AFC, IT'S EASY AS 123 AS SIMPLE AS DO-RE-MI

Back in 1972 I remember my granddad telling me that Bournemouth had changed their name - for about the fiftieth time – again. They were now to be known as AFC Bournemouth and the reason for this was that if they ever finished equal on points, goal difference and number of wins they would then go to who was first in the alphabet and AFC Bournemouth would be ahead!

Now when they thought that they might be equal at the top of the (then) first division with Arsenal I don’t know but what I do know that 36 years later you can’t move for teams beginning with AFC.

In the Vodkat NWCL Division One this season Wigan Robin Park will be coming up against two AFCs. Firstly there’s the newly-formed fans’ team AFC Liverpool that have adopted the AFC as most fans' teams appear to do whilst that historic old side Blackpool Mechanics – which is a great name - have changed to AFC Blackpool. Their Co-Chairman Phil Days said on the official NWCL site: “We spent a long time debating what the new name would be, and in the end we felt AFC Blackpool was the most suitable.”

A long time debating and they came up with that? I daren’t think how long they will spend on pricing up the pies for this coming season!

They have decided that the ground will now be called The Mechanics and they will continue playing in orange which is I suppose something.

Now there are times when a change is healthy and necessary but it should not be at expense of the tradition and history. Over in lobby gobbling land the link with the Horwich railway works has now been severed as Leigh RMI are now to be known by the sinister name of Leigh Genesis. At least it’s not AFC Leigh I suppose but where did they get that from? In fact if you check their website you’ll find it's like the Wicker Man + mad marketing bod + the church of latter day saints. You'd expect that in Milton Keynes but Leigh?!?!?


sinister...

In the NWCL Premier Division the highly successful Kirkham and Wesham have changed their name to – yes you’ve guessed AFC Fylde. Well maybe you didn’t guess the Fylde bit but why the AFC bit. If they were determined to change their name to that why not Fylde United, or Wanderers or Vale or … you get the flow.

The Kirkham thing is odd. I know money has been flowing into the club, and I assume they want the Fylde name to reflect the area, but it seems strange: Win the FA Vase, bring publicity to town(s) and then just sod the name off!

Ah well it’s only a name I suppose but let’s not hope we see a full league where every single frigging club in football starts with AFC…