A name can say a lot about a club, particularly for people who don’t know anything about it. For a potential member, just by your club’s name, they may already have formed an opinion about what you do, which could be positive or negative. If your club is named after their favourite sports team, they may be more inclined to join up. However, the reverse could also be true: you could be named after a team they loath.
Traditionally, sporting teams have been named after animals. The type of animal can vary depending on the country, what the club values and the characteristics of the animal. You wouldn’t see many teams / clubs outside Australia called the Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies or Kookaburras. I say “many” because I did find one: Columbia College Fighting Koalas in South Carolina.
Here are some things to consider when selecting a name:
- The names of other clubs within your competition and also their colours. There could be another club with those same colours and your association / league may have rules around that.
- What image do you want your club to portray and what would appeal to your members? “The Fighting Devils” may not be suited to a ladies lawn bowls club.
- A point on team colours. I was talking to some prospective players’ parents and when deciding what club to join within an association, they based their decision on the team’s colours (in terms of what colour their child likes and also how easy those colours would be to wash!).
- What is happening in society? Could this impact on your club name?
- The club’s geographic location. Would a team in central Australia be called the Polar Bears? Probably not.
- The length of the name and how it sounds with the club’s geographical location (if you chose to combine them).
- Consider nicknames for your club. An article in the Herald Sun (5 Feb 2015) talked about nicknames for football clubs, such as Ararat’s “Rats” or the Fountain Gate “Gaters”. Could this provide some possible club names?
- Consider the plural and the singular version of the name. Octopus is the singular, but Octopi is the plural. Can you see your team yelling out “Go Octopi”?
- I mentioned before the characteristics of animals. Does it mirror the type of sport and what your club wants to be known for? An athletics team probably wouldn’t be called the Penguins, but more likely The Road Runners. The Penguins is more likely to be the name of a swimming club.
- Not all clubs are named after animals. They could be named after colours; for example, the Sydney Blues. When considering a colour as the name, what colour could your club use that wouldn’t clash with existing club uniforms? Also consider what colour means to your sport. For example, in softball “a Blue” is another name for the umpire (they wear a blue uniform). So yelling out “Go Blues” sounds like you are cheering on the umpires. (I am sure they would appreciate the support, but it may get confusing.) Also consider political affiliations, “Go Greens” may sound like you should be holding up a sign at a political rally.
- There are many sport-specific equipment businesses, so consider these when selecting a name. Do you want to be associated with them? You might think this would be a great idea if they sponsor you, but maybe not in the long term if you want to change sponsors, they go bankrupt or there is a scandal with them. Your name would always have that association with them, and a new potential sponsor may not sponsor you for that reason.
- Past clubs associated with your league / association. If a club has folded within your league / association, there may be some bad feelings or connections with the name, so I suggest leaving it alone and thinking of another.
- Google some potential names and see what comes up. Is there a club within the same geographical region, but in a different sport? Who knows, you may join forces and share grounds. Sporting hubs are all the rage now. Or, do you not want to be associated with this club? Or, do you not mind either way?
- Once you have a potential name consider the initials. Does this acronym mean anything and is it appropriate for all ages?
- There are some really funny club / team names out there, so if this is what you want, go for it and be creative. There is a softball team in New Jersey called “Game of Throws”.
Ways to choose a name
Getting a group of interested people together is a great place to start. Just remember: the more people, the more choices, but the less likely you are going to get a consensus. Personally, I would go for 5 to 12 people maximum.
Once the group has agreed what the club stands for then the name picking can start.
Set the rules for the brainstorming session at the beginning: every idea is to be written down, no questions asked, no comments or discussions, just let the ideas keep coming. Once all the names are written down, review the club’s values and ask if anyone wants to talk to their suggestions. They are not talking to sell the names, just to put them in context and give some meaning for them.
Shortlist the names and Google them and their abbreviations. See what comes up. Cross off any that could be cause for concern and put the names to the vote.
Happy name hunting.
Yours in Sport
Kat
Keystone Sporting Solutions 