History of the Barmy Army

The Barmy Army is synonymous with English cricket fans travelling overseas to support their team. It was in effect created by the Australian media's description during the Ashes series in 1994/95. 'Barmy' because we were spending lots of money supporting a side that couldn't win a game of cricket; England not only lost to Australia and their second team, Australia A, but also suffered the indignity of losing to Zimbabwe and, to cap it all, the Australian Academy Side (youth team) and 'Army' because there were hundreds grouped together at each match singing a nd partying in concert. 'Atherton's Barmy Army' soon became established as our theme song and we were proud of our image.

As the cricket results got worse the intensity of our support increased and the Barmy Army rapidly became the focal point for both the media and the general public. We soon became firmly established at the centre of their attention and achieved star status. Eventually our passion and dedication were rewarded with an unlikely victory in the fourth test in Adelaide and it was there that the Barmy Army merchandising business was started.

During the last ten days of the series we sold in excess of 8,000 items of merchandise, the profits of which were spent on trademarking the name Barmy Army in both Australia and England. Barmy Army has been a registered trademark since March 1995 and our company name, not surprisingly, is 'Barmy Army Limited' (Registration Number 3022969).

The Army verbally conquered the Aussies with the use of songs, chants, irony and wit. Since our first foray into Australia we have travelled on all of England's subsequent adventures and the same popularity and media attention has been enjoyed by the supporters (South Africa, New Zealand, Sharjah and the Caribbean). During this time we have accumulated a mailing list of around 5000 names who we regularly update on travel tips for upcoming tours, reunions and merchandise.

We have recently returned from Australia having followed the team for over three months all around the country. Despite the poor results on the pitch, the spirit of the Barmy Army continued to draw virtually unanimous support from the media, the public, opposition fans, police and cricket officials.

The Barmy Army represents a style of supporting. At each game a different Barmy Army is created by the particular group of people that have been able to attend. The aim is to encourage pro-team support and help the England team to do well, particularly on away tours where the opposition fans can be rather intimidating to play in front of.

January 1995; Barmy Army 1,000 strong in Sydney

March 1995; Cheer on England to famous victory in Adelaide. First Barmy Army T-shirt design created.

Summer 1995; Edgbaston reunion, day 3, we lost by lunch to the West Indies.

November 1995; Tour to South Africa, no victories.

January 1996; First Barmy Army Cricket Club game against a Soweto XI - began as we carried on by losing. We raised 5,000 Rand (approximately £900).

Summer 1996; Barmy Army reunions at India and Pakistan tests.

November 1996; Zimbabwe, tied test and the Army do well not to react to goading from opposition fans.

January 1997; Great night celebrating series win over New Zealand

Summer 1997; Ashes series at home. CD single 'We are England' released two months too late, just after we lose the series 3-1. The reunion at Edgbaston saw the Army cheer England to a one nil lead; after a marvellous knock by Mark Taylor, under intense media pressure, and a deluge of rain, England attack the Australian bowling as if it was a one-day game. Athers cannot remember such awesome support at a home game on that famous Sunday afternoon in Birmingham.

Jan-Mar 1998; Caribbean tour - we were out-sung and out-partied by the Trini Posse, a sponsored, professional supporters group from Trinidad and backed by the W.I.C.B. - we vow to out-sing them next time.

August 1998; Win a series at home against the South Africans. Watched by many members but not in large groups due to difficulty in obtaining tickets.

Nov 98-Feb 99; Ashes tour in Australia. Brilliant tour, huge media interest, two big Barmy Army bashes, some good cricket and an amazing win at Melbourne. Barmy Army CC take on Middle Park and, true to form, lose. Barmy Army wedding at Adelaide Oval.

April 1999; Sharjah tournament, those who could make it had a great time.

Summer 1999; Barmy Army's World Cup anthem, 'Come on England' produced and attracts support from many celebrities and sports personalities who appear in the promotional video.

November 1999-2000; Another successful tour to South Africa, great support for the boys and a Pretoria victory. Memorable tour for those lucky enough to be there - is the England team starting to come together?

Summer 2000; Areas set aside for the Barmy Army at Test match weekends - when the game lasted that long! BACC played six games in the South West, winning two of them. Aiming to have BACC games in other regions soon.

November 2000: Pakistan The Barmy Army faithful braved the hardest tour of all to Pakistan, witnessing some resilient English cricket, and leaving with memories never to be forgotten.

March 2001: Sri Lanka The Army turned up in their thousands for the far more exotic location of Sri Lanka. The victories in Kandy and Colombo were perhaps as memorable as recent away wins in Melbourne and Pretoria. The noise at Colombo when England chased the small target set them vibrated around the whole ground, with all England fans singing together.

November 2001: India The Barmy Army faithful once again braved a difficult tour, the threat of violence between India and Pakistan was ignored by many with Bangalore being the most popular venue, but unfortunately having the worst weather.

February 2002: New Zealand Again the Army turned out in their thousands and scared off the Mad Caps from New Zealand, although they did appear with half an hour to go on the final day at Aukland as the Kiwis manipulated their way to a victory to square the series.

Summer 2002: The Barmy Army Cricket Club placed some serious fixtures and raised money for the Leukemia Research Fund. Prestigious fixtures against Lashings and Bunbury’s will be continued and other high profile fixtures added.

Winter 2002-2003: Ashes Tour and World Cup (keep an eye on the website for updated information on cricket fixtures, nights out etc etc)

Summer 2003: South Africa & Zimbabwe Home Series Plans for Tickets at Test matches are being implemented.

Barmy Army Cricket Club and membership scheme to be implemented, which will include a loyalty card system