They can be a key ingredient of a club’s pre-match entertainment: waving flags, gee-ing up home supporters, and being the subject of abuse from visiting fans. It is, of course, the club mascot.
How Well Do You Know These EFL Football Mascots?
Championship to League Two: Mascot Quiz
For a long time mascots have been a token of good luck: a symbol of good fortune. It could be as simple as a young person making sure they have their lucky pen with them for an exam or having a favourite soft toy for comfort ahead of a medical operation.
As the football fan’s average age increased, football clubs soon found a desperate need to attract the next generation of fans through their turnstiles. In came the mascots.
The word ‘mascot’ comes from the French word ‘Mascotte’: a ‘lucky charm’. Whilst mascots are perhaps more associated to American sports, such as the NFL or NBA, many clubs across the UK have mascots of their own.
A brief history of football mascots shows that they have either been humans dressed as animals, or people wearing outfits that suited the club they represented. Peterborough‘s nickname, The Posh, led to their mascot, Mr Posh, dressing in a full suit or business attire.
High Profile Mascots
Some mascots have, for some reason or another, gained more popularity than others. Arsenal‘s Gunnersaurus Rex hit the headlines in October 2020 when, having been made redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic, his salary was covered by German midfielder Mesut Ozil.
West Brom, on the other hand, hit the headlines for more humorous reasons when their new mascot was unveiled as a combi boiler due to a sponsorship deal with a boiler firm. Their more familiar mascot, Baggie Bird, remained the club’s main mascot.
How well do you know EFL clubs’ football mascots? Give our quiz below a go.
Main Photo
