English Soccer Team Nicknames

A review of the nicknames employed by English soccer teams reveals a beguiling insight into English social history over the last 150 years.



All soccer teams appear to get a nickname, bestowed upon them affectionately by their devoted fans. Although in one very famous case - that of Manchester United - the nickname of The Red Devils was in fact invented by the club itself as a marketing strategy, copyrighted and eventually 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 or even not known today.



In many cases the nickname is derived from the colour of the team’s shirts. Obvious 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 or 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 many team nicknames



Sunderland - The Black Cats (named after the Black cat gun battery which stood on the banks of the River Wear)

Bournemouth - The Cherries (the sports ground was built on the site of a cherry orchard)

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 pub)

Grimsby Town - The Mariners (Grimsby is on the coast)

Rotherham United - The Millers ( the pitch is called Millmoor)

Sheffield Wednesday - The Owls ( they play in an area of Sheffield known as Owlerton)

Kettering Town - The Poppies ( their stadium was constructed on a poppy field)

Blackburn Rovers - The Riversiders (their site is built on the banks of a river)

Bolton Wanderers - The Trotters (in the 19th century the ground was situated next to a piggery)



Other nicknames are derived from local occupations or industries:



Sheffield United - The Blades ( local links with cutlery manufacture)

Burton Albion - The Brewers ( Burton is a major centre for the brewing industry )

Hereford United - The Bulls (from the local cattle industry)

Wycombe Wanderers - The Chairboys ( local furniture industry)

Northampton Town - The Cobblers (from the local boot and shoe industry)

Yeovil Town - The Glovers (local associations with the glove making industry )

Luton Town - The Hatters (Luton was for numerous years a centre for the manufacture of hats)

Crewe Alexander - The Railwaymen ( Crewe was constructed as a railway town



In conclusion, a short assortment of some of the more amusing, bizarre or obtuse derivations:



Charlton Athletic - The Addicks ( A corruption of the ward "haddocks" after a local fish and chip shop)

Norwich City - The Canaries ( Norwich was a leading centre for the breeding of canaries. The team subsequently adopted the green and yellow of the Norwich Canary as their playing shirt)

Hartlepool United - The Monkey Hangers (During the Napoleonic wars the citizens of Hartlepool allegedly hung a monkey thinking it to be a French spy)

Bury - The Shakers (The first Chairman of the club, J T Ingham said before a local 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 have said "We are looking for posh players for a posh team")



We hope this look though the history behind the nicknames of English soccer teams has proved entertaining and enlightening.



Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with London Olympics 2012 venues. Click a link if you are interested in 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.