How did AFL footy teams choose their name?

Question

Talking with friends about the new teams on Gold Coast and Sdyney, and what they might be called, the question came up, about how the existing teams chose their names

I mean, why are Melbourne the DEMONS?

and why were Fitsroy ( now Brisbane of course) the LIONS?

Richmond the TIGERS?

Carlton the BLUES?

North Melbourne the KANGAROOS?

etc etc

Does anyone one know why these names were chosen?,

or how the names of YOUR club were chosen, or relate to the history of your club?

Good question for you, smashitup....

Answer 1

i know the tigers have always been the tigers because their jumpers were originally black and yellow stripes.

some clubs were not always the nick names they are today,

the kangaroos were the shin-boners as you probably know. derived from butchers, cutting meats or something

the hawks were the may-blooms, the colour of a flower,lol.

the old Fitzroy lions were the gorilla's, the reason is unknown to me, no wonder they went out of business, joke Joyce.

south Melbourne were the bloods of course.

who knows why they changed, the obvious ones are self explanatory, the blues, tigers, etc,  but i have never seen a blue and white cat or kangaroo. lol.

I'm like a ...... nah i won't say it.

Answer 2

why not .. i did hear that fremantle were going to call themselves the W A ankers    because of the anchor they wear

ps its fitzroy and brisbane were the bears until they merged get it right

Answer 3

Carlton Blues? obviously from their the colour of their uniform

Essendon Bombers?  their old homeground of Windy Hill was situated close to the Essendon Aerodrome / Airport

Fremantle Dockers? reference to the Fremantle waterfront and the stevedores and longshore men who unloaded ships

Geelong Cats -  in 1923 after a run of losses prompted a local cartoonist to suggest that the club needed a black cat to bring it good luck. Soon after, during a match a black cat ventured on to the ground. Geelong won that match, breaking the losing streak. It was decided that cats were indeed good luck. Geelong has ever since been known as the Cats

North Melbourne? the kangaroo was their club mascot from the 1950s and they incorporated it into their name

Richmond Tigers - originally a cricket club that wore striped yellow and black caps... therefore 'Tigers" derived from colours

St Kilda - obvious

Sydney Swans - during the 1930s, South Melbourne had a number of West Australians on its team and were dubbed the Swans due to the bird being the state emblem of WA. The name stuck, partially due to the association with nearby Albert Park and Lake, also known for its white swans

Answer 4

**I believe Geelong got the name 'cats' because during a game years and years ago (shortly after they started playing footy) a cat ran onto the ground.  I think from memory it might have been a black cat, but I can't really remember the rest of the story.  It might have been that Geelong won that day and therefore they got the nickname 'cats'.  Hope this helps somewhat.**

Answer 5

I'm sorry, but the only answer that I can give to you is that after they chose different places in and around Australia, they chose animals and symbols to represent their mascots.

What I can tell you is, that they were originally Colleges and Universities that formed teams. After a while, they made nicknames for their teams, and changed a couple of team names to states and places in Australia. That's all I know, Zero.

Answer 6

not sure about those teams.

freo dockers is obvious.

west coast eagles, it just flows.. and the blue and yellow I'm guessing is because of the sand and sea, the coast, and with the yellow eagle it just suits. (and is similar to the w.a swan mascot)

Answer 7

When the WCE were formed there was talk that the team should adopt the black swan (current State emblem) as their emblem - but as the Sydney Swans were already in existence it would have been a bit confusing.

So 'Eagles' was chosen as a replacement - as many wedge-tailed eagles frequent the rural areas here.

Answer 8

The hated maggies as the Carringbush chose their name based on the fact that although they were a little club way back  then they prided themselves on their attack on the ball.