Back in my early 20s, I was at a party at a rooftop bar, trapped in a round of small talk with a friend of a friend. Running around for a conversation, I asked where she came from. “Folkstone,” she said. If you don't know, it's a coastal town in Kent in southeastern England.
Without hesitation, I am the name of the “Folkstone Invicta” – a local non-league club in town and currently plays in the 7th tier of British football. To this day, I have never forgotten the expression on her face.
But to paraphrase the “brand playbook” of a particular Premier League club, in a world full of united cities, cities and rovers, there is only one Invicta, Folkstone Invicta.
And if in 1936 the founder of the club thought “Invicta” was so unique that it was the club's name, then the “Folkestone” part is not needed – you can avoid the troublesomeness of that moment Not only did they have founders, but they would have been almost a century longer than their time.
As Athletic Tottenham, revealed on Friday, doesn't want you to call them Tottenham anymore. It's shortened to “Spurs”, thank you. And that's not the only bit of the preferred nomenclature.
“When referring to a team or brand, use “Tottenham Hotspur,” “Tottenham Hotspur Football Club,” or “THFC,” the club wrote in guidance sent to Premier League broadcasters this month. . “We shouldn't call our clubs “Tottenham,” “Tottenham Hotspur FC,” or “TH.” “Never once. Or if not.
In particular, what is the important difference between the terms “Tottenham Hotspur Football Club” and “Tottenham Hotspur FC”? I don't know. However, I'm going to use the banned version for the rest of this column in the hopes of getting someone from Tottenham Hotspur FC to tell me.
At least there's a reason for their preference for “Spurs.” Tottenham claims that Tottenham is the name of the region rather than the name of the club, and that has been their policy for many years. Trolling search engine results will help you find a single use of “Tottenham” that doesn't have “Hotspur” on the club's website.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (James Gill – Dane House/Getty Images)
Tottenham has been called “Spurs” for a while in fixture listing on the official Premier League website. Returning to the league's official social media feed, the only mention of the word “Tottenham” is a reference to “Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
In a way, the club simply returns to its roots. When a group of male cricketers founded the club in 1882, their name choice was “Hotspur FC.” “Tottenham” was added two years later. Because perhaps as the apocryphal story progressed, they began to receive posts from another club called Hotspur.
It's not as if the club actually changed its name and completely eradicated the geographical markers. Another person in North London set the precedent in 1913 when he moved from Woolridge. So, does any of it make this diktat easier to explain?
In response to Friday's news, some Tottenham fans have an Ange Postecoglou side in the lower half of the table after being knocked out of both domestic cups over three days this month, and they and the club themselves have more I'm rightly saying I have something big. I'm worried.
Others suggest that the term “Spurs” is merely related to copyright, as it makes the trademark easier than the names of the surrounding areas. With the exception of Tottenham, the word “Tottenham” is already listed in registered trademarks.
And even if they didn't, what does that have to do with how the club is mentioned in the soccer Saturday Vidi Printer?
However, it is difficult to disagree with another chain of reaction from Tottenham fans and other club supporters who view this as a disappointing indication of where football is currently. Another small brick has been paved on the road where the entire sport is already a long way.
But are Tottenham Hotspur fans allowed? (Jacques Feeney/Mi News/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
Many Manchester United supporters still lament the removal of the word “football club” from Crest in 1998 – controversial at the time, but the same words and initials “FC” are now almost all It is distributed regularly in comments.
Six years ago, Liverpool was unable to trademark the city's name for merchandising purposes. Chelsea had a certain success earlier this season, celebrating its 120th anniversary with a new alternative club Crest featuring lion ramp-stretched respecters on the letter “LDN”.
Similarly, in 2016, West Ham United added the word “London” to their improved crest, but at least it was voted first among their supporters.
And this kind of thing is far from the Premier League phenomenon. The Paris Saint-Germain rebranded the word “Paris” in its logo. Instead of “Saint-Germain,” UEFA uniformly refers to “Paris” rather than “PSG.”
At the surface level, Tottenham's “Spurs” preferences differ from some of those examples. They have done the opposite, rather than being more closely associated with larger metropolitan cities. We drew a boundary between the team's “Spurs” and the “Tottenham” of its justification.
However, there is a common thread between such decisions. It's all a fundamental attempt to create something that can be more easily swallowed and digested by the club's identity. In other words, it can be consumed, especially in the global market.
Often it comes at the expense of what a club is: its history, its culture, its region. It's been said so often these days that it's become clichés, but it's ignored enough to be repeated. Football clubs are first and foremost a representation of the community and second of global brands.
The vast majority of clubs recognize this in their trustworthy work within those communities, but when it's time to think about what will sell better with plastic water bottles, they put that responsibility in the marketing department. I'll forget it soon.
Tottenham is not that alone. Often, clubs who want to advance in the current landscape of football must prioritize where they come from. Calling the club “Spurs” rather than “Tottenham” is not a small but insignificant change. And enough to remind me that it is enough to remind me. One of these days may have to surrender to Folkstone Invicta.
(Photo above: Jacques Feeney/Mi News/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
