At a secret location in leafy Temple Fortune, London NW11 – close to the place where the Temple Fortune Football Club was formed – lies the Club's actual trophy cabinet. This is filled with various pieces of silverware, momentoes and other TFFC artifacts. Here we have been given an exclusive and extremely rare opportunity to glance at what's in the TFFC trophy cabinet.
Cabinet 1
From left to right, top shelf: A small silver cup presented to commemorate the Club's first season in the Maccabi (Southern) Football League, namely 1976/77.
Next is the memento produced to mark Temple Fortune's very first League fixture, on Sunday 5th September 1976.
This sterling silver salver was presented to Club Chairman Nigel Kyte to commemorate 25 years of dedicated service by Members in 1993.
The Goal Of The Season Trophy which, although existing to be presented each season, has never found its way into the Club's annual presentation plans. Perhaps nobody's ever scored a goal fitting enough to warrant it!
The glass framed plaque in the centre depicts eight Honorary Members at Princes Park, Temple Fortune in June 1993. The eightsome, all wearing different old TFFC kits, played a special 4-a-side match on the very pitch where Temple Fortune first held kick-abouts some 25 years previously. This plaque is one of 8 which was presented to each participant to mark the occasion.
Bottom shelf, left: The Murray Epstein Old Boys Challenge Cup won by Temple Fortune Old Boys in 1994. Right: The Bethune Park Anniversary Trophy (BEPAT) last won by Temple Fortune several years ago and now obsolete as a competition.
Cabinet 2
The trophy of most interest above is the square wooden Merit Plaque of Distinction on the middle shelf. Made many years ago, it is hand painted and shows a crest depicting TFFC lettering, the London Football Association's red Cross of St.George and the M(S)FL's Star of David emblem. There are also two footballers in Temple Fortune's original envisaged colours of yellow and red (c 1971) and the Club's first League kit of green and white in 1976. The plaque is edged in blue ribbon with a gold chain fixed across the top for hanging. On the reverse are listed the Merit Plaque of Distinction Roll of Honour, including former M(S)FL Player of the Year winners, three-times winners of any major Club award and any other major achievement as a Club Member. Danny Caro, Henry Charles, Tony Espinoza, Steve Feiger, Gary Hyams, Peter Kyte, Dave Shone and Nick Waitsman are all named on this very special historic trophy.
Pictured below the Merit Plaque is a rare 1976 photo showing Peter Kyte, the Club's all-time top appearances holder, wearing the infamous green and white kit during TF's inaugural League season. Infront is the very first Merit Award given to Peter in 1976. To the right is the TFFC results book covering the first 30 years; only eight editions were produced and given to the Club's Honorary Members in 1998.
Cabinet 3
The shield in the centre is a replica of the Maccabi (Southern) Football League Second Division championship trophy which Temple Fortune won in season 1985/86. The First Team won the Division 2 title by winning 17 matches out of 20, losing only twice.
The silver salver shown bottom left was presented to mark 10 years of M(S)FL participation in 1985/86 and also the winning of the Second Division Championship in the same season.
The Israeli copper salver on the right was presented to Nigel Kyte by the Maccabi 'B' Great Britain squad following a tour to Israel in 1982.
The statuette in the centre was presented to Lynne Kyte for winning the Chairman's Merit Award in 1993, the first – and so far only – lady on the Club's Management Committee. The photograph at the top shows a nice family shot of a prominent Club official!
Cabinet 4
Apart from a few mementoes on the top shelf, the last cabinet features the M(S)FL Ron Saunders Sportsmanship and Turnout Memorail Trophy, to give it its full title, which Temple Fortune won in season 1998/99. This is the League's most prestigious prize and was collected by Peter Kyte on behalf of the Second Team at the M(S)FL awards evening in June 1999. The football jersey exhibited is a Second XI shirt sponsored by Hatton Gardens jewellers, Haltons, worn throughout the 1998/99 season.
Missing from the cabinet is the Ralph Epstein Memorial Trophy (REMT) which was at the engravers at the time of this photograph being taken, and the TFFC Founders' Shield, in the possession of the First Team captain at the time. Also, the majority of the Club's perpetual trophies were being held by their respective recipients except for the Second Team Leading Goalscorer's tankard and the Second Team Player of the Year Cup, both present in the second cabinet, top shelf.
