Inside Ksh1.5M Premier League Trophy Ruto Hosted At State House [PHOTOS]

President William Ruto on Saturday, September 2 hosted the highly-coveted English Premier League (EPL) trophy at State House in Nairobi.

The trophy, considered one of the most prized in world football, was escorted by Nigerian football icon Jay-Jay Okocha who played for Bolton Wanderers which enjoyed several spells in the EPL before their relegation in 2012.

Okocha was part of the trophy's tour in the country, elevating the event's fervour for all present given his standing as one of the African greats who elevated the Premier League’s popularity on the continent.

President William Ruto with football legend Jay-Jay Okocha posing next to the English Premier League trophy at State House, Nairobi on September 2, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO

"The commercial potential of professional football is substantial enough to inspire many upcoming talents and change the lives of thousands of players, coaches and communities. We must properly manage the game to develop and exploit this potential. 

"Pleased to welcome the English Premier League Trophy to State House, Nairobi. The Trophy was escorted by football legend Jay-Jay Okocha," stated Ruto in part.

The Head of State hailed the EPL as one that hosted former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama, who played for Southampton and later Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Divock Origi (formerly Liverpool), son of former Stars icon Mike Origi.

"The League is an inspiration to millions of young footballers across the world; Africa, Kenya included. It is the ultimate football destination," he added.

An event was held on Saturday at the Carnivore Grounds in Nairobi where Kenyans turned up to view the trophy in its glory and take pictures for memory keeping.

Viral Tea takes a look at what makes the EPL trophy so special that fans supporting big clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool go livid whenever their team wins it:

Trophy Features

The Premier League Trophy is the ultimate prize that 20 teams battle for over 38 matches across a span of nine months. However, did you know that there is in fact more than one trophy?

According to the Premier League official website, there are two trophies which are identical and include an engraved base detailing past Premier League champions.

During the season, one stays with the Premier League champions, while the other is used by the League. The champions must return their Trophy to the Premier League at least three weeks before their final league match of the season.

Each Trophy stands 3ft 5in (104cm) tall and is 2ft (61cm) wide. It weighs 25.4 kilograms in total and of that weight, the base into which the names of the champions are engraved comprises 15.9kg. 

The Trophies were cast by Asprey London, the Crown Jewellers, with the main bodies made from solid sterling silver. The crowns are cast from 24-carat silver gilt, a gold leaf or gold paint applied in a thin layer to a surface.

The bases are made from malachite, a semi-precious stone found in occurring worldwide including Congo, Gabon, Zambia, Namibia, Mexico, and Australia, and with the largest deposit/mine in the Urals region, Russia. The green colour of the opaque stone represents the field of play.

The design of the Trophy is based on the theme of "The Three Lions of English Football".

Two of the lions are above the handles on either side. When the captain of the title-winning team raises the Trophy, and its gold crown, above his head at the end of the season, he becomes the third lion.

Trophy Value

Various reports indicate that the Premier League trophy is worth Ksh1.5 million ($10,000) though in terms of who wins the PL, the value had increased from last season's (2022) to about £2.5 billion (Ksh457.5 billion), meaning teams took home even more in the 2022/23 season.

A total of over $194 million (Ksh28.2 billion) was awarded to the tournament's champions (Manchester City), but even the three teams who finished worst and were relegated still earned over £100m (Ksh18.3 billion) in prize money.

Medals

The champions are also given 40 commemorative medals made of silver, which are 2.25in (5.7cm) in diameter.

They can be distributed to the manager, players and officials as the club sees fit, as long as every player who has made at least five Premier League appearances during the title-winning season gets one.

Additional medals may only be presented with the consent of the Premier League Board, and that will only be granted if more than 39 players have made at least five PL appearances during the campaign.