Why are Arsenal called Arsenal?

Most soccer teams are named after a place. Some are named for a town (Ipswich, Preston North End, Bournemouth), some for a region (Notts County, Derby County) and some even for a specific area of a city (Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa, Brentford).

Arsenal are one of two clubs in the English soccer leagues that aren’t named after a place, the other being Port Vale. So why are Arsenal, who are based in North London, called Arsenal?
In this article, we’re exploring the history and culture of one of the most iconic names in English soccer.

Where the name Arsenal comes from

Arsenal is named after a weapons factory called the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, in southeast London. It’s where munitions are made and stored, providing guns, shells and explosives to the British Army and Navy.

The football team we know today started out as a recreational endeavor for men working at the Arsenal. They simply named their team after the factory. The identity persists today in the team crest, nickname and even with the fans.

Dial Square: the club's first name

Arsenal wasn’t the first name the founders picked. The first name was Dial Square, a workshop inside the Royal Arsenal. Dial Square played their first match on December 11, 1886, beating a now defunct team called Eastern Wanderers 6-0. Not bad for a debut game.

The name didn’t last long. The team comprised players from outside the Dial Square workshop, but the founders wanted a name that reflected the wider community of the factory. So they changed the name to Royal Arsenal.

From Royal Arsenal to Woolwich Arsenal

The team played as Royal Arsenal for a few years, changing to Woolwich Arsenal in 1893 when they became a limited company and joined the Football League – the first club from the south of England to do so. The name tied the team to the Woolwich area rather than just the factory.

The name lasted about twenty years. By 1913, the club’s ground in Plumstead was hard for fans to reach and attendances were low. 

The move to north London and the birth of "Arsenal"

In what was a pretty bold move at the time, the team relocated to north London to Highbury, leaving behind their southeast roots. Their new location meant they could attract larger crowds, potentially earning more money to help the team grow.

With this, the team decided to drop ‘Woolwich’ from the name and just be ‘The Arsenal’. The team is now soundly situated in north London and is an icon of the area. Over the years, people stopped calling them ‘The Arsenal’ and the name got shortened again to just ‘Arsenal’. 

Despite Arsenal having since moved from Highbury to nearby Holloway, also in north London, and despite no longer being tied to the original Royal Arsenal, there remains a tube station in North London called simply ‘Arsenal’ that serves neither the Royal Arsenal nor the football club.

Why are Arsenal called ‘the Gunners’?

Arsenal’s nickname is ‘the Gunners’, which is a clear nod to their heritage. Although most fans would know the nickname and it’s certainly used by the club, the nickname itself is not commonly used by other fans, especially compared with teams whose nicknames and actual names are almost interchangeable, like Spurs (Tottenham Hotspur) or Villa (Aston Villa).

Cannon on the crest and what it represents

It’s not just the name and nickname that give a nod to the backstory. Arsenal’s crest, a cannon, adds to the celebration of heritage. The original crest, designed in 1905 featured three cannons, but the modern crest features just one, pointing east. Over time the crest has been modernized, with the cannon becoming sleeker.

"Gooner" vs "Gunner"

Gooner is what Arsenal fans call themselves and other Arsenal fans. Gunner is the team’s official nickname. The easy way to remember the difference is this: Gunners are on the pitch, gooners are in the stands.

Fans from around the world have adopted the gooner name for fan groups, online communities and even as a social media handle. It’s one of the few examples of a soccer fandom having its own name that’s somewhat distinct from the name of the team.

How Arsenal name compares to other Premier League clubs

Arsenal are unique in the Premier League as the only team not named after a geographical location. 

In the wider English soccer pyramid, Port Vale also shares that unusual distinction. The Stoke-based team gets its name from Port Vale House, based in a valley of ports along the Trent Canal in Staffordshire. This is where the first meetings to establish the club were held.

Another soccer team whose name is not tied to its location is Grimsby Town, which is technically based in Cleethorpes, rather than the town of Grimsby. Crystal Palace plays at Selhurst Park in Croydon, almost seven kilometres from the area of Crystal Palace, and Millwall plays in Bermondsey, some distance away from its original location at Millwall in Tower Hamlets.

Relocation is another factor that can see a team playing in an area no longer on the badge. Everton, West Ham and Bolton Wanderers have all relocated to stadiums some distance away from their original homes, and while Bolton Wanderers’s ground is still technically within the Bolton area, they’re no longer located within the town center of Bolton.

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FAQs about Arsenal’s name 

Why is Arsenal Arsenal is called Arsenal?

The club is named after the Royal Arsenal, a weapons factory in Woolwich, southeast London. Workers from the factory founded the team in 1886, and they took the factory's name.

What was Arsenal's original name?

Arsenal were first called Dial Square, after a workshop inside the factory that had a sundial above its door. The name was changed to Royal Arsenal within weeks of the first match.

When did Arsenal become just "Arsenal"?

The club dropped Woolwich from its name after moving to north London in 1913. It was known as The Arsenal for a time, and the "The" gradually fell away, leaving it simply as Arsenal.

Why are Arsenal called the Gunners?

The nickname comes from the same military factory. The founders built guns and cannons for the army and navy, so the team became known as the Gunners.

What does the cannon on the badge mean?

The cannon stands for the weapons the club's founders made. It has appeared on the crest since 1905 and remains the central symbol of the club.

What is the difference between a Gunner and a Gooner?

Gunner is the official nickname for the team. Gooner is the informal word fans use for themselves as Arsenal supporters.