Skip to main content

In North American sports, team names usually follow a ‘location + noun’ formula. When it comes to European soccer, though, things are a bit different. Since we’re talking about clubs rather than individual teams, names are generally a bit more collective and less descriptive. There may be some that follow the familiar formula (think Manchester United), but there are also plenty of names that just seem random.

Take, for example, Arsenal F.C. What could that name and a cannon have to do with soccer?

If you delve into the history, there’s more of a connection than you’d think. Let’s break it down.

Arsenal started as a group of workers from an armament factory and grew from there

These days, it’s not uncommon for a group of coworkers to get together and form a rec league sports team. That isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, a similar practice led to the birth of one of England’s biggest football clubs.

As laid out on Arsenal’s official website, the club was born in 1886, when “a gaggle of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to form a football team.” The group initially called themselves Dial Square, referring to the sundial at the factory’s entrance, but quickly renamed themselves ‘Royal Arsenal.’ Over time, that evolved into Woolwich Arsenal, taking the name of the district of London where the factory was located.

After some financial struggles, though, the club decided that it needed to move to greener pastures. Royal Arsenal crossed the Thames and moved to Highbury in North London. There, starting a new era a bit further removed from its historical origins, the club rebranded again. Arsenal F.C was born.

While some things have changed — the club badge has evolved, and Arsenal now play down the road from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium — the branding has remained largely constant. The biggest difference is scale.

These days, Arsenal and their cannon are known throughout the world.

Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19 and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Related

Arsenal Transfers: Assessing How Youri Tielemans Fits With the Gunners

Best in Soccer
Avatar photo
Senior Writer, Programmer

Joe Kozlowski

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie.

Growing up loving Shaquille O’Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he’s continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives.

As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He’s barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe’s big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level.

Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.