WinThe Most Unusual Football Club Nicknames
Every club has a nickname, but some are stranger than others. Behind the Tangerines and the Owls lie stories about fishmongers, foundry workers and a monkey mascot.
A club's nickname is its second identity — the word fans sing in the stands and print on scarves. Most are predictable (the Reds, the Blues, the Lions). But a significant number of the world's most established clubs answer to something genuinely baffling, and every strange nickname has a story behind it.
The Addicks of Charlton
Why is London club Charlton Athletic known as the Addicks? The story goes back to the early 1900s and a local fishmonger named Arthur Bryan, whose cry of 'haddock' — heard every Saturday on the terraces and rendered in the local accent — became the club's nickname. The fish eventually turned up on the club crest, making the Addicks one of football's great accidental nicknames.
The Baggies of West Brom
West Bromwich Albion are the Baggies, and the name has nothing to do with bags. In the early 20th century the club's supporters worked in the local foundries, and their baggy work trousers — tied tight at the ankle — became their trademark look on the terraces. 'The Baggies' stuck, and a century later the club's fans still answer to it.
The Foxes of Leicester
Leicester City are the Foxes because Leicestershire is fox-hunting country. The fox appeared on the club crest in 1948 and has been there ever since. But the club had two stranger earlier nicknames: the Fossils (from their original name, Leicester Fosse) and the Filberts — after Filbert Street, their old home and a type of hazelnut.
The Owls of Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday were known as the Blades — like their rivals Sheffield United — until 1912, when the club's new mascot, a live owl, arrived at Hillsborough. The Owl replaced the previous mascot, which had been a monkey, and the nickname switched with it. That is how one of England's biggest clubs came to be named after a bird.
The Tangerines of Blackpool
Blackpool are the Tangerines because of their bright orange kit — a colour the club adopted after a director was impressed by the Netherlands national team's orange shirts. The alternative nickname, the Seasiders, is far more predictable for a club from a seaside town.
More Strange Nicknames, Explained
The list of genuinely unusual club nicknames goes well beyond the English league:
| Nickname | Club | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| The Villans | Aston Villa | From the club's name, itself from Villa Cross |
| The Gunners | Arsenal | From the Royal Arsenal armament factory, the club's birthplace |
| The Pies | Chorley | From the town's famous pie-making tradition |
| The Blades | Sheffield United | Sheffield's cutlery industry |
| The Iron | Scunthorpe United | Steel and ironworks of the town |
| The Silkmen | Macclesfield | Macclesfield's silk industry |
| The Glovers | Yeovil Town | Glove-making industry of Somerset |
| La Dea (The Goddess) | Atalanta | From Atalanta, the goddess of Greek mythology |
| The Horsemen | Qarabag | From the Karabakh horses of the region |
Club identity runs deep, and nicknames are a big part of it. For more on football identity, see why some clubs play in unusual colours.
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Last updated: August 2026 | By Tochukwu Mesigo |
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