Very true, you could ask him, if you can find him.

Probably more chance of finding Tim Wilby*.







* Not that I'd want to!

This is common in American sport, too. The geographic identifier is used just as much.

I'm more for the traditional names, but the names do appear to work with the youngsters and marketing.

Most of them, after a few years seem to go well with each team, although the two worst in my opinion have been binned, the Blue Sox and the Sharks.

What if they are both in the same place?

Me and Nick would have to fight him off!

For marketing purposes Wolves is a good idea, with the extra products that can be produced, Wolfie in the community and at games etc.

But for the fans it will always be Wire.

I like them although I was fairly young when "The Rhinos" were introduced. I remember a cup game against Oldham (I think) looking at the scoreboard and seeing it say "Ronnie is coming!". Didnt have a clue who he was like but it added to a kids exitement



And I think most Leeds fans do refer to us as the Rhinos now. I know most people around Leeds (non fans too) always go by the nickname. Rhinos is one that has worked well though IMO.

Oh and the OP said Saints dont have one but they didnt need one. They are the Saints. It would have been silly to add a name to them.

For a club like Leeds, I think it's important to distance themselves from other sporting clubs within the city. For instance, would you ask someone to 'come and watch Leeds this week'? Or 'come and watch The Rhinos'?
Similarly, the Wigan public use 'Athletic' and 'Warriors' simply to distinguish a difference between the two clubs.

In Warrington, most people refer to the club as simply Warrington or 'Wire', but then we don't have any competition from other professional sports.

It's easier to market and sell merhcandise, however, for Tigers, Bulls, Wolves, Rhinos than it would be for Northern, Wire, Loiners and The Boys From Darn T'lane.

True, but in Hull although 'city' and 'fc' are used for the footy team and hull fc respectively, most people refer to both as 'hull'. Is it really that important to distinguish the difference? Fans in Leeds have obviously survived this problem for enough years in the past.

Ask anybody from Donny and nobody supported the name Lakers, just because the stadium is built next a large pond. Also Lakers in Yorkshire means Idle T-ats. Come on you Dons.

For some, its worked well, Cas Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, Bradford Bulls ect, Others it didnt work at all, Halifax Blue Sox, Hull Sharks ect.

Some of it was down to Marketing and Budgets as well as on field success.

Some clubs have made strange ways to add to the name, Leigh wanting fans to refer to Hilton Park as The Coliseum (probably due to its age and condition) was never going to work and they soon binned it. Or going back a number of Years, "Arena 84".