon Fraser Football Alumni to the Gridiron Nations Champion each season.

“From the earliest Canadian contests in the 1860s to today’s international fixtures, tackle football is the heart and backbone of gridiron,” said Mullin, co-donor of the trophy and Commission Chair of the GNC Council. “By restoring an 1888 English cup and dedicating it to the champions of the GNC, we’re connecting that history directly to the modern game.”

The repurposed trophy reflects the era when Canadian programs routinely commissioned awards from leading English smiths in London and Sheffield. To symbolize the Championship’s contemporary, multinational character, select modern elements from the founding nations—Canada, Germany, and Italy—will be contributed from and incorporated into the new plinth and decorative details.

“Awarding the GNC champion with a historic vessel from the Canadian Confederation’s silver age is a powerful statement,” said Simon Fraser Football Alumni Association Mark Bailey. “It honours Simon Fraser University’s deep cross-border football heritage while celebrating the global growth of the sport.”

About the trophy

MAKER & DATE: Philip Ashberry & Sons (Sheffield), English Registered Design (1888).

Form: Tall, covered presentation cup with griffin handles; octagonal foot; period Neo-Renaissance/Aesthetic decoration.

Dedication: Mullin–Simon Fraser Trophy — perpetual award to the World Gridiron Nations Champion.

Plinth: Founding partners will contribute an octagonal hardwood base with national shields and annual engraving plates; contemporary craftsmanship contributed by Canada, Germany, and Italy.

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