Why are Charlton fans called addicks? We find out in this article!
Unlike so many other English clubs, Charlton Athletic are the creation of the community. The club was formed on 5 June 1906 by a group of lads living in the streets by the Thames in an area, which now borders the Thames Barrier. If you think the nomadic endeavours of Charlton Athletic occurred only in the last fifteen years in the club’s history you’d be wrong. Siemen’s Meadow, Woolwich Common, Pound Park, the Angerstein Athletic ground in Horne Lane and the first spell at The Valley in 1920 all saw the red and white colours of the club. Alley sport brings u a piece on Why are Charlton fans called addicks?
Why are Charlton fans called addicks?
Charlton’s nickname, Addicks, is thought to come from the South East London way for saying haddock fish. It is said that a local fishmonger would attend Charlton matches waving a haddock nailed to a stick to advertise his shop. Here is Why are Charlton fans called addicks?
Charlton’s most common nickname is The Addicks. The most likely origin of this name is from a local fishmonger, Arthur “Ikey” Bryan, who rewarded the team with meals of haddock and chips. Charlton Athletic are known as ‘Addicks’. There are a number of rumours and suggestions as to how this name came about.
It is thought that Charlton’s “Addicks” nickname derives from South London slang for the haddock fish, although there are conflicting versions of the exact derivation. The most popular has it that in pre-league days the players would treat the visiting team to a post-match meal of haddock and chips. The fishmonger who supplied them was Arthur Bryan, trading from a shop at 77 East Street and who held the catering concession during the club’s first season at The Valley and by repute attended matches with a haddock nailed to a stick as an advertising stunt. In speech haddock developed into ‘addicks’ in South London dialect, where the ‘h’ would in any case be dropped as a matter of course and the ’o’ has become corrupted to ‘i’ with lazy usage, the most common form of language development.
Why are Charlton fans called addicks?
The progression of the nickname can be seen in the book The Addicks Cartoons: An Affectionate Look into the Early History of Charlton Athletic, which covers the pre-First World War history of Charlton through a narrative based on 56 cartoons which appeared in the now defunct Kentish Independent. The very first cartoon, from 31 October 1908, calls the team the Haddocks. By 1910, the name had changed to Addicks although it also appeared as Haddick.
The club has had two other nicknames, The Red Robins, adopted in 1931, and The Valiants, chosen in a fan competition in the 1960s which also led to the adoption of the sword badge which is still in use. The Addicks nickname never went away and was revived by fans after the club lost its Valley home in 1985 and went into exile at Crystal Palace. Not all of them know that Why are Charlton fans called addicks but It is now once again the official nickname of the club.
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