Why The Canaries?

Football teams around the world are often referred to by nicknames, sometimes in a derogatory way by rivals, but more usually in an affectionate way by their own supporters, part of the process of connecting with your club, distinguishing it from your rivals and making it your own.

These nicknames, usually preceded by “The”, tend to fall into various categories.

Sometimes they reflect the local area, particularly its manufacturing ie; ‘Hatters’, ‘Cobblers’, ‘Blades’, ‘Potters’ and ‘Sprites’.

Sometimes they refer back to folklore or characters from the areas past ie; ‘Imps’, ‘Red Devils’, ‘Spurs’, ‘Villains’, or Hartlepool’s famous ‘Monkey hangers’.

Sometimes the inspiration is drawn from (usually) fierce animals ie; ‘Lions’, ‘Tigers’, ‘Wolves’, ‘Foxes’, ‘Hornets’, ‘Eagles’ or from birds noted for the agility; ‘Robins’, ‘Magpies’, ‘Bluebirds’, and of course ‘Canaries’.

Norwich’s nickname could have well been Cobblers due to the city’s long history of shoe making, but fortunately Northampton Town, founded in 1897 acquired the name before Norwich City was born.

The original nickname for Nodge was The Citizens, the first mention of Canaries seems to be in a People’s Weekly Journal preview of a match at Newmarket Road against Kings Lynn in 1905, which was billed as ‘The Canaries versus The Linnets’, but the ‘Citizens’ or ‘Cits’ was still the predominant moniker for the club, which was still playing in blue and white (shudder).

But by the 1907-8 season when the stripe changed to the famous yellow and green, the name seems to have become firmly entrenched, as highlighted by the choice of ground name the following season when the club moved to the Nest.

But why ‘Canaries’?

The answer lies back in the mid-16th Century when the Dutch and Flemish refugees, fleeing persecution as religious heretics came to Norwich seeking refuge and work in the wool industry.

Along with their wool working skills, the new arrivals, continued a tradition that had begun with sailors from the Spanish Netherlands bringing finches from the Canary Isles as caged birds. The ‘Strangers’ as the incoming refugees were known, brought these with them developing Canary breeding within the City.

As well as canary breeding and textile expertise the Strangers brought the city’s first printer, gold and silversmithing, flower growing and landscape gardening. They also changed the map of the city which now includes The Strangers Hall and the unique Norwich Plains deriving from the Dutch word ‘Pleins’, meaning level-ground.

The little birds caught on and by the beginning of the 20th Century locally bred Canaries, such as the ‘Norwich plain head’ and ‘Norwich crest’ were being exported all over the world. Such was the demand that one family of breeders, the Mackly brothers based on Philadelphia Lane, were sending 3,000 at a time to New York. To keep them warm during the long voyage across the pond the birds were kept in a specific room near the ships boilers, and escorted all the way to make sure they were properly fed and cared for.

By the 1900’s there were about 40 caged bird societies in the city each based in a pub, with something like 3,000 breeders and birds costing between 4 shillings (20p) and 7s/6d (37p) per pair.

Then in 1912 a devastating flood caused a severe blow to the industry as many birds drowned. However, while diminished canary breeding did not die out and it continues in the city to this day, now a pair would set you back £25-30.

The name also stuck and the canary remains synonymous with our football club and the wider city from pub names, such as; The Nest, The Canary, and the Fat Cat & Canary, to the canary prefix attached to local businesses offering services ranging from Kebabs to Taxis.

Norwich will forever be Canary yellow.

AlongComeNorwich fanzine

Enjoyed this? Then you will love our first edition of a PRINTED fanzine on ACTUAL PAPER and available to PRE-ORDER NOW.