Most of the football clubs in the English League have nicknames. These are sometimes used in a derisory fashion, but are often used by the fans to confirm their collective identity as followers of the club.
These informal names can reveal information about the clubs themselves, but also help to show how the sport itself was funded and developed in its infancy.
Work-Related Nicknames
Arsenal’s official name comes from the same source as its nickname “The Gunners”. The club was formed in 1886 by workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory, originally under the name “Dial Square”. They soon changed their name, however to “Royal Arsenal” and to “Woolwich Arsenal” when the club turned professional in 1891.
Other clubs which have names related to local trades include Yeovil (The Glovers) and Stoke City (The Potters).
Patronage
As with many clubs, there is more than one story suggesting the origin of AFC Bournemouth’s nickname “The Cherries”.The side wore cherry red striped shirts, and they would not be the only team in the league to have their nickname taken from their team strip (such as Manchester City being known as the “Sky Blues”).
Perhaps more likely, however, is the theory that the nickname comes from a source of power and money early in the twentieth century. The club’s first ground, Dean Court, was named after Mr J E Cooper-Dean who was the club’s benefactor. The ground was built next to Mr Cooper-Dean’s estate on which grew a number of cherry orchards.
The tradition of giving a name related to patronage has continued to recent times, as illustrated by Chelsea’s nickname of “Chelski” following its purchase by Roman Abramovich.
Local Quirks
Many clubs take their names from local historical emblems, such as Derby County (The Rams) or Leicester City (The Foxes). Others gained their nickname from their location, such as Reading (The Royals) being situated in the Royal County of Berkshire.
With Everton, the club’s informal name of the “The Toffees” appears to have uniquely local connections, but again history has blurred the origins of the story and three popular versions of events survive.
- Liverpool was a city with a large population of Irish immigrants at the beginning of the twentith century, and “toffee” was a local term for Irishmen.
- There was a property near the ground called “Ye Ancient Everton Toffee House” which may have lead to the nickname.
- A local seller of sweets and toffees sold her wares on match days near Goodison Park.
Other Origins
The colour of the football strip can lead to a name, such as Watford being known as “The Hornets” or Weymouth being called “The Terras” due to their terracotta coloured shirts.
Sometimes a person’s comments or actions can be responsible for a club’s name. For example, Peterborough United is known as “The Posh”. Before the club was formed, there was another local team, Fletton United, who used the ground at London Road. The player manager, Pat Tyrell, said that he wanted “posh players for a posh team” and the name stuck.
Whether a club gets its informal name from its ground (such as Southampton being “The Saints”, after St Mary’s Road) or a comment made back in its history, the fans of the team will gather under the umbrella of that nickname to show their loyalty to the club of their choice.
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