Minor premiership
In several sports, a minor premiership is the (often unofficial) award given to a team which finishes first overall in the standings after the regular season prior to commencement of the playoffs.
The term is most often used in Australia where the National Rugby League gives an award, the J. J. Giltinan Shield, to each season's minor premiers. The Australian Ice Hockey League awards the V.I.P. Cup to the minor premiers after its regular season and the Australian Football League awards the Dr Wm. C. McClelland Trophy. The National Basketball League recognises the minor premiers but no official trophy or award is given.
In North America, the Presidents' Trophy is given out by the National Hockey League to the team which finishes first in the standings at the end of the season, as is the Supporters' Shield in Major League Soccer; however, the term "minor premiership" is not used in the USA or Canada.
Although often referred to as the minor premiers, the team on top of the table at the end of the A-League season is officially the A-League Premiers, receiving the Premiership Trophy and a berth in the AFC Champions League.
The New South Wales Rugby League introduced the J. J. Giltinan Shield in 1951 to be awarded to the winners of that season's Grand Final. When the W. D. & H. O. Wills Cup was introduced in 1960 to reflect cigarette brand W. D. & H. O. Wills' sponsorship of the NSWRL, the J. J. Giltinan Shield became the award given to the minor premiers. This continued with the Winfield Cup, which replaced the W. D. & H. O. Wills Cup in 1982.
Teams who won both the minor premiership and the Grand Final (eg the Parramatta Eels in 1986) would parade both the Winfield Cup and the J. J. Giltinan Shield around the field after the game.
