Philips' Kunstvoorwerp 1918-1919

In October 1917, the Gebroeders Philips' Tabak en Sigarettenfabriek in Maastricht, which just had celebrated its centenary, announced it would offer an as yet unspecified Kunstvoorwerp (cf. French objet d'art) as prize for a tournament to be held in Maastricht, in order to entice the strongest Dutch clubs, in particular from the western part of the country, to play local side M.V.V. and thus help that club to improve its standards.
They then commissioned Toon Dupuis, a famous sculptor living in Den Haag, to create the trophy, a bronze statue representing a football player, valued at two thousand guilders. The company also covered the travel costs of the participating clubs.
Subsequent editions were to be hosted by the holders but as the Stadion, the home venue of 1918 winners Blauw-Wit, was not available, it was decided to hold the second edition in Breda, hosted by southern champions N.A.C. The regulations stipulated that the trophy was to be kept in permanent possession by the first club to win it twice, so no further tournaments took place. Both editions took place in the Whitsuntide weekend.
Not connected with the Philipsbeker contested in Eindhoven between 1918 and 1934.

Palmares

Year     Winners                            Runners-Up
1918     Blauw-Wit (Amsterdam)          3-0 H.F.C. (Haarlem)
1919     Blauw-Wit (Amsterdam)          2-0 N.A.C. (Breda)

NB: thanks to their second win, Blauw-Wit won the trophy to keep.

1918 (Maastricht)

Participants (14, of which 13 actually played):
Amstel              (Amsterdam)
Blauw-Wit           (Amsterdam)
't Gooi             (Hilversum)
G.V.C.              (Wageningen)
H.B.S.              (Den Haag)
Helmond             (Helmond)
Hercules            (Utrecht)
H.F.C.              (Haarlem)
M.S.V.              (Maastricht)
M.V.V.              (Maastricht)
Sparta              (Rotterdam)             [did not show]
U.V.V.              (Utrecht)
V.V.V.              (Venlo)
Wilhelmina          (Den Bosch)

NB: four or five other clubs, including S.V.V. (Schiedam) and, conditionally,
    Go Ahead (Deventer), had inscribed but were denied entry as the number of
    participants was restricted to 14 (raised from the original limit of 12);
    matches at the grounds of M.V.V. (Boschpoort) and M.S.V. (Meerssenerweg).

Round 1
[May 19, at M.V.V.]
H.B.S.              3-0 Amstel              
M.S.V.              w/o Sparta              [awarded 5-0, Sparta dns]
Blauw-Wit           4-1 V.V.V.              
[May 19, at M.S.V.]
Hercules            0-1 G.V.C.              
Wilhelmina          2-0 Helmond             
U.V.V.              2-1 't Gooi             
H.F.C.              bye
M.V.V.              bye

Quarterfinals [May 19, at M.V.V.]
M.V.V.              0-1 H.F.C.              
H.B.S.              1-1 G.V.C.              [H.B.S. on lots]
M.S.V.              0-0 Wilhelmina          [M.S.V. on lots]
Blauw-Wit           3-1 U.V.V.              

Semifinals [May 20, at M.V.V.]
M.S.V.              0-0 H.F.C.              [H.F.C. on lots]
H.B.S.              0-1 Blauw-Wit           

Final [May 20, at M.V.V.]
Blauw-Wit           3-0 H.F.C.

1919 (Breda)

Participants (8):
Blauw-Wit           (Amsterdam)
Concordia           (Delft)                 [replaced H.F.C. (Haarlem), who withdrew]
D.F.C.              (Dordrecht)
G.V.C.              (Wageningen)
H.B.S.              (Den Haag)
M.V.V.              (Maastricht)
N.A.C.              (Breda)
Sparta              (Rotterdam)

Quarterfinals [Jun 8]
G.V.C.              0-2 Blauw-Wit           
H.B.S.              2-4 Sparta              
Concordia           1-3 N.A.C.              
M.V.V.              3-0 D.F.C.              

Semifinals [Jun 9]
M.V.V.              0-1 Blauw-Wit           
Sparta              1-4 N.A.C.              

Final [Jun 9]
N.A.C.              0-2 Blauw-Wit           

NB: by winning the tournament for the second time, Blauw-Wit obtain
    permanent ownership of the trophy.

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans (karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 15 Oct 2024