English Football Team Nicknames

A review of the nicknames employed by English soccer teams reveals a fascinating

insight into English social history over the last 150 years.
All football teams seem to acquire a nickname, bestowed upon them lovingly by th
eir loyal fans. Although in one very famous case - that of Manchester United - t
he nickname of The Red Devils was in fact invented by the club itself as a marke
ting ploy, copyrighted and finally the Red Devil himself was incorporated in the
team's coat of arms.
The origin of the name may appear obvious, or may be lost in the mists of time o
r even not known today.
In many instances the nickname is derived from the colour of the team s shirts. Ob
vious examples of these include:
Chelsea - The Blues
Burnley - the Clarets
Watford - the Hornets
Preston North End - The Lilywhites
Liverpool - The Reds
Newcastle United - The Magpies
Coventry City - The Sky Blues
Blackpool United - the Tangerines
Weymouth - The Terras
Cambridge United - the Yellows
Hull City - the Tigers
Other nicknames are far more prosaic in origin, being based upon abbreviations o
r contractions of the team s real name. Examples of these instances include :
Middlesbrough - Boro
Rochdale - the Dale
Gillingham - the Gills
Wigan Athletic - the Latics
Queens Park Rangers - QPR
Blackburn Rovers - The Rovers
Aldershot Town - The Shots
Shrewsbury Town - The Shrews
Tottenham Hotspur - Spurs
Swansea City - The Swans
Woverhampton Wanderers - Wolves
Location plays an important aspect in a lot of team nicknames
Sunderland - The Black Cats (named after the Black cat gun battery which was loc
ated on the banks of the River Wear)
Bournemouth - The Cherries (the stadium was built on the site of a cherry orcha
rd)
Carlisle United - The Cumbrians (Carlisle is in the county of Cumbria)
Bristol Rovers - The Gas ( their old site was located next to the gasworks)
Torquay United - The Gulls (Torquay is beside the sea)
Tamworth - The Lambs ( the team plays at The Lamb Ground, named after a local p
ub)
Grimsby Town - The Mariners (Grimsby is on the coast)
Rotherham United - The Millers ( the ground is called Millmoor)
Sheffield Wednesday - The Owls ( they play in an area of Sheffield known as Owle
rton)
Kettering Town - The Poppies ( their stadium was built on a poppy field)
 Blackburn Rovers - The Riversiders (their ground is built on the banks of a riv
er)
Bolton Wanderers - The Trotters (in the 19th century the ground was situated ne
xt to a piggery)
Other nicknames are taken from local occupations or industries:
Sheffield United - The Blades ( local links with cutlery manufacture)
Burton Albion - The Brewers ( Burton is a foremost centre for the brewing indust
ry )
Hereford United - The Bulls (from the local cattle industry)
Wycombe Wanderers - The Chairboys ( local furniture industry)
Northampton Town - The Cobblers (from the regional boot and shoe industry)
Yeovil Town - The Glovers (local links to the glove making industry )
Luton Town - The Hatters (Luton was for numerous years a centre for the manufact
ure of hats)
Crewe Alexander - The Railwaymen ( Crewe was constructed as a railway town
In conclusion, a short selection of some of the more humorous, bizarre and obtus
e derivations:
Charlton Athletic - The Addicks ( A corruption of the ward haddocks after a neighb
ourhood fish and chip shop)
Norwich City - The Canaries ( Norwich was a leading centre for the breeding of
canaries. The team later adopted the green and yellow of the Norwich Canar
y as their playing strip)
Hartlepool United - The Monkey Hangers (During the Napoleonic wars the citizens
of Hartlepool allegedly hung a monkey believing it to be a French spy)
Bury - The Shakers (The first Chairman of the club, J T Ingham said before a loc
al derby game against Blackburn We will shake them, in fact we are the Shakers )
Peterborough United - The Posh (A previous manager of the team is reputed to hav
e said We are looking for posh players for a posh team )
We hope this look though the history behind the nicknames of English soccer team
s has been amusing and informative.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently
concerned with <a href="http://2012londonolympicsvolunteers.com/london-olympics-
2012-venues.html">London Olympics 2012 venues</a>. Click a link if you are inter
ested in <a href="http://2012londonolympicsvolunteers.com">2012 London Olympics
Volunteers</a>.