Football Club Initials and Meanings
Anyone who's a fan of foreign football, international clubs and leagues will no doubt have noticed the wide variety of letters that accompany football club names throughout the different countries.
So, whilst in the United Kingdom and Ireland we're mainly used to seeing FC after a name, or in some instances AFC, if you look over to the continent you'll discover a vast array of different letters before and after club names.
So here's our guide to what you can expect to see in the main leagues around Europe and what each of them means.
Initials used with French Football Club Names
There's some interesting club names used in France, here are the most common...
Initials | Full Name | Translation | Examples |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Association Sportive | Sports Association | AS Monaco |
EA | En Avant | Forward | EA Guingamp |
FC | Football Club | Football Club | FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
SC | Sporting Club | Sports Club | SC Bastia |
RC | Racing Club | Racing Club | RC Lens |
OGC | Olympique Gymnaste Club | Olympic Gymnastic Club | OGC Nice |
OSC | Olympique Sporting Club | Olympic Sports Club | Lille OSC |
SCO | Sporting Club de l'Ouest | Sports Club of the West | Angers SCO |
Initials used with Italian Football Club Names
Some English influence on show in the club names in Italy with reference to cricket and football, both non-Italian words. Here are the most common...
Initials | Full Name | Translation | Examples |
---|---|---|---|
AC | Associazione Calcio | Football Association | AS Milan |
AS | Associazione Sportiva | Sports Association | AS Roma |
CFC | Cricket and Football Club | Cricket and Football Club | CFC Genoa |
FC | Football Club | Football Club | Juventus FC |
SS | Società Sportiva | Sports Society | SS Lazio |
US | Unione Sportiva | Sports Union | US Città di Palermo |
UC | Unione Calcio | Football Union | UC Sampdoria |
SSC | Società Sportiva Calcio | Football Sports Society | SSC Napoli |
Initials used with German Football Club Names
There are plenty of variations with club names in Germany, here are the most common...
Initials | Full Name | Translation | Examples |
---|---|---|---|
FC | Fußball Club | Football Club | FC St. Pauli |
BV | Ballspiel Verein | Ball Game Club | BVB Dortmund |
1. FC | 1st Fußball Club | First Football Club | 1. FC Köln |
SC | Sport Club | Sport Club | SC Freiburg |
SV | Sportverein | Sport Club | Hamburger SV |
TSG | Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft | Gymnastic and Sporting Community | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim |
TSV | Turn- und Sportverein | Gymnastic and Sporting Club | TSV 1860 Munich |
VfB | Verein für Bewegungsspiele | Club for Movement Games | VfB Stuttgart |
VfL | Verein für Leibesübungen | Club for Physical Education | VfL Wolfsburg |
Initials used with Spanish Football Club Names
Here are the most common football club initials used in Spain...
Initials | Full Name | Translation | Examples |
---|---|---|---|
CA | Club Atlético | Athletic Club | CA Osasuna |
CD | Club Deportivo | Sports Club | CD Leganés |
CF | Club de Fútbol | Football Club | Real Madrid CF |
FC | Futbol Club | Football Club | FC Barcelona |
RCD | Reial Club Deportiu | Royal Sports Club | RCD Espanyol |
SD | Sociedad Deportiva | Sports Society | SD Eibar |
UD | Unión Deportiva | Sports Union | UD Las Palmas |