Have you ever looked at your own football team’s nickname and wondered what it means? Or perhaps you never really gave it another thought because it just seemed so simple? Well, sometimes the truth goes back years, maybe even centuries, to find out why they are called that.
Join us as we take a look at some of the most interesting nicknames for football teams and learn some of the history of English football teams along the way. And while you’re at it, take a look at betting on some of the best teams in The Premiership. You might just surprise yourself with the results you get. Plus, placing a wager here and there makes being a fan that much more exciting!
Tottenham Hotspurs
What can we say about Tottenham¾a team of true talent, winning many leagues and cups, they certainly aren’t a team to be trifled with. But looking at their nickname closely, the name “Spurs” might seem like a simple abbreviation of their name, right? Well actually, it goes a lot deeper than that¾centuries, in fact.
The name Spurs actually refers to a 14th-century nobleman called Sir Henry Percy. He was known for his extremely quick movements in battle on horseback and was given the nickname ‘Harry Hotspur’. This was later revived by Tottenham Hotspurs and has since become their official nickname for the club.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is a team of surprises, performing very well, keeping pace in the Premiership, and now competing in the European leagues; they certainly know what they’re doing. However, their nickname might send a chill into the spines of some of their opposition.
Aston Villa have officially nicknamed themselves ‘The Villians’. Some might think this was to scare the opposition or perhaps unnerve them, when in reality, it was simply just a simple and playful deviation from their name Villa.
Everton
Everton’s had a rather turbulent couple of seasons, currently fighting in relegation and narrowly escaping it the last few seasons. Still, they always seem to find a way to fight back and survive. They pride themselves as one of the only six clubs to have permanently remained in the Premier League without being relegated since its origin. With some more hard work, they may never have to again.
Wearing their all-blue kits, you would expect them to be named after something blue, yes? But you’d be wrong! In fact, ‘The Toffees’ went for a completely different approach.
The Toffees’ nickname originated from their old football ground. It was a local sweet shop, Mother Nobletts Sweet Shop, and was a must-visit place for its well-known toffee and Everton mints. Clearly, it was liked well enough to become Everton’s official nickname.
Sheffield Wednesday
With a rich history and the fact that football was invented in Sheffield, you would expect the oldest football club in the world to have some patriotic name hyping them up to take on their opponents. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Wednesday’s official nickname is ‘The Owls’, which sounds more humble than unnerving. The name originated in 1899 when they moved from their old football stadium to Hillsborough in the Owlerton district of Sheffield. Since then, they’ve officially dubbed themselves as ‘The Owls’.
Norwich City
After having a hard time, Norwich City have now settled into life in the EFL Championship well, fighting hard against their opponents in their attempt to get back to The Premiership level of football.
With their yellow and blue kits, you’d expect a nickname to match. Instead, they went with the humble name ‘The Canaries’¾a simple bird. But the origins of this nickname go back much further than that.
During the 16th century, people immigrating from the Netherlands and Belgium were known as’“strangers’ when they landed on the Norwich coast. They relaunched their textile industry and introduced the canary to the city of Norwich, which is where the nickname for the football club stems from.
Arsenal
Arsenal needs no introduction. Winners of many cups and trophies and with an extensive arsenal of many great players, it’s no wonder why they’re nicknamed ‘The Gunners’, right? Well, you’d be wrong. The origins of this nickname stem from over a century prior.
The origins of Arsenal’s nickname lay at, well, its origin. They were formed in 1886 in London as part of a group of munition workers in an army factory in Woolwich, London, producing explosives and weapons such as artillery guns and bullets. Because of that background,’“The Gunners’ was adopted as the official nickname of Arsenal Football Club.