Local derby

From ArticleWorld

A local derby is a football match played between two local teams, usually from the same city or same region. Local Derby’s occur throughout the world with most teams having a rival clubs with a certain locality.

Origins of the Derby

The term ‘Local Derby’ is thought to have originated from a large game of football played between the inhabitants of two halves of the Derbyshire town of Ashbounre. The match, which is still played to this day, takes place on shrove Tuesday. Another slightly more tenuous suggestion is that it is simply named after a horse race also known as The Derby, initiated by the Earl of Derby in 1780. Whatever the origins the derby matches have become an integral part of the sport of football, and tend to generate enormous local interest as well as wider appeal for some of the larger matches.

Modern Rivalries

Larger cities have numerous teams and so individual clubs may have more than one city derby, but usually only one local derby. For example English teams Arsenal and Chelsea may contest a London derby but their local derbies are against Tottenham Hotspurs and Fulham respectively. Die hard fans still consider the derby one of the most important fixtures in the calendar, but often teams have rivalries elsewhere due to past encounters, political or religious differences and because of consistent vying for championships. For example Arsenal have developed a fierce rivalry with Manchester United, despite being hundreds of miles apart, simply because they are both hugely popular and similarly successful teams. ‘El Derby’ in Spain is contested by the by the two traditional powers of Spanish football, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The teams are not simply rivals due to their successes, but for political reasons. Barcelona represent the Catalan separatist movement, whilst Real Madrid are traditionally linked with the Sovereignty of Spain, hence the ‘Real’ meaning ‘Royal’ in the name. Local derbies may also fuel sectarian differences as highlighted in the Old Firm football match between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. Rangers traditionally represent the protestant community of the city, whilst Celtic uphold a catholic tradition, often leading to violence and even deaths between the two sets of fans.