Football Club Origins and Nicknames

Author:

By Michael Heatley

Format:

Paperback

Availability:

In print, usually dispatched within 3-4 days.

Price:

£14.99 £13.49 (Save 10%)

Tagged with:

Football, Nicknames

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Further Details

• Published: 1st May 2008
• ISBN: 0711032718
• Pages: 192
• Photos: 90
• Size: 235mm x 172mm

From the Publisher:

With the recent promotion of Accrington Stanley back to the Football League after an absence of 44 years, many have asked where the suffix 'Stanley' came from and this has drawn attention to the origin of many other clubs. - Why is it, for example, that Stockport County is so named when there was never a Stockportshire? - And why Leeds United or Huddersfield Town at all? Some clubs have a perfectly straightforward ancestry; others are more complex. Moreover, how is it that clubs have come by their often peculiar nicknames? Arsenal as 'the Gunners' is fairly obvious given the club's background as a team originally based in Woolwich Arsenal, and Crewe as 'the Railwaymen' is also pretty obvious, but others are more obscure.

Why is it, for example, that Everton are known as 'the Toffees' and Peterborough as 'Posh'?Rather than producing a book based on alphabetical order, this book presents football club names and origins thematically, dividing the subject in two. The first half of the book will examine the origins of the clubs and will be sub-divided into the following sections (plus others as identified): teams that emerged from churches or Sunday schools; teams that emerged from businesses; teams that emerged from other sports; teams that emerged from pubs and social clubs; and teams that emerged from the military.Each section will have an introduction followed by an alphabetical listing of each club with a brief history as to its origins. The second section will cover club nicknames.

Again there is an introduction to each club before dealing with the various types of nickname. The book also highlights historic nicknames, many of which are now lost, as well as those in contemporary use (e.g. Sunderland were the Rokerites but are now the Black Cats).

This is a fascinating look at the history behind the names of the most famous football teams in Britain and will appeal to all football fans and anyone interested in the history and origins of football clubs.