List of football club nicknames in the United Kingdom
This is a list of nicknames for United Kingdom football clubs. Nicknames are usually preceded by 'The'. The origins of some nicknames are unclear with various stories being put forward.
The usual basis for nicknames are:
- Local industry
- Colour(s) of home strip
- Name of club
- Name of area or ground
- Logo
England
Main article: Football in England
| Nickname | Club(s) | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Addicks | Charlton Athletic | A corruption of the word 'haddocks', named after a local fish and chip shop |
| Ash Trees | Ashford Town (Middlesex) | The emblem of the town, derived both from the name of the town and from the large tree that stood in the centre of the town for many years |
| Baggies | West Bromwich Albion | Acquired when the players played in long shorts (debatable - see the club's article for more details!) |
| Bantams | Bradford City | A reference to the claret and amber colours of the club's strip[1] |
| Beavers | Hampton & Richmond Borough | From the name of the ground, Beveree, itself named after a mansion in whose former grounds it is situated. |
| Bees | Barnet | Based on colour of home strip |
| Bees | Brentford | Misinterpretation of an 1890s chant "Buck up Bs" |
| Biscuitmen | Reading | Referred to former Huntley and Palmers biscuit factory in the town (not used since the 1980s) |
| Black Cats | Sunderland | Named after the Black Cat gun battery which stood on the river Wear. Also references the lucky black cat which led to the team winning the FA Cup[2] |
| Blades | Sheffield United | Local links with steel and cutlery. |
| Blues | Birmingham City | Colour of home football kit |
| Blues or The Toffees | Everton | Colour of home football kit |
| Blues | Grays Athletic | Colour of home football kit |
| Blues | Ipswich Town | Colour of home football kit |
| Blues | Shrewsbury Town | Colour of home football kit |
| Blues | Southend United | Colour of home football kit |
| Blues | Wycombe Wanderers | Colour of home football kit |
| Boro | Middlesbrough | Short version of name |
| Boro | Stevenage | Short version of original name, Stevenage Borough |
| Brewers | Burton Albion | Local links to the brewing industry |
| Bulls | Hereford United | After the local breed of cattle |
| Bury | St Margaretsbury | |
| Canaries | Norwich City | Initially due to popularity of canary breeding in Norfolk, later home strips are the same colour as the bird, and is now used in the club's logo |
| Cardinals (Cards for short) | Woking | From the Cardinal red of the red and white shirt halves[3] |
| Chairboys | Wycombe Wanderers | Local links to the furniture making industry |
| Cherries | Bournemouth | Stadium built on a cherry tree orchard |
| Citizens | Manchester City | Developed from 'City' |
| Clarets | Burnley | Colour of home strip |
| Cobblers | Northampton Town | Local links to the shoe making industry |
| Cod Army | Fleetwood Town | Local links to the fishing industry |
| Cottagers | Fulham | From club's ground, Craven Cottage, which has a cottage in the corner |
| Cumbrians | Carlisle United | From Cumbria, the county the club are from |
| Daggers | Dagenham & Redbridge | Based on club name |
| Dale | Rochdale | Short version of name |
| Diamonds | Rushden & Diamonds | Short version of name |
| Dolly Blues | Lancaster City | Derived from the fact that team originally played in the same colour as the 'Dolly Blue' washing tablets |
| Donny | Doncaster Rovers | The regional nickname of the town |
| Dons | MK Dons | A continuation of Wimbledon. See Wimbledon F.C. |
| Eagles | Crystal Palace | Taken from nickname of Benfica |
| FC | FC United of Manchester | |
| Filberts | Leicester City | Seldom used, derives from previous ground being located on Filbert Street |
| Fleet | Gravesend and Northfleet | Short version of name |
| Fosse | Leicester City | Original name was Leicester Fosse, which derived from The Fosse Way. Name still in use by commentator Stuart Hall |
| Foxes | Leicester City | Outline of Leicestershire on a map resembles a fox's head, Hunting tradition of the county[4] |
| Gas | Bristol Rovers | Old ground next door to a Gasworks |
| Gills | Gillingham | Short version of name |
| Glaziers | Crystal Palace | Reference to The Crystal Palace. No longer used |
| Glovers | Yeovil Town | Local links to the glove making industry |
| Grecians | Exeter City | Grecians was, for centuries, the nickname for people from the St Sidwells parish of Exeter where the ground is situated |
| Gulls | Torquay United | Seaside link |
| Gunners | Arsenal | Local links to military arsenal/due to the founders was in fact workers on a local arms factory |
| Hammers | West Ham United | Although this may initially appear to be based on a simple shortening of the name, observation of the club's crest will reveal crossed metalworking/rivetting hammers, indicating the club's origins as the football team of Thames Ironworks |
| Harriers | Kidderminster Harriers | Short version of name |
| Hatters | Luton Town | Local links to hat making industry |
| Hatters | Stockport County | One of Cheshire's and Britain's main hatting industry towns |
| Heed | Gateshead | Based on shortening of Gateshead, and the local pronunciation of Head |
| Hoops | Queens Park Rangers | Design of home strip |
| Hornets | Watford | Colour of strip |
| Imps | Lincoln City | Legend of the imp statue in Lincoln Cathedral (also "Red Imps") |
| Iron | Scunthorpe United | Local links to the iron industry |
| Iron | Braintree Town | The club was formed as Manor Works, the works team of the Crittall Window Company, from which they gained their nickname Iron. |
| Irons | West Ham United | The club's origins as the football team of Thames Ironworks |
| Knitters | Hinckley United | Local links to the Knitwear and Hosiery industry |
| Bad Boys | Sunderland | Fans use this all the time Gonna watch the Bad Boys, also the club's fans' motto is Ha'way the Bad Boys which is also seen on the stand at the Stadium of Light. |
| Lambs | Tamworth | Team plays at The Lamb Ground, named after a local pub |
| Latics | Oldham Athletic | Short version of name |
| Latics | Wigan Athletic | Short version of name |
| Lilywhites | Preston North End | Colour of home strip |
| Lilywhites | Fulham | Colour of home strip |
| Lilywhites | Tottenham Hotspur | Colour of home strip |
| Linnets | Burscough | Name of a bird sometimes known as the 'green linnet'; nickname used for teams that play in green |
| Linnets | Runcorn | Name of a bird sometimes known as the 'green linnet'; nickname used for teams that play in green |
| Lions | Aston Villa | Featured on badge |
| Lions | Millwall | Featured on badge |
| Magpies | Newcastle United | Based on black and white colour of home strip |
| Magpies | Notts County | Based on black and white colour of home strip[5] |
| Magpies | Maidenhead United | Based on black and white colour of home strip. |
| Magpies | Chorley | Based on black and white colour of home strip. |
| Mariners | Grimsby Town | The club is based on the coast |
| Millers | Rotherham United | Based on ground name (Millmoor) |
| Minstermen | York City | York Minster is a famous landmark in the city |
| Monkey hangers | Hartlepool United | During the Napoleonic wars the citizens of Hartlepool allegedly hanged a monkey believing it to be a French spy.[6] |
| Mushrooms | Hayes & Yeading United | Due to the fact that the club's Board keep the club's supporters in the dark. |
| Nailers | Belper Town | The manufacture of nails was formerly a widespread cottage industry locally |
| O's | Leyton Orient | Before Squad numbers on shirts, Orient Players wore Large Letter Os on their shirt backs |
| Owls | Sheffield Wednesday | Based on name of local area (Owlerton), after a visitor to the city drew a cartoon depicting Sheffield Wednesday as an owl |
| Peacocks | Leeds United | (Virtually obsolete). Stems from the former name of the Elland Road stadium, The Old Peacock Ground, which was in turn named after the nearby The Old Peacock pub[7] |
| The Blues | Chelsea | Originates from the Angry Scouce supporter, based at Stamford Bridge Official nickname since 2014 |
| Pilgrims | Boston United | Local links to the pilgrims who went to the New World |
| Pilgrims | Plymouth Argyle | Local links to the pilgrims who went to the New World |
| Pirates | Bristol Rovers | Local links to shipping |
| Pompey | Portsmouth | The nickname for the city |
| Pool | Blackpool | Short version of name |
| Pool | Liverpool | Short version of name |
| Pools | Hartlepool United | Short version of name when known as Hartlepools United |
| Poppies | Kettering Town | Stadium built on a former poppy field |
| Posh | Peterborough United | Believed to derive from former manager Pat Tirrel proclaiming that he was looking for: "Posh players for a posh team"[8] |
| Potters | Stoke City | Local links to the pottery industry |
| QPR | Queens Park Rangers | Abbreviation of club name |
| Quakers | Darlington | Local links to religious movement |
| R's | Queens Park Rangers | Final initial of club abbreviation, QPR |
| Railwaymen | Crewe Alexandra | Local links to railways |
| Rams | Derby County | Folk song "The Derby Ram", and by extension an emblem of the city[9] |
| Rebels | FC United of Manchester | The club having been formed by disaffected fans after the takeover of Manchester United by Malcolm Glazer. None of the fans refer to the club by this, it is purely a media name, primarily used by the Manchester Evening News. |
| Red Devils | Crawley Town | |
| Red Devils | Manchester United | Nickname originally belonged to nearby rugby league team Salford |
| Red Imps | Lincoln City | Colour of home kit and legend of the imp statue in Lincoln Cathedral |
| The Reds | Liverpool | Colour of home kit |
| Reds | Nottingham Forest | Colour of home kit |
| Riversiders | Blackburn Rovers | After a side of the ground adjacent to a river |
| Robins | Altrincham | Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest |
| Robins | Bristol City | Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest |
| Robins | Charlton Athletic | Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest |
| Robins | Cheltenham Town | Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest |
| Robins | Swindon Town | Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest |
| Royals | Reading | The town is in the Royal County of Berkshire |
| Saddlers | Walsall | Links to the saddle making industry |
| Saints | Southampton | St. Mary's Young Men's Association[10] |
| Saints | St Albans City | |
| Salop | Shrewsbury Town | Traditional name for the town of Shrewsbury and also Shropshire as a county (Latin name Salopia) |
| Sandgrounders | Southport | Town is on a stretch of coast known for its expansive sandy beaches |
| School of Science | Everton | 1928, comment of Everton's attractive style of play with the team being called 'scientific' or 'the school of science |
| Seagulls | Brighton & Hove Albion | Based on coast, also a response to the similar sounding nickname 'Eagles' of their arch rivals Crystal Palace |
| Seals | Chester City | Old ground named Sealand Road |
| Seasiders | Blackpool | Based on coast |
| Shakers | Bury | Club's first chairman, JT Ingham, said before a Lancashire Cup game with Blackburn, "We will shake them. In fact, we are the Shakers."[11] |
| Shaymen | Halifax Town | Originates from the club's ground |
| Shots | Aldershot Town | Short version of name |
| Shrews | Shrewsbury Town | Short version of name |
| Shrimps | Morecambe | Related to the fishing/shrimping industry in the region and Morecambe Bay's famous "potted shrimps" |
| Shrimpers | Southend United | A historic local industry; alliterative |
| Silkmen | Macclesfield Town | Local links to the silk industry |
| Skunks | Newcastle | From black and white home strip |
| Sky Blues | Coventry City | Colour of home strip |
| Sky Blues | Manchester City | Colour of home strip |
| Smoggies | Middlesbrough | From the industrial pollution, or smog, from the steel and chemical plants surrounding the town |
| Spireites | Chesterfield | Reference to famous crooked spire in the town |
| Spitfires | Eastleigh | The Spitfire supermarine was built at the airport in Eastleigh |
| Sports | Eastbourne Borough | Due to team's previous name of Langney Sports F.C. |
| Spurs | Tottenham Hotspur | Based on the spurs that the fighting cockerel wears on its leg, of which comes from Harry Hotspur's fighting cockerels in Shakespeare's Henry IV Part1 |
| Squirrels | Formby | Formby's nature reserve is home to one of England's largest remaining populations of red squirrels |
| Stags | Mansfield Town | Stag head on their crest |
| Stripes | Stevenage Borough | Based on the pattern of the home strip |
| Super Hoops | Queens Park Rangers | Based on the pattern of the home strip |
| Tangerines | Blackpool | Colour of their home kit |
| Terras | Weymouth | Club plays in a terracota coloured kit |
| Terriers | Huddersfield Town | Named after the Yorkshire Terrier breed of dog - based on a vote of their supporters to create a nickname |
| Teyn | Northampton Town | Town said in a Northampton accent |
| Tics | Oldham Athletic | Shorterned version of 'Latics' (Which is a nickname in itself) |
| Tigers | Gloucester City | Colours of home strip |
| Tigers | Hull City | Colours of home strip |
| Toffees / Toffeemen | Everton | Back in the 1950s and 1960s a woman in a blue and white dress used to walk around before the game and throw toffees to people in the crowd, a tradition since revived. The other league teams then referred to them as the "Toffees"[12] |
| Toon | Newcastle United | Local pronunciation of 'Town', meaning City Centre where the ground is situated |
| Tractor Boys | Ipswich Town | Local links to agriculture[13] |
| Tricky Trees | Nottingham Forest | Crest is a tree |
| Trotters | Bolton Wanderers | In the 19th century, one of their pitches was adjacent to a piggery and clearances often end up in there. Players had to 'trot' through the pig-pens to retrieve the balls.[14] |
| Tykes | Barnsley | Colloquial name for a Yorkshireman. |
| Tynesiders | Gateshead | Gateshead is located on Tyneside |
| U's | Cambridge United | Initial of name |
| U's | Colchester United | Initial of name |
| U's | Oxford United | Initial of name |
| Valiants | Port Vale | Based on official name |
| Vics | Northwich Victoria | Based on shortening of official name |
| Vikings | Doncaster Rovers | Based on the club badge, as well as Rovers being a term for Vikings |
| Vikings | Goole AFC | Based on the the town's Viking history. |
| Villans | Aston Villa | Based on official name |
| The Wednesday | Sheffield Wednesday | Original name of the club |
| Whites | Fulham | Colour of their home strip. Sometimes referred to as the Lillywhites |
| Whites | Leeds United | Main colour of home strip |
| Whites | Salisbury City | |
| Whites | Preston North End | |
| Wolves | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Based on shortening of name |
| Woolwich Wanderers | Arsenal | Refers to the club's original South London roots.[15] One of the earliest recordings of the name appeared in The Guardian in 2006[16] |
| Yellows | Cambridge United | Colour of home kit |
| Yellows | Mansfield Town | Colour of home kit |
| Yeltz | Halesowen Town | Origin of the name has been lost track of |
Northern Ireland
Main article: Association football in Northern Ireland
| Nickname | Club(s) | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The Bannsiders | Coleraine | River Bann is close by |
| Blues | Linfield | Original kits were blue in colour |
| Red and Blues | Ards | Kit colour is blue and red |
| Glens | Glentoran | Abbreviation of team name Glen(toran) |
| Hatchetmen | Crusaders | |
| Reds | Cliftonville | Kit colour is red |
| Seasiders | Bangor | Bangor (Co. Down) is a sea-fronted town |
| Sky Blues | Ballymena United | Colour of team shirt |
| Stute | Institute | Abbreviation of Intstitute |
| Whites | Lisburn Distillery | Kit colour is white |
| Candy Stripes | Derry | Kit colour is red and white stripes |
Scotland
Main article: Football in Scotland
| Nickname | Club(s) | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Accies | Hamilton Academical | Short for Academical |
| Arabs* | Dundee United | Coined after a Scottish Cup game at Tannadice in 1963 when copius amounts of sand was put on the frozen pitch. * This nickname refers mainly to the fans. |
| Bairns | Falkirk | From the ancient motto of the town parish - "Better meddle wi the deil than the Bairns o Falkirk" |
| Bears | Rangers F.C. | Etymology and origins uncertain. Fans are also known as Bluenoses and Huns |
| Bhoys | Celtic | From early promotional material. The 'h' was used to capture the Irish accent of the team's original fanbase. |
| Binos | Stirling Albion | Contraction of Albion |
| Black and Whites | Elgin City | Club colours. |
| Blue Brazil | Cowdenbeath | An ironic nickname invented by the clubs own supporters in the early 1990s during a particularly bad run of form which has endured since |
| Blues | Stranraer | Club colours. |
| Blue Toon | Peterhead | The town of Peterhead is nicknamed the Blue Toon. |
| Buddies | St Mirren | The club play in Paisley and a person from Paisley is called a Buddie. |
| Bully Wee | Clyde | Small team who would bully bigger teams - wee bullies |
| Cabbage and Ribs | Hibernian | Rhyming slang for Hibs |
| Caley; Caley Thistle | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Short version of the name |
| Dees | Dundee | |
| Diamonds | Airdrieonians | After the distinctive red 'V', or diamond, on the home kit which was first worn in 1912 |
| Dons | Aberdeen | Short for 'Aberdonians'. |
| Doonhamers | Queen of the South | A term used for people from Dumfries |
| Fifers | East Fife | |
| Gable Endies | Montrose |
Wealthy merchants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries dominated the town and built their houses in a Dutch style, gable to gable. Hence the town and the football have inherited the sobriquet, "gable-enders" |
| Galabankies | Annan Athletic | Home stadium is called Galabank. |
| Gers | Rangers | Abbreviation of the club name 'Rangers'. |
| Harry Wraggs | Partick Thistle | Rhyming slang for Jags. Harry Wragg was a famous jockey in the 1930s |
| Hedgemen | Brechin City | A hedge runs along one side of Glebe Park. |
| Hibees | Hibernian | Short version of the name |
| Honest Men | Ayr United | From a line in Robert Burns' poem 'Tam O' Shanter: 'Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a toun surpasses, for honest men an' bonnie lasses.' |
| Hoops | Celtic | From famous hooped home shirt |
| Jags | Partick Thistle | In colloquial Scottish a 'jag' is the sting of a nettle or thistle. |
| Jam Tarts | Heart of Midlothian | Rhyming slang for Hearts |
| Killie | Kilmarnock | Short for Kilmarnock. |
| Light Blues | Rangers | Comes from a newspaper description of a 'light and speedy' Rangers team of the 1870s. |
| Lions | Livingston | Club badge has a lion on it. |
| Loons | Forfar Athletic | Local name for 'lads' which were given to Angus Athletic's 2nd XI, composed largely of younger players who broke off to form Forfar Athletic. |
| Pars | Dunfermline Athletic | |
| Red Lichties | Arbroath | Owing to the red light that used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the harbour (Lichtie being a Scots word for light) |
| Rovers | Raith Rovers | |
| Saints | St. Johnstone & St Mirren | |
| Shire | East Stirlingshire | |
| Sons | Dumbarton | Shortened form of "Sons of the Rock" a term used for a person from Dumbarton. Their stadium was for many years, directly under Dumbarton Rock |
| Spiders | Queen's Park | The narrow black and white stripes of their kit supposedly resembles a spider’s web |
| Staggies | Ross County | The stag seen on the club's crest. *This name refers mainly to supporters. |
| Steelmen | Motherwell | A reference to the (former) steelworks at nearby Ravenscraig |
| Super Js | St. Johnstone | A reference to St. Johnstone being the only league club in Scottish (or English) football with a J in its name |
| Tangerines | Dundee United | Colour of their home kit |
| Teddy Bears | Rangers | Rhyming slang (when spoken with a Glaswegian accent, 'Bears' rhymes with 'Gers'. |
| Terrors | Dundee United | Coined in the early 1960s as a tribute to their fighting spirit especially at Tannadice (Before this they were known as the Black and Whites). |
| Tic | Celtic | Short version of the name |
| Ton | Greenock Morton | Short version of the name |
| Warriors | Stenhousemuir | |
| Wasps | Alloa Athletic | Their traditional home strip is black and yellow |
| Waysiders | Airdrieonians | The Town of Airdries name may be taken from the Gaelic word “Airdidh” meaning a sheiling or wayside town. “The Waysiders” was the club nickname until the 1950s when the “Diamonds” became more popular |
| Wee Gers | Berwick Rangers | To differentiate between their Rangers and other bigger clubs called Rangers in Scotland. |
| Wee Rovers | Albion Rovers | A self acknowledgement of the clubs status as one of the smaller clubs in the Scottish league. In use since the 1920s |
| Well | Motherwell | Short version of the name |
Wales
Main article: Football in Wales
| Nickname | Club(s) | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Bluebirds | Cardiff City | Colour of home football kit and possibly named after 1909 children's play 'Blue Bird' |
| Blues | Cardiff City | Colour of home football kit |
| Exiles | Newport County | Club were forced to play several seasons in Gloucestershire by the FAW |
| Ironsides | Newport County | Association with steelworks and other heavy industries |
| Jacks | Swansea City | Seamen from the town formerly referred to as 'Swansea Jacks', also after the dog Swansea Jack |
| Linnets | Barry Town | Named after the bird, based on the club's initial green and red coloured strips |
| Magpies | Barmouth & Dyffryn United | |
| Red Dragons | Wrexham | Featured on logo |
| Robins | Wrexham | Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest |
| Swans | Swansea City | Short version of the name |
| Wingmakers | Airbus UK Broughton | Refers to being the works team of the Airbus UK factory |
See also
- Lists of nicknames – nickname list articles on Wikipedia
References
- ↑ "History, Bradford City FC". theBRADFORDCITYsite. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009.
- ↑ "Black Cat Nickname". Sunderland A. F. C.
- ↑ http://www.wokingfc.co.uk/history/
- ↑ "Leicester City Club Profile". ratetheref.co.uk.
- ↑ "Notts County, History". Notts County.
- ↑ "Monkey Legend". Hartlepool United.
- ↑ "WAFLL - Elland Road History". WAFLL. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
- ↑ "Peterborough United, History". Peterborough United.
- ↑ "Derby County". Extra Football.
- ↑ Juson, Dave; Bull, David (2001). Full-Time at The Dell. Hagiology Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 0-9534474-2-1.
- ↑ "Bury, History". Bury Football Club.
- ↑ "Everton History". ToffeeWeb.
- ↑ "Tractor boys making noise". BBC Sport. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ↑ "Alternative History: Bolton Wanderers". My Eyes Have Seen The Glory.
- ↑ Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin (2005). The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal. Hamlyn. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-600-61344-2.
- ↑ "Arsenal 1 - 0 Villarreal". The Guardian, Wednesday 19 April 2006.
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