Editing Barmy Army

{{Short description|Group of English cricket fans}}
[[Image: Barmy Army at the SCG.JPG|right|thumb|300px|The Barmy Army chanting at the Sydney Cricket Ground]]

The '''Barmy Army''' is a group of British cricket fans known for supporting the [[English cricket team]] in both domestic and international matches. 

The Barmy Army was at first an informal group but was later turned into a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. The name is also applied to followers of the team who join in with match day activities in the crowd, but do not necessarily travel as part of an organised tour. [[Collins dictionary]] defines the word barmy as "slightly crazy or very foolish". They are known for their song that goes "Barmy Army shout it out come on England". 

The group, then less organised, was given its name by the Australian media during the [[English cricket team in Australia in 1994-95|1994–95]] [[Test cricket|Test]] series in [[Australia]], reportedly for the fans' hopeless audacity in travelling all the way to Australia in the near-certain knowledge that their team would lose, and the fact that they kept on chanting encouragement to the England team even when England were losing quite badly.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/dec/01/ashes2006.cricket7 Crass and corporate - why the Barmy Army are no laughing matter], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 1 December 2006</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-fight-back-against-the-barmy-army-427134.html Dominic Lawson: Fight back against the Barmy Army], ''[[The Independent]]'', 5 December 2006</ref> It was co-founded by [[Paul Burnham]].<ref name=itn />

==History==
On the first day of the [[English cricket team in Australia in 1994–95|1994–95 Ashes Series]] at [[Adelaide Oval]], a group of supporters of the English Cricket team during the lunch break headed to 'T-Shirt City' on Hindley Street and ordered 50 shirts saying "Atherton's Barmy Army" (after then-captain [[Michael Atherton]]) with the Union Jack emblazoned on the back. By the end of the Test over 200 shirts had been purchased, and by the end of the tour, 3,000 had been purchased.<ref name="25 Years">{{cite web |title=25 Years of the Barmy Army |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfMJM43As8w |website=YouTube |publisher=Sky Sports |access-date=15 November 2022 |date=17 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/cricket/how-adelaide-helped-the-barmy-army-to-tee-off-back-in-1995/news-story/90ab3d4ff985d3fe70bb74f163592afa|title=How Barmy Army teed off in SA|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=2013-11-30|language=en|access-date=2018-02-11|last1=Homfray|first1=Reece}}</ref> This Test is often cited as the catalyst for the formal establishment of the Barmy Army.

The Barmy Army, which is now a limited company, states that it wants to "make watching cricket more fun and much more popular". The group uses [[flag]]s, [[banner]]s, [[song]]s and [[chant]]s to encourage the team and crowd participation in their activities. In contrast to the reputations of some sports fans for [[hooliganism]], the Barmy Army organisers actively discourage and avoid such behaviour.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The group engages in [[Charitable organization|charity]] work and has gained a good reputation among most cricket administrators. However, many cricket followers find their constant chanting to be annoying and disruptive, particularly during the afternoon sessions of Test matches when the chanting of the Barmy Army, fuelled by their consumption of large amounts of alcohol, often becomes a repetitive, irritating background noise; among others, the renowned cricket writer/commentator [[Christopher Martin-Jenkins]] accused them of "demeaning English cricket".<ref>Christopher Martin-Jenkins. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,426-1456636,00.html Vaughan's men reap dividends of bolder approach]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''[[The Times]]'', 26 January 2005</ref>

Throughout the 1990s, increased spending power, via a stronger British Pound at the time, enabled fans to take their "Atherton's Barmy Army" song overseas when following tours of the English national cricket team. Because of that particular song, and the fact that it seemed to represent English fans' activity of standing in the hot sun, drinking lager all day until they were sunburnt and unwell, it became a description as well as a song. [[David Lloyd (cricketer)|David Lloyd]] and [[Ian Botham]] used the tag to describe the supporters whilst commentating for [[Sky Sports]] during England's tours from 1993 to 1995.

In the late 1990s, performers [[Richard Stilgoe]] and [[Peter Skellern]] recognised the need for an anthem for the loyal supporters of a team that regularly seemed to lose and wrote a stirring song called "The Barmy Army", which they included in their touring repertoire. It can be found on their 1999 CD ''A Quiet Night Out'', and humorously celebrates the English team's skill at "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory".

[[File:Billy the trumpeter.JPG|thumb|Trumpeter [[Billy Cooper (trumpeter)|Billy Cooper]] Cheering England at 1st Test vs Pakistan Dubai January 2012 ]]
Most grounds except [[Lord's]] reserve areas of seating for Barmy Army fans.<ref name=itn>{{cite web|url=http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/not-barmy-just-lucky-$458673.htm |title=Not barmy, just lucky |website=Inthenews.co.uk |access-date=2012-07-20 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107193155/http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/not-barmy-just-lucky-%24458673.htm |archive-date=7 January 2014 }}</ref>

During the [[English cricket team in South Africa in 2019–20|2019–20 English tour of South Africa]], [[Sky Sports]] filmed a feature story entitled ''25 Years of the Barmy Army'' to commemorate the group's 25-year anniversary.<ref name="25 Years"/> Hosted by Atherton, it covers the group's origins and characteristics, favourite countries to tour and favorite moments and features interviews with [[Nasser Hussain]], [[Joe Root]], and several members.

== In other sports ==
Supporters of English national teams in other sports are also subsidiaries of the Barmy Army. The rugby equivalent was formed in 2014,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Barmy-Army-Rugby-360449967469632/|title=Barmy Army Rugby|website=Facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-27}}</ref> they also form part of the Army to support [[British and Irish Lions]], while there is another separate subsidiary for Rugby League.
The term Barmy Army has also been used to describe the Devonshire football team [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.]], usually with a prefix of ‘Green and White’ during stadium-wide chants, although there is no association to the above groups.

One Barmy Army member, Neil Rowe, gained media attention for dressing up as England football manager [[Gareth Southgate]] both on England cricket tours and at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] in Russia.<ref>[https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/neil-surrey-gareth-southgate-lookalike-14880443 ''"Neil from Surrey": Gareth Southgate lookalike charms World Cup 2018'' by Christopher McKeon], ''Surrey Mirror''</ref><ref name="25 Years"/>

== Music ==
For the [[1999 ICC Cricket World Cup]], the Barmy Army recorded "Come on England", released by Wildstar Records and set to the tune of "[[Soul Limbo]]", the original ''[[Test Match Special]]'' theme by [[Booker T. & the M.G's]]. The music video included appearances from [[Ian Botham]], [[Ronnie Irani]], [[Dickie Bird]] and [[Chris Tarrant]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQxwK-tsloI ''Come on England'' by England's Barmy Army (Music Video)], ''YouTube'', (produced by Wildstar Records and BFCS)</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bharat Army]]
* [[Swami Army]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|barmyarmy.com }}
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-2531087.html Article praising the Barmy Army's behaviour on tour in Australia]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-2535962.html Article challenging the view presented in the article above]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

{{Cricket supporters}}
{{Supporter Culture}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

[[Category:Cricket supporters]]
[[Category:England in international cricket]]
[[Category:Sports culture in the United Kingdom]]