Summary

Trophy, the BryMay Cup, donated by Melbourne company Bryant and May Pty Ltd and presented to the Kodak Australasia Cricket Club, who were runners up in a workplace cricket competition in 1938-39.

Workplace sport was a popular pursuit in Melbourne, especially in the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s. Many companies, such as Kodak Australasia and Abbotsford Brewery formed teams to play in competitive industrial leagues, with cricket, football and basketball the most common sports played. They played at suburban football and cricket grounds around Melbourne, including Fitzroy, Brunswick, Collingwood and Prahran. Company reputation and pride was put on the line each weekend, as companies vied for victory amongst their manufacturing and retail competitors. Large and successful businesses, such as Bryant and May, sponsored competitions and donated trophies.

Following WWII, workplace sport underwent a gradual decline and by the end of the twentieth century it had largely disappeared. As industry had shifted from its previously male dominated, inner-city domain to include more women in the workforce in new outer suburban locales after WWII, there was less interest in many workplace sporting competitions, especially as the link diminished between where people lived and worked, and company related sport required travelling across the city away from home. Increased leisure time and new leisure opportunities, a more affluent society, and lifestyle changes in the post-war also contributed to a shift away from company based sporting activity.

During its heyday, workplace sport was significant in shaping working class identity, culture and politics. It also played a role in industrial relations through promoting company values and employee harmony. Companies like Kodak promoted a strong family culture among its staff and encouraged sporting achievements under the guise of the company name.

Physical Description

Metal trophy cup with wide mouth and two decorative handles that sit above the top of the cup. Cup is screwed to a brown bakelite plastic base that has a crack in it.

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