Have you ever wondered why there’s a Tottenham ‘Hotspur’ and a Sheffield ‘Wednesday’? Or why Leeds United are the Peacocks? Read on to find out…
17:35, 27 Oct 2025
Wycombe Wanderers are known as the Chairboys, obviously
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Wycombe Wanderers are known as the Chairboys, obviously(Image: Getty Images)
Darts star Tim Pusey has been banned from using his saucy nickname at the World Championship, as the Daily Star revealed last week. For some reason, contest bosses don’t want him going by ‘The Magnet’.
But there’s a proud tradition of nicknames in the sports world – just look at our football clubs. Here we reveal the stories behind some of the strangest…
The Pensioners
You might know them as the Blues, but Chelsea FC’s original nickname was a bit more creative. It came from the Chelsea pensioners – retired British Army members who are cared for at the Royal Chelsea Hospital. The club decided to rebrand itself in the early 1950s.
The Chelsea Pensioners in all their glory
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The Chelsea Pensioners in all their glory(Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
The Cherries
Think AFC Bournemouth got their nickname from their red-striped kit? Well, apparently you’re wrong.
It started in 1910 when the club were given a plot of land, now the site of Dean Court stadium, by businessman James Cooper-Dean. The area, next to his family’s estate, is said to be full of cherry trees.
The Academy of Football
We all know West Ham as ‘The Hammers’ or ‘The Irons’ – perfect for the former works team of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company.
This older nickname came from their 1950s youth development scheme, which gave England three of our World Cup-winning players in 1966.
The Toffees
Now synonymous with Liverpool FC, Anfield stadium was originally the home of their bitter rivals Everton. When it opened in 1884, fans would often pick up toffees from a shop on Anfield Road as a matchday treat.
Everton moved to Goodison Park in 1892, but the nickname obviously stuck.
The Chairboys
For younger fans of Wycombe Wanderers FC, their nickname must seem totally bizarre.
It goes back to the 1800s, when High Wycombe, Bucks, was the centre of Britain’s chair-making industry, pumping out 4,700 a day. The team was founded by a group of furniture workers in 1887.
Tottenham Hotspur
Not technically a nickname, but still an interesting story. The north London team was named after Sir Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy, whose family owned the land at Tottenham Marshes where they played their first games. An English knight, he was famed for his speed on a horse.
Norwich City really took those canaries to heart
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Norwich City really took those canaries to heart(Image: Getty Images)
The Peacocks
It’s not the most obvious nickname for Leeds United, given they play in an all-white strip. But their stadium, now called Elland Road, was originally the Old Peacock Ground and stood opposite a pub by the same name.
Then in 1934, they introduced a suitably flashy royal blue kit with yellow edgings.
Sheffield Wednesday
Another non-nickname that deserves a mention anyway. The team, which filed for administration last week, got its name because its founding members had a half-day off work on Wednesdays.
It started off as a cricket club, introducing football in 1867.
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The Canaries
Fans of Norwich City FC were inspired by the Dutch and Flemish immigrants who settled in the city in the mid-16th century. They brought canaries with them and breeding the birds became a popular local pastime.
The Glaziers
Crystal Palace got their nickname from the massive cast iron and glass structure built in Hyde Park, London, to house the 1851 Great Exhibition. But should people in glass houses really kick a ball?