A Rosebud by any other name would smell as sweet

By Graeme McGinty

The mention of Adamstown Rosebud and West Wallsend Bluebells on a recent 'If You Know Your History', and the musing over why those particular names or nicknames were chosen drew parallels with Scottish non-league football where clubs with similar names have existed for well over a century. Some have disappeared while others still survive to this day.

The suffix “Thistle” is of course well known in Scottish football. However there many other flowers around:  Crossgates Primrose, Dundonald Bluebell, Bonnyrigg Rose (linked to Bonnyrigg in Sydney?), Hill of Beath Hawthorn, Dundee Violet, Montrose Roselea & Easthouses Lily to name a few. All are still playing semi-professional football.  Those clubs no longer with us include a Loanhead Mayflower & East Benhar Heatherbell.  A couple of short-lived Rosebud’s existed in the 1880s

Older supporters still refer to Newmains United as "The Dallies", a Scots version of Dahlias.

Many of these teams come from former mining (both coal and shale) and heavy industry areas/ One theory is that the flower names represented a brighter picture than calling the team "Colliery" or "Ironworks", painting a picture of what delights await at the weekend to help you through the grim realities of life in 19C industrial Scotland.

Another interesting theory I have read is that this 'flower habit' could have arisen among largely 'protestant'-run teams, to distance them from the rife sectarianism of the times. It was hoped that being associated with such a benign totem would decrease the likelihood of internecine supporter violence, and presumably help attract players of both faiths.

Whether either or both of those theories hold any truth is up for debate, but it does draw parallels with the Newcastle / Northern NSW area which of course is renowned for mining and heavy industries, as well as influxes of Scottish immigrants eager to play the game.

There are other interesting names still kicking a ba’ in Scotland. Lochgelly Albert from Fife for instance, nobody knows for sure why Albert was chosen, perhaps a tribute to Queen Victoria’s husband although the clubs was formed many years after his death.  The other theory was that it is in fact as a memorial to the town of Albert in Belgium, involved heavily in WW1 battles where many from Lochgelly and surrounding areas fought and perished, the club having been formed in 1925.

The origin of Aberdeen club Hermes' name doesn't really provide much more than a peculiar anecdote, with the club named after a Hermes 2000 typewriter which caught the eye of a founding member in a local magazine after the members couldn’t agree on a suitable name. It was the 1960s equivalent of naming a contemporary football club in honour of a MacBook.

It’s a fascinating subject, worthy of further research.