Football Terms and Teams

The Kop, the Koon, and the Spireitesthese are three of the hundreds of names, nicknames, stadiums, stands, fanzines, and club crests that are included in this concise guide to the vocabulary of British soccer. Covering the vernacular of 92 professional British soccer clubs, from the Arsenal to York City, etymologies of idioms are provided, as is the history of why the clubs adopted them over the years. Helping explain such mysteries as the presence of a canary on the Norwich Club crest, the entertaining and informative anecdotes and obscure trivia about each of the teams convey insight into the meaning of terms that have in time become synonymous with the sport itself.

KENNETH FERRIS is the author of Tragedy, Destiny, History – Manchester United in Europe (Mainstream, 2001; reprinted 2003, 2004), The Double – The Inside Story of Spurs Triumphant 1960-61 Season (Mainstream, 1995) and Football Fanatic (Two Heads Publishing, 1995). He was Reuters football correspondent in Tokyo (1996-98) and covered the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and Euro 2004, the 1997 World Club Cup plus the 1999 and 2001 world athletics championships. He has written for Four Four Two, the International Herald Tribune, the Financial Times and Euromoney magazine.