List of English football club nicknames

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of nicknames for English football clubs. All the 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


Nickname Club(s) Reason
Addicks Charlton Athletic A corruption of the word 'haddocks', named after a local fish and chip shop
Baggies West Bromwich Albion Acquired when the players played in long shorts (debatable - see the club's article for more details)
Bantams Bradford City Considered lucky due to myth of a Bantam getting on the team bus during the FA Cup winning season of 1911.
Bees Barnet Based on colour of home strip
Bees Brentford Misinterpretation of an 1890s chant "Buck up Bs"
Black Cats Sunderland Named after the Black Cat battery gun that was where the stadium is now on the bank of the River Wear
The Pigs / Blades Sheffield United Streaky-bacon shirts and love of fans for pigswill / Local links with steel and cutlery. Used to be the nickname of Sheffield Wednesday until they became The Owls in 1899
Bluebirds Cardiff City Colour of home football kit & possibly named after 1909 children's play 'Blue Bird'
Blues Birmingham City Colour of home football kit
Blues Chelsea Colour of home football kit
Blues Chester City Colour of home football kit
Blues Ipswich Town Colour of home football kit
Boro Middlesbrough Short version of name
Brewers Burton Albion Local links to the brewing industry
Brummagem Birmingham City Local pronunciation of "Birmingham"
Bulls Hereford United After the local breed of cattle
Canaries Norwich City Home strip is same colour as bird, used in logo
Cardinals Woking Colour of Home Kit and Based On Cardinal Wolsey of Woking
Chairboys Wycombe Wanderers Local links to the furniture making industry
Cherries Bournemouth Colour of strip described as 'cherry stripes'
Citizens Manchester City Developed from 'City'
Clarets Burnley Colour of home strip
Cobblers Northampton Town Local links to the shoe making industry
Cottagers Fulham From club's ground, Craven Cottage
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
Dons Milton Keynes Dons Short version of, and homage to Wimbledon FC (MK Dons was formed when Wimbledon F.C. owners attempted to translate Wimbledon's glorious footballing history to Milton Keynes. MK Dons has since acknowledged that those honours rightly belong to Wimbledon and the community of Wimbledon.)
Dons, The A.F.C. Wimbledon Derived from Wimbledon have an ancient, football playing school in the area.
Eagles Crystal Palace Club logo features eagles
Fleet Gravesend & Northfleet Short version of name
Foxes Leicester City Leicestershire is renowned for its many foxes
Gas (unofficial) Bristol Rovers Old ground next door to a Gasworks
Gills Gillingham Short version of name
Glovers Yeovil Town Local links to the glove making industry
Grecians Exeter City
Gulls Torquay United Seaside link
Gunners Arsenal Local links to military arsenal
Hammers West Ham United Based on shortening of name
Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Short version of name
Hatters Luton Town Local links to hat making industry
Hatters Stockport County
Hoops Queen's 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
Irons West Ham United Team originated from an ironworks
Lambs Tamworth Team plays at The Lamb Ground, named after a local pub
Latics Oldham Athletic Short version of name
Latics Wigan Athletic
Lillywhites Preston North End Colour of home strip
Lions Millwall Came about due to their acts of giant killing
Magpies Newcastle United Based on colour of home strip
Magpies Notts County
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
O's Leyton Orient Initial of name
Owls Sheffield Wednesday Based on name of local area (Owlerton)
Pensioners Chelsea Originates from the Chelsea pensioners, based at the nearby Royal Hospital Chelsea
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 Hartlepool United Short version of name
Pool Liverpool Short version of name
Posh Peterborough United A former manager proclaimed he was looking for: “Posh players for a posh team"
Potters Stoke City Local links to the pottery industry
Quakers Darlington Local links to religious movement
Rams Derby County City mascot
Red Devils Manchester United Nickname originally belonged to nearby rugby league team Salford
Red Devils Crawley Town
Red Dragons Wrexham Featured on logo
Red Imps Lincoln City Colour of home kit and legend of the imp statue in Lincoln Cathedral
Reds Liverpool Colour of home kit
Reds Nottingham Forest Colour of home kit
Railwaymen Crewe Alexandra Local links to railways
Riversiders Blackburn Rovers After a side of the ground adjacent to a river
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
Robins Bristol City Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest
Robins Wrexham Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest
Robins Altrincham Colour of home kit same as a robin's chest
Rovers Blackburn Rovers Shortened name
Rovers Doncaster Rovers Shortened name
Rovers Tranmere Rovers Shortened name
Royals Reading The town is in the Royal County of Berkshire.
Saints Southampton The club was originally known as Southampton St. Mary's
Saints St Albans City
Saddlers Walsall Links to the saddle making industry
Sandgrounders Southport
Seasiders Blackpool Based on coast
Seagulls Brighton & Hove Albion Other than the obvious, a response to the similar sounding nickname 'Eagles' of their arch rivals Crystal Palace
Shakers Bury
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 Possibly related to the fishing/shrimping industry in the region
Shrimpers Southend A historic local industry, Aliterative
Silkmen Macclesfield Town Local links to the silk industry
Sky Blues Coventry City Colour of home strip
Sky Blues Manchester City Colour of home strip
Spireites Chesterfield Due to famous crooked spire in the town
Spurs Tottenham Hotspur Short version of name.
Stags Mansfield Town
Stanley Accrington Stanley
Super Hoops Queens Park Rangers Based on the pattern of the home strip
Swans Swansea City Short version of the name
Terras Weymouth Club plays in a terracota coloured kit
Terriers Huddersfield Town Named after the Yorkshire Terrier breed of dog
Tigers Hull City Colour of home strip
Tigers Gloucester City Colour of home strip
Toffees Everton Named after local toffee shop that sold Everton Mints
Toon Newcastle United Local pronunciation of 'Town', meaning City Centre where the ground is situated
Tractor Boys Ipswich Town Local links to agriculture
Tricky Trees Nottingham Forest
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.
Tykes Barnsley Coloquial name for a Yorkshireman.
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
Villains Aston Villa Based on official name
Wolves Wolverhampton Wanderers Based on shortening of name
Yellows (unofficial) Cambridge United Colour of home kit
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../l/i/s/List_of_English_football_club_nicknames_2df2.html"
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