The World Cup was famously brought home in 1966 when England’s footballers won the sport’s biggest prize, writes George Whitehouse.
However, this wasn’t the first time the prestigious honour found its way into English hands.
In 1909 West Auckland AFC, from County Durham, travelled to Torino in Italy to face Torino XI in the first ever World Cup, known then as the Sir Thomas Lipton World Cup. The competition featured teams from Italy, England, Switzerland and Germany.
After a 2-0 victory against Stuttgarter Sportfreunde, Auckland found themselves in the final against FC Winterthur. The County Durham outfit won the game 2-0 after two goals in quick succession.
Two years later the world champions were invited back to Italy in order to defend their title. On the road to the final they beat Switzerland side Red Star, then defeating FC Zurich in the semis.
The final took place on April 17, 1911 where West Auckland AFC faced off against the now mighty Juventus. They went on to thrash them 6-1, successfully retaining the World Cup.
Now, a short documentary called ‘Our Cup of Tea’ has been put together by Tyne and Weird who have gathered interviews and images to remember the original World Cup winners.
The film is narrated by Geordie actor Tim Healy and features interviews from Amos, Dave Thomas (former England football player) and Martin Connolly.
Check out Tyne and Weird on Facebook and YouTube.
