Explained: The exact reason why West Brom are nicknamed the Baggies | OneFootball

We looked at the origins of West Brom's famous nickname, the Baggies.

Having been formed in 1878, West Bromwich Albion are one of the oldest and most historic football clubs in England.

West Brom enjoyed plenty of success in their early years, winning the FA Cup and Second Division title on multiple occasions, but arguably one of the greatest moments in the club's history came when they lifted the First Division title in the 1919-20 season.

The Baggies would struggle to maintain that level of success, but further silverware would follow as they continued to achieve both FA Cup and League Cup glory, winning the latter competition for the first time in 1966.

However, Albion would experience a serious decline in the 1980s, and after being relegated from the First Division in the 1985-86 season with a dismal total of just 24 points, they went on to spend the next 16 years out of the top flight.

West Brom's recent fortunes

The club's fortunes began to change after the turn of the century as they won promotion to the Premier League in the 2001-02 campaign, and in recent times, they have developed a habit of bouncing between the top two divisions of English football.

However, the Baggies have been unable to secure promotion since being relegated to the Championship in 2021, and they suffered heartbreak last season as they were beaten by Southampton in the play-off semi-finals.

With renewed positivity at The Hawthorns following the takeover by Shilen Patel, and with an excellent head coach in Carlos Corberan, Albion supporters will be hoping that this will be the year they finally end their Premier League exile.

As with every club, West Brom have adopted their own nickname over the years, and we looked at how they came to be known as the Baggies.

How West Brom became known as the Baggies

It may come as a surprise to many that, despite West Brom being so widely referred to as the Baggies, the exact origins of the club's popular nickname are unknown.

Albion were initially known by their nickname of the Throstles during their early days, and while that name is still occasionally used today, the Baggies nickname has become much more prevalent since it first emerged in the 1900s.

There was speculation that the name first came about due to the fact that the team wore baggy shorts, but it is believed that this tradition started long before West Brom acquired their famous nickname, ruling out that theory.

It has even been claimed that Aston Villa played a part in the development of the Baggies nickname, with Albion supporters adopting what had initially been intended as a derogatory insult by fans of their Midlands rivals referring to the clothing worn by those who worked in the factories, but official West Brom historian Tony Matthews has an alternative explanation.

"When the club was formed in 1878 it was known the The Albion," Matthews said, quoted by the Metro.

"In its first 22 years the teams was based at five different grounds around West Bromwich before settling at The Hawthorns in 1900.

"The new ground bought with it the team nickname The Throstles, the Black Country word for Thrush, commonly seen in the hawthorn bushes from which the area took its name.

"In its early days The Hawthorns had only two entrances, one behind each goal.

"On match days the gatekeepers would gather up the takings at each end and be escorted by policemen along the sides of the pitch to the centre line where their was a small office under the stand.

"The gate money, mostly in pennies, amounted to a considerable sum and was carried in large cloth bags.

"It wasn’t long before some wag in the crowd started shouting ‘here come the bag men!’ at their appearance in front of the main stand, and this developed into a chant of “here come the Baggies!”, giving the team its unofficial nickname."

Whatever the true origins are, there is no doubt that West Brom have one of the most unique nicknames in English football, and it is likely to endure for many years to come.