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March 17, 2024

2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2022-23 average attendances by school (68 teams).

Filed under: NCAA Men's Basketball — admin @ 9:48 pm

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2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2022-23 average attendances by school (68 teams)



By Bill Turianski on the 17th of March 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-Teams, etc…2024 NCAA Men’s Division I men’s Basketball Tournament (en.wikipedia.org).
-Scores…Div I college bk scores (espn.go.com).

The 68 Teams which qualified for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament [aka March Madness]
Listed by: Name. Conference. Location of arena(s)…
-Akron Zips. Mid-American. Akron, OH.
-Alabama Crimson Tide. SEC. Tuscaloosa, AL.
-Arizona Wildcats. Pac-12. Tucson, AZ.
-Auburn Tigers. SEC. Auburn, AL.
-Baylor Bears. Big 12. Waco, TX.
-Boise State Broncos. Mountain West. Boise, ID.
-BYU [Brigham Young Univ.] Cougars. Big 12. Provo, UT.
-Clemson Tigers. ACC. Clemson, SC.
-Colgate Raiders. Patriot. Hamilton, NY.
-College of Charleston Cougars. Coastal (CAA). Charleston, SC.
-Colorado State Rams. Mountain West. Fort Collins, CO.
-Creighton Bluejays. Big East. Omaha, NE.
-Dayton Flyers. Atlantic-10. Dayton, OH.
-Drake Bulldogs. Missouri Valley. Des Moines, IA.
-Duke Blue Devils. ACC. Durham, NC.
-Duquesne Dukes. Atlantic 10. Pittsburgh, PA.
-Florida Gators. SEC. Gainesville, FL.
-Florida Atlantic Owls. Conference USA. Boca Raton, FL.
-Gonzaga Bulldogs. West Coast (WCC). Spokane, WA.
-Grambling State Tigers. Southwestern (SWAC). Grambling, LA.
-Grand Canyon Antelopes. WAC. Phoenix, AZ.
-Houston Cougars. American (AAC). Houston, TX.
-Howard Bison. MEAC. Washington, DC.
-Illinois Fighting Illini. Big Ten. Champaign, IL.
-Iowa State Cyclones. Big 12. Ames, IA.
-James Madison Dukes. Sun Belt. Harrisonburg, VA.
-Kansas Jayhawks. Big 12. Lawrence, KS.
-Kentucky Wildcats. SEC. Lexington, KY.
-Long Beach State Beach. Big West. Long Beach, CA.
-Longwood Lancers. Big South. Farmville, VA.
-Marquette Golden Eagles. Big East. Milwaukee, WI.
-McNeese State Cowboys. Southland. Lake Charles, LA.
-Michigan State Spartans. Big Ten. East Lansing, MI.
-Mississippi State Bulldogs. SEC. Starkville, MS.
-Montana State Bobcats. Big Sky. Bozeman, MT.
-Morehead State Eagles. Ohio Valley. Morehead, KY.
-Nebraska Cornhuskers. Big Ten. Lincoln, NE
-Nevada Wolfpack. Mountain West. Reno, NV.
-New Mexico Lobos. Mountain West. Albuquerque, NM.
-North Carolina Tar Heels. ACC. Chapel Hill, NC.
-North Carolina State Wolfpack. ACC. Raleigh, NC.
-Northwestern Wildcats. Big Ten. Evanston, IL.
-Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Horizon. Auburn Hills, MI.
-Oregon Ducks. Pac-12. Eugene, OR.
-Purdue Boilermakers. Big Ten. West Lafayette, IN.
-Saint Mary’s Gaels. West Coast (WCC). Moraga, CA.
-Saint Peter’s Peacocks. Metro Atlantic (MAAC). Jersey City, NJ.
-Samford Bulldogs. Southern (SoCon). Homewood (Greater Birmingham), AL.
-San Diego State Aztecs. Mountain West. San Diego, CA.
-South Carolina Gamecocks. SEC. Columbia, SC.
-South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Summit. Brookings, SD.
-Stetson Hatters. Atlantic Sun. DeLand, FL.
-TCU [Texas Christian Univ.] Horned Frogs. Big 12. Fort Worth, TX.
-Tennessee Volunteers. SEC. Knoxville, TN.
-Texas Longhorns. Big 12. Austin, TX.
-Texas A&M Aggies. SEC. College Station, TX.
-Texas Tech Red Raiders. Big 12. Lubbock, TX.
-UAB Blazers. The American. Birmingham, AL.
-UConn [Univ. Connecticut] Huskies. Big East. Storrs, CT/Hartford, CT.
-Utah State Aggies. Mountain West. Logan, UT.
-Vermont Catamounts. America East. Burlington, VT.
-Virginia Cavaliers. ACC. Charlottesville, VA.
-Wagner Seahawks. Northeast. Staten Island, NYC, NY.
-Wake Forest Demon Deacons. ACC. Winston-Salem, NC.
-Wisconsin Badgers. Big Ten. Madison, WI.
-Washington State Cougars. Pac-12. Pullman, WA.
-Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Conference USA. Bowling Green, KY.
-Yale Bulldogs. Ivy League. New Haven, CT.




___
-Thanks to AMK1211 for blank map of USA, ‘File:Blank US Map with borders.svg”>File:Blank US Map with borders.svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament’.
-Thanks to NCAA for attendance figures, from 2023 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE (For All NCAA Men’s Varsity Teams) [pdf].
-Thanks to the Bracket Matrix site for bracket forecasting, bracketmatrix.com; twitter.com/@bracketproject.

February 26, 2024

CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2023-24 location-map of the 60 teams (22 WHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 18 QMJHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023)./+New team in the WHL for 2023-24…the Wenatchee Wild (of Wenatchee, Washington, USA).

chl_canadian-hockey-league_2023-24_location-map_60-teams_whl_ohl_qmjhl_w-2023-attendances_post_c_.gif
CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2023-24 location-map of the 60 teams (22 WHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 18 QMJHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023)



By Bill Turianski on the 26th of February 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-chl.ca.
-ontariohockeyleague.com.
-theqmjhl.ca. lhjmq.qc.ca (Fr).
-whl.ca.

Canadian Hockey League (CHL): the umbrella-organization for the 3 leagues of Major Junior Hockey in Canada. The 3 leagues are: the Western Hockey League (WHL, est. 1966), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL, est. 1933), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL/ LMJHQ in French, est. 1969). 60 teams: in the CHL-system, there are 51 teams from Canada (from 9 Canadian provinces), and there are 9 teams from the USA (from 4 American states). The CHL as the umbrella-organization was established in 1975, but as mentioned, the three individual leagues were established earlier; see league side-bars on the upper-part of the map for more info. Also, see this…Quebec Major Junior Hockey League changes name to better represent its 6 Maritime teams (cbc.ca/sports, from 14 Dec. 2023).

CHL teams are for players aged 16-20. Two non-North-American-born players are allowed per team; overage, and underage player-waivers are sometimes allowed. Players receive stipend & board, and believe it or not, this actually qualifies as pay in the NCAA’s monopolistic view, so players who commit to an OHL or QMJHL or WHL team in the CHL-system become ineligible to play later on in the USA in the NCAA-system. Whereas around 30% of NHL players have had a US-collegiate career prior to signing in the NHL, a larger percentage – of around 47-to-48% – of all NHL players originally played in Canadian Major Junior hockey {see this, from the Washington Post}.

The winners of the 3 leagues each season contest the Memorial Cup Tournament (est. 1919), which is usually played in the month of May. The Memorial Cup is a 4-team round-robin competition, which comprises the WHL champion, the OHL champion, the QMJHL champion, plus the host team.

The map is a location-map with the three league’s areas tinted.
The chart on the far-left-hand-side shows: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023), and lists 2 things for each team…
-Number of Memorial Cup titles (host-team status noted by italics).
-Number of Memorial Cup tournament appearances (host-team status noted by italics).

26 of the 60 current CHL teams have won a Memorial Cup title.
The reigning champions are the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, who won their third Memorial Cup title on the 4th of June 2023 in Kamloops, British Columbia, beating the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL 5-0. {See this, Quebec Remparts win 2023 Memorial Cup (globalnews.ca/news).} It was the Quebec Remparts’ 3rd Memorial Cup title. The most titles won by a current CHL team is the 5 titles won by the OHL’s Oshawa Generals (who last won it in 2015). The most Memorial Cup tournament appearances is 16 appearances, by the oldest Major Junior hockey team, the WHL’s Regina St. Pats (established in 1917, in Regina, Saskatchewan).

The 2023-24 CHL season, with about 80-to-85% of the season played [as of the 27th of February 2024]…
- QMJHL. chl.ca/lhjmq/en. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[QMJHL].
(Reigning champions: Quebec Remparts.)
The top 3 teams in the QMJHL currently are: Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Drummondville Voltigeurs, and Victoriaville Tigres.
Top attendance draws in QMJHL currently are: Quebec Remparts (at 9.5-K-per-game), Halifax Mooseheads (at 8.2-K-per-game), and Moncton Wildcats (at 4.5-K-per-game).

-OHL. chl.ca/ohl. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[OHL].
(Reigning champions: Peterborough Petes.)
The top 3 teams in the OHL currently are: London Knights, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds.
Top attendance draws in OHL currently are: London Knights (at 9.0-K-per-game), Kitchener Rangers (at 6.4-K-per-game), and Oshawa Generals (4.9-K-per-game).

-WHL. chl.ca/whl. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[WHL].
(Reigning champions: Seattle Thunderbirds.)
The top 3 teams in the WHL currently are: Saskatoon Blades, Prince George Cougars, and Portland Winterhawks.
Top attendance draws in WHL currently are: Edmonton Oil Kings (at 6.6-K-per-game), Everett Silvertips (at 5.8-K-per-game), and Saskatoon Blades (at 4.9-K-per-game).




The 2024 Memorial Cup tournament will be hosted by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, at the 5,500-capacity Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, USA in late May/early June. This will be the 5th time that an American-based team will host the Memorial Cup tournament, and the first time in 26 years. (Years that American-based teams that have previously hosted the Memorial Cup tournament…1983 and 1986: Portland Winterhawks [WHL] of Portland, Oregon; 1992: Seattle Thunderbirds [WHL] of Seattle, Washington; 1998: Spokane Chiefs [WHL] of Spokane, Washington. Of those four tournaments, the host-team, Portland, won it their first time in 1983. The other 3 times the host-team didn’t win. Although in 1998, Spokane hosted it, but Portland, that season’s WHL champion, won it. The Portland Winterhawks have won 2 Memorial Cup titles (1983, 1998); the Spokane Chiefs also have won 2 Memorial Cup titles (1991, 2008). Those 4 titles are the only Memorial Cup titles won by American-based teams, although there have been 4 other times an American-based team was a finalist… the Detroit Junior Red Wings [ex-OHL] in 1985, the Portland Winterhawks again in 2013, the Erie Otters [OHL] in 2017, and the Seattle Thunderbirds [WHL] last season in 2023.

    2 new teams in the CHL for 2023-24: Brantford Bulldogs [OHL]; Wenatchee Wild [WHL]

Temporary new team in the OHL for 2023-24…the Brantford Bulldogs (of Brantford, Ontario).
From 2023-24 to 2025-26 for 3 seasons, due to renovations to the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, the Hamilton Bulldogs will be playing in Brantford, ON as the Brantford Bulldogs. They will play at the Brantford Civic Centre. Brantford, ON is located, by road, 38 km (24 mi) WSW of Hamilton, ON. I have shown both locations on the map. The team has moved from an 17.3-K-capacity venue to a 2.9-K-capacity venue. But the Bulldogs only drew 3.7-K-per-game in Hamilton last season anyway, despite recent success (as 2022 Memorial Cup finalist).

New team in the WHL for 2023-24…the Wenatchee Wild (of Wenatchee, Washington, USA).
WHL Franchise shift…The Winnipeg Ice franchise moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Wenatchee, Washington, USA…becoming the Wenatchee Wild. Wenatchee, WA is located, by road, 238 km (148 mi) E of Seattle, WA. After 57 games [up to the 27th of February], Wenatchee have 64 points and are in 3rd in the WHL American division. The Wild are drawing 2.9-K-per-game at their 4.3-K-capacity venue. In the captions below you can see the team’s franchise history, which includes a 2002 Memorial Cup title, when the franchise was located in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and were called the Kootenay Ice.

wenatchee-wild_new_whl-team-2023-24_town-toyota-center_wenatchee-washington_f_.gif"
Photo credits above – Wenatchee, WA (taken from East Wenatchee), photo by Jakekoner at reddit.com/r/Washington. Aerial shot of Town Toyota Center, unattributed at in.daotaonec.edu.vn. Street-side shot of venue, unattributed at wenatcheevalleysports.com.

___
Thanks to all at the following…
-Canadian Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Photo of Memorial Cup (CHL), unattributed at hhof.com.
-Hockey ice photo from dreamstime.com.

February 1, 2024

2024 Copa Libertadores Map (47 teams) with Club Histories (Libertadores appearances & titles listed) + Population-chart of Cities with Teams in the 2024 Libertadores.

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 2:01 pm

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2024 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 47-team tournament, with Club Histories (total Libertadores appearances & titles listed)




By Bill Turianski on 1 February 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2024 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary: results, fixtures, standings (flashscore.co.uk).
-espn.com/[Libertadores].

This is the 65th edition of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious football tournament in South America. The 2024 tournament is the 8th since it was expanded in 2017, from 38 to 47 teams. Since then, no team from a country other than Brazil or Argentina has won the title (Brazilian teams have won it 6 times since the tournament-expansion, and an Argentinian team has won it once since then). And Brazilian sides have won the last five titles. (Copa Libertadores winner in 2023 was Fluminense, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; it was the club’s first Libertadores title. Copa Sudamericana winner in 2023 was LDU Quito, of Quito, Ecuador.)

This map includes the Preliminary-Stage teams:
There are 19 preliminary-stage teams…and only four of those 19 teams advance to the Group Stage. (Note: on the map-page, on the teams-by-country lists that flank the map, the 19 preliminary clubs are shown in italics, accented by a light tan-color.)

Schedule
-The first of three Preliminary stages starts on 6-to-8 February {2024 Copa Libertadores Qualifying stages}.
-The Group Stage starts on 2-to-4 April. The draw for the Group Stage is on the 22nd of March.

Qualified teams by country:
•Brazil has 8 teams (7 + Copa Libertadores holder).
•Argentina has 6 teams.
•Ecuador has 5 teams (4 + Copa Sudamericana holder).
•The seven other countries all have 4 teams each (Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela).



Cities with teams in the 2024 Copa Libertadores
On the map, next to each team’s name, is the name of the city the team is located in. The text-size for the city-names gradually gets smaller for the smaller cities. Populations can be seen in the chart at the top-centre of the map-page. {Or see the chart below.} The chart includes the ten largest metropolitan areas in South America (nine of which have teams in the 2023 Copa Libertadores). Then the list shows all the other top-50-largest metro-areas in South America with Libertadores teams this year. And then the list shows the other metro-areas with Libertadores teams this year. Smallest city to be hosting a Copa Libertadores team this year is El Salvador, Atacama, Chile, the copper mining town in the Atacama Desert, where CD Cobresal are from. Cobresal were the 2023 Chilean Primera División second-place-finishers. El Salvador has a population of around 7,000.

conmebol_copa-libertadores_2024_chart_cities-in-tournament_w-populations_b_.gif
{Populations…Cities with teams in 2022 Copa Libertadores: Metropolitan-area figures for 50 largest South American cities from, 2015 at: List of South American metropolitan areas by population (en.wikipedia.org); & Population figures for other cities with teams in tournament at: each city’s en.wikipedia page.}




___
Thanks to all at the links below
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Blank map of South America by Anbans 585 at File:CONMEBOL laea location map without rivers.svg (en.wikipedia.org/[2018 Copa Libertadores]).
-2023 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Copa Libertadores 1960-2019 Club Histories (rsssf.com).
-Libertadores titles list {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Libertadores#Performances_by_club}.

January 18, 2024

2023-24 FA Cup, 4th Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances./+ Biggest upset in the 3rd Round: Maidstone United (6) beat Stevenage (3).

Filed under: >2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 10:38 pm

http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023-24_fa-cup_4th-round_map_w-league-attendances_w-fixtures_post_d_.gif
2023-24 FA Cup, 4th Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on 18 January 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

    Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 3rd Round…Maidstone United (6) beat Stevenage (3): A league-placement difference of 3 levels and 69 league-places.

-Maidstone United 1-0 Stevenage [6 Jan 2024] (bbc.com/sport).
-Maidstone MAKE HISTORY! | Maidstone 1-0 Stevenage | Emirates FA Cup 2023-24 (uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com).

Maidstone United are from Maidstone, in Kent, in the southeast of England. Maidstone is located about a dozen miles south of the Thames Estuary; and Maidstone is located, by road, 37 miles (60 km) SE of central London. Maidstone has a population of around 176,000 and is a bedroom community of Greater London. Maidstone United wear amber-and-black. The club was formed in 1992, replacing the original Maidstone United (1897-1992), which was a fourth division Football League club when it was liquidated in August 1992. The original Maidstone United’s demise was the result of overspending to get into the League – where they lasted for three short years – coupled with a disastrous attempt to buy land for a new ground in the town.

The new Maidstone United (est. 1992) were formed as Maidstone Invicta, around the former Maidstone United’s youth squad. They were placed 7 steps below the Football League, in the 4th division of the Kent County League (where direct promotion was not possible). In the 2001-02 season, the club was accepted into the Kent League, and duly won the league in their first season there; however, they were denied promotion due to lack of a suitable ground. In their 5th season in the Kent League (2005-06) Maidstone won their second league title, and did gain promotion to the Isthmian League D1 South. Then they won that league in 2006-07, so were promoted for the second straight year, into the Isthmian Premier League, for 2007-08. But four years later, in 2011, Maidstone had a set-back, and were relegated back to the Isthmian D1 South. At this point in time, Maidstone were in the process of (finally) building their own stadium; see four paragraphs below.

Maidstone returned to the Isthmian Premier two years later, in 2013, and then two years after that, in 2015, they won promotion to the 6th tier, into the National League South. And then in 2016, Maidstone were promoted for the second straight year, via the play-offs, into the 5th-division National League. Maidstone finished in 14th place in the National League in 2016-17, and that is the club’s highest finish to date. Maidstone had a 3-season stint in the 5th division, then fell back to the 6th tier for two seasons (from 2019 to ’22). And then in 2021-22, Maidstone won the National League South, and won promotion back to the 5th division, only to finish rock-bottom in the 2022-23 National League.

And halfway through that futile season was when current Maidstone United manager George Elokobi was hired (in January 2023). George Elokobi is a Cameroon-born centre-back, who played in 311 matches from 2002 to 2022, most notably featuring 6 seasons with Wolverhampton, from 2008 to ’14 (which included his playing for Wolves in the Premier League from 2009-’12). Elokobi finished his on-field career with 3 seasons for Maidstone United from 2019 to 2022, as a player/academy coach. His final match saw him score a goal, as Maidstone were promoted to the 5th division.

In the 2023-24 season, Elokobi has turned the team around, as Maidstone are doing well in the National League South, and are currently in 4th place [as of 19 Jan 2024]. Also, they are drawing very good for a 6th-tier side, pulling in 1,972 per game, which is only a drop-off of 170 per game as compared to their crowd-size in the 5th division last season. So the fans have by and large continued to support Maidstone, following their 2023 relegation.




Maidstone play at Gallagher Stadium, which is owned by the club and opened in 2012 {see photos below}. Its capacity is 4,200 (792 seated), and it features a 3G (or third generation) pitch. Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium was, in fact, the first football venue in England to install a 3G pitch (in 2012). 3G pitch is characterized by long synthetic grass with a shock-absorbent rubber-crumb under-layer. Its usefulness is found in the fact that it can withstand a lot of wear, while being less dangerous than astroturf. So it is very economical for small clubs, because once installed, the club has far less upkeep costs, and they can actually rent the pitch out, to pull in much-needed revenue, and not risk a muddied and dangerous pitch. Many non-League clubs have adopted 3G pitches in the last decade. In the National League set-up alone (72 teams), there are twelve clubs which currently play on a 3G pitch, including Bromley in South London, Eastbourne Borough in East Sussex, Gloucester City, and Oxford City {see this, nonleaguematters.co.uk/[list-of-great-britain-artificial-pitches]}. Thanks to their 3G pitch, Maidstone pull in around £120,000 to £150,000 profit per year, renting out their pitch.

There is one major drawback, though…while 3G pitch is allowed in non-League football, and in the FA Cup, as of 2023-24, it is not allowed in the Football League. So if you have a 3G pitch and get promoted to the 4th division, you either have to tear up the pitch and replace it with grass, play somewhere else, or be denied promotion. This has happened twice: with Harrogate Town (of North Yorkshire) in 2021, and with Sutton United (of South London) in 2022. Both clubs tore out the 3G and put in grass. The cost to do this is around half-a-million pounds!

In the FA Cup qualifying rounds it took Maidstone three away wins to get to the 1st Round, where they beat 7th-tier side Chesham United away. In the 2nd Round, on 2 December 2023 at Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone upset a promotion-chasing 4th-division side: Barrow AFC. A total of 2 league-levels and 46 league-places separated Maidstone from League Two high-fliers Barrow. They beat Barrow 2-1, coming back from a one-nil deficit, with a goal by MF Sam Corne in the 35th minute. Then the winning goal was scored by Maidstone-born Nepalese MF Bivesh Gurung, in the 74th minute. There was a decent crowd of 2,903 there.

For the 3rd Round, Maidstone were drawn for another home tie, versus promotion-chasing 3rd-tier side Stevenage. This was a match that really should have been televised. At this point, Maidstone was one of four non-League clubs still alive in the tournament, and they were the lowest placed. There was a crowd of 4,024 there (95 percent-capacity) at Gallagher Stadium. In added time at the end of the 1st half, a penalty kick was called when Stevenage DF Louis Thompson brought down Maidstone FW Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong in the box {see screenshot below}. 27-year-old MF Sam Cone scored the penalty. Maidstone repelled Stevenage’s offensive forays the rest of the match, including a play late in the 2nd half, when Sam Corne provided more heroics…on the goal line at the left post, he saved a sure goal, blocking a header from a Stevenage corner kick that was on its way in the goal {see screenshot below}. At the final whistle, Maidstone United had qualified for the FA Cup 4th Round for the first time in their 32-year history.

For the 4th Round, Maidstone have been drawn to play 2nd-tier promotion-candidate Ipswich Town, away, at Portman Road in Suffolk. This time, the match will be televised.




maidstone-united-fc_gallagher-stadium_2023-24-fa-cup_3rd-round-upset-win_over_stevenage-fc_george-elokobi_sam-corne_h_.gif"
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of Arms of Maidstone (feat. an Iguanadon), from
heraldry-wiki.com. A view of Maidstone, with bridge over River Medway and the 14th-century All Saints Church in background, photo unattributed at hotels.com/[best-things-to-do-maidstone]. Fremiln Walk (outdoor shopping mall) in Maidstone, photo from fremlinwalk.co.uk/[pdf]. 1st aerial drone shot of Gallagher Stadium, from maidstoneunited.co.uk/stones-pitch-hire. 2nd aerial drone shot of Gallagher Stadium, unattributed at news.maidston. George Elokobi (Maidstone United manager,) photo from maidstoneunited.co.uk. Fans at match, photo by Zac Goodwin/PA via twitter.com/[@James_Dart]. 45+1′, Penalty…Stevenage DF Louis Thompson brings down Maidstone FW Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong in the box, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. 45+2′ MF Sam Corne nets the penalty, photo by Action Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport. Late in 2nd half, Sam Corne, on the goal line at the left post, saves a goal, blocking a header from a Stevenage corner kick, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. George Elokobi celebrates with fans after pitch invasion, photo by Zac Goodwin/PA via gazette-news.co.uk/news.

___
Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-Soccerway (current average attendances for the 1st, 2nd 3rd, and 4th divisions).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 6th level).

January 2, 2024

2023-24 FA Cup, 3rd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances.

Filed under: >2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 9:52 pm

2023-24_fa-cup_3rd-round_map_w-league-attendances_w-fixtures_post_e_.gif
2023-24 FA Cup, 3rd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on 2 January 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

The FA Cup is the oldest football tournament in the world. The 2023-24 FA Cup is the 143rd edition of the tournament. The FA Cup Third Round is when the teams from the top 2 divisions in England – the Premier League, and the EFL Championship – join the competition. The 20 Premier League teams and the 24 Championship teams join 20 other lower-leagues teams.

The 20 lower-leagues teams still in the competition are…
-Nine 3rd-division teams [who play in the EFL League One]: Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool, Bristol Rovers, Cambridge United, Oxford United, Peterborough United, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage, Wigan Athletic.
-Seven 4th-division teams [who play in the EFL League Two]: AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham, Newport County, Morecambe, Sutton United, Walsall, Wrexham.
-Three 5th-division teams [who play in the non-League National League]: Aldershot Town, Chesterfield, Eastleigh.
-One 6th-tier team [who plays in the non-League National League South]: Maidstone United.

___
Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-Soccerway (current average attendances for the 1st, 2nd 3rd, and 4th divisions).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th level).

December 7, 2023

Spain: 2023-24 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list./ +Promoted to La Liga in 2023 – Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés./ + In second place in La Liga after 15 weeks – Girona FC.

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 9:50 pm

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Spain: 2023-24 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list



By Bill Turianski on 7 December 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-La Liga – Summary: matches, table, players, etc (soccerway.com).
-Sid Lowe at theguardian.com/football [Spanish football coverage] (theguardian.com/profile/sidlowe).

The map page shows a location-map for the 20 clubs in the 2023-24 La Liga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2023: Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés; relegated in 2023: Valladolid, Espanyol, Elche.) The map also shows the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain, and the 20 largest Spanish metropolitan areas. Those 20 largest Spanish metro-areas, with their 2018 population estimates, are listed at the top-centre of the map-page.

The 3 charts
A.) A chart showing Current Attendance (up to week 15; 7 Dec 2023) plus 2022-23 finish, with teams playing in Europe noted. There are also columns listing Venue-capacities and Percent-capacities. Note: For 2023-24 (and part of ’24-25), FC Barcelona are playing at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, due to Camp Nou redevelopments (which are expected to be done by 2025–26). Barcelona’s home capacity is thus reduced by around 49,800. (Camp Nou capacity: 99,354. Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys capacity: 49,472.)
B.) A chart showing Seasons-in-La Liga by club, with consecutive seasons listed. This is the 93rd La Liga season. Three La Liga founding members – Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Club [Bilbao] have never been relegated.
C.) A chart showing the All-time Spanish professional titles list (1929 to 2022-23). There are only 9 clubs which have won a La Liga title, which is a dismally small number, and is an example of how the Spanish game is unbalanced by the near duopoly of Real Madrid/Barcelona.

    Promoted to La Liga in 2023 – Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés

2023: Granada, promoted back to La Liga after 1 year…
Granada CF are from Granada, Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located, by road, 160 miles (258 km) E of Seville. Granada is located, by road, 262 miles (422 km) S of Madrid. The elevation of Granada is 2,421 ft (738 m), which makes Granada .45 miles above sea level. Granada’s metropolitan population is around 232,000 {2018 figure}.

Granada first played in La Liga in 1941-42. Granada’s previous spell in the 1st division was for 3 seasons, from 2019 to ’22. Counting 2023-24, Granada have played 27 seasons of 1st division football.
granada-cf_promoted-2023_nuevo-los-carmenes_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Granada ’23-24 home jersey, from jerseydor.com. Nuevo Los Cármenes, photo from taquilla.com.




2023: Las Palmas, promoted back to La Liga after 5 years…
UD Las Palmas are from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are an archipelago and an autonomous community of Spain, located in the Atlantic Ocean, 60 miles (100 km) west of southern Morocco. Las Palmas is located, by air, 1,079 miles (1,737 km) SW of Madrid. There are 7 main islands in the Canaries. The city of Las Palmas, on the central island of Gran Canaria, is the most populous city in the archipelago. The population of the whole Canary Islands is 2.1 million {2021 figure}, and Las Palmas’ metropolitan population is around 635,000 {2018 figure}.

Las Palmas first played in La Liga in 1951-52. Las Palmas’ previous spell in the 1st division was for 3 seasons, from 2015 to ’18. Counting 2023-24, Las Palmas have played 35 seasons of 1st division football.
las-palmas_canary-islands_promoted-2023_estadio-gran-canaria_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Las Palmas ’23-24 home jersey, from hummel.net. Estadio Gran Canaria, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@estadios_Spain].



Alavés, promoted back to La Liga after 1 year…
Alavés are from Vitoria in the southern part of the Basque Country, in northern Spain. The name for the city in the Basque language is Gastiez, so the official name of the city is Vitoria-Gasteiz. Vitoria-Gasteiz is located, by road, 41 miles (65 km) south of Bilbao, and is located, by road, 219 miles (352 km) north of Madrid. Vitoria-Gasteiz’s metropolitan population is around 249,000 {2018 figure}.

Alavés first played in La Liga in 1930-31 (which was the third season of the Spanish first division). Alavés’ previous spell in the 1st division was for 6 seasons, from 2016 to ’22. Counting 2023-24, Alavés have played 17 seasons of 1st division football.
alaves_basque-country_promoted-2023_mendizorrotza_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Alavés ’23-24 home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Mendizorrotza Stadium, aerial shot unattributed at blogespanol.se.com.



Girona FC: In second place in La Liga after 15 weeks.
Girona FC are from Girona, in northern Catalonia, located, by road, 64 miles (103 km) north of Barcelona. Girona have only played 4 seasons of top-flight football, and they play in a 14,000-capacity stadium. But they have the wealth of City Football Group behind them. Girona FC are 47%-majority-owned by City Football Group Ltd, whose flagship club is Manchester City. (CFG owns or partially-owns 12 football clubs worldwide. CFG is primarily (81%) funded by Sheikh Mansour of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates.)

In the 2023-24 season, Girona led La Liga all through October and up to late November. But Girona fell to second place after drawing with Athletic [Bilbao], and Real Madrid overtook them in week 14 {see this}. Girona have lost once, to Real Madrid (by a score of 0-3), and they have yet to play Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. So it looks like Girona probably won’t be able to regain first place. But a 2nd-, 3rd, or 4th-place finish, and thus a coveted 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Group Stage spot, is still very much a possibility for Girona.
-From 13 Nov 2023, How Girona shocked Spain to climb to the top of La Liga (by Karl Matchett at independent.co.uk/sport).

girona-fc_estadi-montilivi_girona-catalonia-spain_2023-24_2nd-place-after-15-weeks_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Illustration of Girona ’23-24 home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Aerial shot of Girona, unattributed at mudanzascano.com/mudanzas-en-girona. Aerial shot of Estadi Montilivi, unattributed at footballarroyo.co.uk. Exterior shot of Estadi Montilivi, photo by Jmsolerb via stadiumguide.com/montilivi. Artem Dovbyk celebrates goal w/ teammates, photo by Pere Punti via mundodeportivo.com/futbol. Míchel (manager of Girona), photo from mundodeportivo.com/futbol.
___
Thanks to all at the following links
-Blank map of Spain, by NordNordWest at File:Spain location map.svg;
-Globe-map of Spain, by Rob984 at File:EU-Spain (orthographic projection).svg;
-Map of the Community of Madrid, by Miguillen at File:Spain Madrid location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Map of Canary Islands, by Miguillen at File:Canarias-loc.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Largest metropolitan areas in Spain (2018 European Spatial Planning Observation Network figures) (en.wikipedia.org).
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga#Clubs.
-Autonomous communities of Spain;
-List of metropolitan areas in Spain (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance, worldfootball.net/attendance/esp-primera-division-2023-2024.

November 23, 2023

2023-24 FA Cup, 2nd Round Proper: Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances./+ Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round…Ramsgate (8) beat Woking (5).

Filed under: >2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 11:15 pm

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2023-24 FA Cup, 2nd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on the 23rd of November 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round…Ramsgate (8) beat Woking (5): A league-placement difference of 3 levels and 62 league-places.
-Ramsgate 2-1 Woking | First Round | Emirates FA Cup 2023-24 (2-minute video highlights, from youtube.com).
-Ramsgate manager Ben Smith in tears after 2-1 FA Cup First-Round upset victory over Woking | Boss pays tribute to goalscorers TJ Jadama and Lee Martin
Eighth-tier side Ramsgate (from the Isthmian League South East Division) beat 5th division/National League side Woking, 2-1, at Ramsgate’s ground, Southwood Stadium, in Ramsgate, on the northeast coast of Kent. There was a packed crowd of 3,000 there, which exceeded the ground’s capacity by 500. Woking took an early lead, with a goal in the 13th minute. But Ramsgate equalised in the 40th minute, when Canterbury, Kent-born GK Tom Hadler boomed a long 70-yard goal-kick that London-born MF Tijan Jadama deftly trapped, on the fly, then bundled in {see photos and captions below.} Ramsgate took the lead for good in the 72nd minute, when former Man Utd MF Lee Robert Martin scored, on a nicely played set piece from a corner kick.

The corner-kick was played out on the turf, to the top of the box, where MF Michael West (#11) dummied the ball, allowing Martin a clear shot. Here is a brilliant 22-second video that shows manager Ben Smith, pre-game in the Rams’ dressing room, talking about the set piece, then the video cuts to the actual corner-kick, right at the touchline, where the photographer pans to follow the path of the ball on the turf towards West and Martin… twitter.com/[@EmiratesFACup, on 4 Nov 2023: Ramsgate's winning goal].

In the dying moments, Tom Hadler made another fine diving save, the whistle blew, and Ramsgate had beaten a team 3 divisions and 62 places higher than them.

Ramsgate are the lowest-placed club still alive in the FA Cup. This is the first time that Ramsgate (established 1945) have qualified for the FA Cup 2nd Round (their previous best was two separate 1st round appearances, in 1955, and in 2005).

Ramsgate have drawn a plum tie in the Second Round – AFC Wimbledon (4) away. It is to be played on Monday the 4th of December, at Wimbledon’s Plough Lane in South London, and the match will be televised.

Ramsgate, who last season finished in second place in the Isthmian D1 SE, are currently in first place and, under manager Ben Smith, look to be a good bet to win promotion this season: after losing their first league match in August, Ramsgate have now won 9 straight games. And their attendance is pretty large for an 8th tier side: Ramsgate are currently drawing 745 per game, this in a league whose median attendance is currently 211 per game.
ramsgate-fc_2023_qualified-for_fa-cup-2nd-round_first-time-ever_southwood-stadium_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Ramsgate 2022-24 jersey, image from macronlondonsoutheast.com. Aerial shot of Ramsgate, and shot of Ramsgate’s marina, 2 photos unattributed at propertymarket-index.com. Aerial drone shot of Southwood Stadium from issuu.com/ramsgatefc. Welcome to Ramsgate F.C. sign, photo unattributed at isthmian.co.uk. Ramsgate manager Ben Smith, photo by Barry Goodwin at kentonline.co.uk/thanet/sport. Woking 2023-24 away jersey badge, from wokingfc.co.uk/news. Fans packed in tightly at the match, photo by Louis McLaren via twitter.com/[@RamsgateFC]. 13′, Woking FC wingback Dennon Lewis scores, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. 40′, from a long 70-yard goalkick by GK Tom Hadler, Ramsgate MF Tijan Jadama scores (assist by T Hadler), screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. 72′ , off a corner-kick played out on the turf, Ramsgate FW Lee Robert Martin scores, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com.



___
Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-Soccerway (current average attendances for the 3rd division and the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th, 7th and 8th levels).

November 1, 2023

2023-24 FA Cup, 1st Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances./+ The two clubs making their FA Cup 1st Round debut: Scarborough Athletic, and Sheppey United.

Filed under: >2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 11:59 am

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2023-24 FA Cup, 1st Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on the 1st of November 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

The FA Cup – the oldest football tournament in the world – begins its 143rd edition on Friday the 3rd of November 2023.
After 6 qualifying rounds, which involved 640 teams, there are 32 teams from all of English non-League football still alive in the competition. They join the 48 teams from EFL League One (3rd division) and EFL League Two (4th division). That comprises the 80-team First Round. For the 2023-24 competition, the three lowest-placed teams that are still alive are all from the same 8th-level league…the Isthmian League South East Division. Those three clubs are: Cray Valley Paper Mills FC, Ramsgate FC, and Sheppey United FC. All three are from the same region: Ramsgate are from north-east Kent on the coast of the English Channel, Sheppey United are from north-central Kent on the south coast of the Thames Estuary, and Cray Valley are from the part of South East London which was previously part of Kent. One of these three clubs is making its FA Cup 1st Round debut – Sheppey United. That club is profiled below, along with the other club making its 1st Round debut, Scarborough Athletic.

    The two clubs making their FA Cup 1st Round debut: Scarborough Athletic, and Sheppey United

2023: 6th-tier North Yorkshire side Scarborough Athletic make their FA Cup 1st Round debut…
Scarborough Athletic are from the seaside resort town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire. Scarborough Athletic, nicknamed the Seadogs, are the Phoenix-club of Scarborough FC (1879-2007).The original Scarborough FC were the first club to ever be promoted from non-League football into the Football League (back in 1987), and the club had played 12 seasons in the 4th division, before relegation back to the Conference back in 1999, then relegation down to the 6th level in 2006 after entering administration, ultimately followed by liquidation on 20 June 2007. Five days later, Scarborough Athletic were formed by a supporters’ trust named The Seadog Trust. They took on the same red kit, nickname, motto and seagull crest from the original club.

The new club was, and still is, 100% supporter-owned. The new club were placed in the 10th level Northern Counties East League Division One. Promotions followed in their 2nd season in 2009 (up to the 9th level); then in their 6th season in 2013 (up to the 8th level); then in their 11th season in 2018 (up to the 7th level); then in their 15th season in 2022 (up to the 6th level into the National League North). That last promotion was led by their current manager, the Scarborough-born Premier League-veteran midfielder Jonathan Greening {see photos and captions below}.

Since 2017-18, Scarborough Athletic have played at the Flamingo Land Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,200 (with 586 seated), and is owned by the club {see photos and captions below below}. Since moving into their new ground, Scarborough have drawn over 1,000-per-game, and the Seadogs currently [1 Nov 2023] are drawing 1.5-K-per-game, and the team is in 16th place in the National League North (6th level).

Scarborough’s path to the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round:
-2nd QR: beat 6th-tier-side Farsley Celtic 3-0 in a replay (in front of 958 at their ground).
-3rd QR: beat 6th-tier-side Darlington 1-2 away.
-4th QR: beat 5th-tier-side Oxford City 2-3 away, in a replay. In the 91st minute…Lewis Maloney, a Middlesbrough-born halftime substitute, curled a shot into the top left corner for the winning goal {see photos and captions below}.

For the FA Cup 1st Round, Scarborough Athletic have been handed a home fixture versus 4th division side Forest Green Rovers (on Saturday the 4th of November.) Scarborough Athletic are one of 6 supporter-owned clubs playing in the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round {see caption at the foot of the illustration below}.

scarborough-athletic-fc_2023_qualified-for-fa-cup_1st-round_first-time-ever_flamingo-land-stadium_jono-greening_c_.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Scarborough Athletic jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Scarborough at seaside, photo from visitscarborough.com. Flamingo Land Stadium, photo from twitter.com/[safc]. Exterior shot of stadium, photo by M “AI” F at google.com/photos. Jonathan Greening 2 photos: from WBA days (2009-10), unattributed at birminghammail.co.uk/sport; as manager of Scarborough Athletic (2023 image), twitter.com/[@safc]. Lewis Maloney scores winner (90=1′), screenshot from video uploaded by Oxford City FC at youtube.com. Traveling Scarborough fans applaud Maloney, photo from twitter.com/[@safc].



2023: 8th-tier Kent side Sheppey United make their FA Cup 1st Round debut…
Sheppey United are from Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, which is located, by road, 53 miles (86 km) ESE of central London. The Isle of Sheppey has a population of around 40,000; and “the economy is driven by a dockyard and port, the presence of three prisons, and various caravan sites” (quote from Isle Of Sheppey at en,wikipedia.org). Sheppey United are an 8th-level club, playing in the Isthmian League South East Division. They wear red-and-white striped jerseys and are nicknamed ‘the Ites’ (for explanation why, see the 1st paragraph at the following link: sheppeyunitedfc.co.uk/history). Sheppey United play at Holm Park, which opened in 2017, and has a capacity of 1,400 (190 seated) {see photos and captions below}. Sheppey United had been forced to re-form twice this century after disbanding (in 2002, and again in 2010). In the last couple seasons, Sheppey have been drawing in the 400-per-game range, and now after their FA Cup qualifying round success, they are drawing above 500 per game. They are currently [4 Nov 2023] in 14th place in the Isthmian D1 SE, although they have several games in hand, owing to their extended FA Cup qualifying run.

Ernie Batten is manager of Sheppey United. Batten has led Sheppey United up from the 10th level to the 8th level (with promotions in 2016 & 2022). He became director of football operations for the club in the summer of 2022, but returned to the manager’s job a year later in 2023. Last year, Batten told Kent Online: “When we started out at Holm Park [circa 2015-16] it was just a field with a rope around it and we’ve gone from that to a very smart-looking, modern stadium with the latest facilities”… “We’ve got the latest 3G surface and sprinkler system, the best on the market, the academy’s starting in September, and we’ve got Step 4 Isthmian status. I think that balance is absolutely key to creating a sustainable club.” {Quote from kentonline.co.uk, 18 Aug 2022.}

Sheppey United’s path to the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round:
-Prelim: beat 9th-tier side Midhurst & Easebourne 3-0 (in front of 265 at Holm Park).
-1st QR: beat 9th-tier side Kennington 3-1 (in front of 270 at Holm Park).
-2nd QR: beat 8th-tier side Burgess Hill Town 3-1 (in front of 278 at Holm Park).
-3rd QR: beat 7th-tier side Merhyr Town 1-3 away.
-4th QR: beat 7th-tier side Billericay Town 1-1/5-4 in penalties in a replay (in front of a near-capacity 1,235 at Holm Park). Sheppey United won the shootout 5-4. Jacob Lambert scored the winning penalty, after GK Aiden Prall saved a Billericay Town spot-kick {see photos and captions below}.

In the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round, Sheppey United will host 4th-division side Walsall, on Friday 3 November. The match will be televised on ITV4.

FA Cup: ‘Fairytale come true’ – eighth-tier Sheppey United reach first round for first time (bbc.com/sport).
sheppey-united-fc_2023_qualified-for-fa-cup_1st-round_first-time-ever_total-power-stadium-holm-park_ernie-batten_h.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Sheppey United jersey, from sheppeyunitedfc.co.uk/[news]. Aerial shot [2021] of Port of Sheerness, with Holm Park in the distance, photo by John Fielding at flickr.com/photos/john_fielding. Sheerness seaside, photo from expedia.com/Sheerness. Aerial drone shot of Total Power Stadium – Holm Park, from sheppeyunitedfc.co.uk/match-hire. Signage at Holm Park, photo by the Wycombe Wanderer at footygrounds.blogspot.com.Ernie Batten, photo by Marc Richards at kentonline.co.uk. Sheppey Island players celebrate with fans (after clinching penalty kick), screenshot of video uploaded by Sheppey United FC at youtube.com. Jacob Lambert and Aiden Prall celebrate with fans, photo from twitter.com/[@prall_aiden].



___
Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-Soccerway (current average attendances for the 3rd division and the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th, 7th and 8th levels).

October 11, 2023

France: 2023-24 Ligue 1 – Location-map with 3 Charts (Attendance/finish; Seasons-in-1st-Division; French Titles list)./+ the 2 promoted clubs (Le Havre AC, FC Metz).

Filed under: France — admin @ 2:10 pm

france_ligue-1_2023-24_location-map_w-3-charts_attendance_seasons-in-1st-div_french-titles-list_post_c_.gif
France: 2023-24 Ligue 1 – Location-map with 3 Charts (Attendance/finish; Seasons-in-1st-Division; French Titles list)



By Bill Turianski on the 11th of October 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org).
-Ligue 1 – Summary: matches, table, players, etc. (soccerway.com).
-Get French Football…your home of French football in English (getfootballnewsfrance.com).
-Football en France: Histoire, stats et classement sur la Ligue 1 (pari-et-gagne.com).

The map shows the 18 clubs in the current season of the French Ligue 1 [2022-23].
Note: for 2023-24, Ligue 1 has contracted to 18 teams. In June 2021, the LFP voted to contract Ligue 1 back to 18 clubs, for the 2023–24 season, by relegating 4 and promoting 2 from Ligue 2. The reason for this was two-fold…fewer matches, and more money to go round (from television deals) {see this}. The lighter domestic schedule is hoped to help French teams to be better rested, and thus compete better in UEFA competitions, especially as the Champions League Group Stage will be expanded from 6 to 8 games in 2024.

The map features the locations and crests of the 18 current Ligue Un clubs, plus the recently-promoted and -relegated teams are noted. (Promoted in 2023: Le Havre, Metz; relegated in 2022: Ajaccio, Angers, Auxerre, Troyes.) Also shown on the map are the 10 largest French cities, and the 13 Regions of Metropolitan France (aka European France). {Largest French cities’ metropolitan area populations from 2016 census, here}. The major French rivers are also shown on the map, and at the foot of the map the 10 longest rivers in France are listed (with brief descriptions).

Also shown on the top chart are the consecutive seasons each club has currently spent in the top tier…
Paris Saint-Germain are the current longest-serving member of Ligue 1, with 50 straight seasons (PSG have also won 9 of the last 11 French titles, including 2022-23). Second-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Lyon, with 35 straight seasons (Lyon won 7 straight French titles from 2002 to ’08). The 3rd-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Rennes [of Brittany], with 30 straight seasons (Rennes is the largest [ie, the best-supported] French club without a Ligue 1 title). Fourth-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Olympique Marseille, with 28 straight seasons (OM have won 9 titles; last in 2010). And the 5th-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Lille, with 24 straight seasons (Lille have won 4 French titles, their last title won three seasons ago in 2020-21).

The second chart is the All-time French professional titles list.
With their 2022-23 title-win, and their 9th Ligue 1 title in 11 seasons, Paris Saint-Germain have now won the most French titles, with 11. Paris Saint-Germain are by far the most wealthy club in the country, to the point of making a mockery of any notion of a balanced competition. (PSG are owned by a subsidiary of the slave-owning Gulf state Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.) PSG just surpassed current 2nd-division club Saint-Étienne, who have won 10 French titles. (Saint-Étienne’s last title came 43 seasons ago, in 1981.) Marseille have won the third-most French titles, with 9. (Marseille last won it in 2010). The most recent club to have won their first Ligue 1 title was Montpellier, in 2011-12.

The third chart is on the left-hand side of the map page: it shows 2022-23 attendance for the 18 current Ligue 1 clubs [2023-24]. Olympique Marseille, perennial top-draw in France, were yet again the highest-drawing club, at 62,571 per game. OM increased their crowd size by over 10,000 from the season before. OM played to an impressive 93%-capacity at their giant Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marseille. 2nd-best draw, again, were PSG at 46.2-K per game – an increase of 4.9-K-per-game from ’21-22 – and they played to 99%-capacity at Parc des Princes in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. PSG increasing their crowd-size by nearly 5-K-per-game, and playing consistently to sell-out crowds, was most likely due to the tight title race, which saw RC Lens lose out to PSG by only one point (well, two points counting goal-difference). The 3rd-best draw were Lyon at 46.0-K per game, and they played to 76%-capacity at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu (in Métropole de Lyon). Lyon increased their crowd-size by 12.7-K-per-game from ’21-22. Why? Lyon did OK in ’22-23 (7th place), but not that well to explain why there was such a large attendance increase. Getting back to normal after COVID would explain Lyon’s larger turnstile count in ’22-23, as well as that in Ligue 1 overall, last season. 4th-best draw in France were RC Lens, who drew 37.6-K per game, playing to a solid 91%-capacity at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. 5th-best draw were Lille OSC, at 36.1-K per game, playing to 72%-capacity at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (Métropole Européenne de Lille). Lille increased their crowd-size by 1.9-K-per-game from ’21-22. 6th-best draw were FC Nantes, who drew 30.0-K-per-game at their Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. Nantes did not do well at all in ’22-23 (finishing in 16th place, 1 point clear of relegation), yet still managed to increase their attendance by 9.4-K-per-game. In ’22-23, Nantes’ successful relegation-battle led to increased home crowd-size at the end of their season.

The attendance chart also lists each club’s 2022-23 finish. Also noted are the 6 European qualifiers from France for this season, and the 2 promoted clubs. The 6 European qualifiers from France for this season [2023-24] are:
-2 teams in the Champions League Group Stage (PSG, Lens); and 1 team in CL 3rd QR (Marseille).
-2 teams in the Europa League Group Stage (Rennes, Toulouse).
-1 team in the Europa Conference play-off round (Lille).




Le Havre – promoted back to Ligue 1 after 14 years…
Le Havre is located, by road, 121 miles (195 km) NW of Paris. Le Havre is in Normandy and is located, by road & tunnel, 217 miles (349 km) S of Folkestone, Kent, England. Le Havre means ‘the harbour’ or ‘the port’. Le Havre is located at the mouth of the river Seine, on the southern shore of the English Channel (La Manche). It is home to the largest container port in France. Le Havre AC first played in Ligue 1 in 1938-39. Le Havre’s last spell in Ligue 1 was for one season, in 2008-09. Counting 2023-24, Le Havre AC have played 25 seasons of 1st division football.
le-havre-ac_promoted-2023_stade-oceane_e_.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Le Havre home jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Le Havre coastline, photo unattributed at zininfrankrijk.nl. Stade Océane, photo unattributed at sportschau.de.




FC Metz – promoted back to Ligue 1 after one year…
Metz is located, by road, 207 miles (333 km) E of Paris. Metz is in northeast France, situated at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers. Metz is the economic heart of the Lorraine cultural region, but is now officially part of the Grand Est Region. Metz is located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany and Luxembourg. FC Metz were a founding member of Ligue 1, in 1932-33. FC Metz’ last spell in Ligue 1 was for 3 seasons, from 2019 to 2022. Counting 2023-24, FC Metz have played 64 seasons of 1st division football.
fc-metz_promoted-2023_stade-saint-symphorien_f_.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Metz home jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Aerial drone shot of Metz, from video uploaded by Polychronis Drone at youtube.com. Stade Saint-Symphorien, photo unattributed at fcmetz.com/[galerie-le-stade-saint-symphorien-en-photos].

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of France by Superbenjamin at File:France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Globe-map of France by Rob984 at File:EU-France (orthographic projection).svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Seasons-in-1st-division data, from pari-et-gagne.com/[Bilan historique Ligue 1].
-Longest rivers in France, from worldatlas.com/[longest-rivers-in-france].
-Largest French cities (2016 census figures of metropolitan-areas), from insee.fr via en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area_(France)#List_of_France’s_aires_urbaines_(metropolitan_areas).
-2023-24 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org and fr.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance: worldfootball.net/attendance/[Ligue-1-2022-23].

September 15, 2023

Germany: 2023-24 Bundesliga – Location-map, with 3 Charts: Attendance, Seasons-in-1st-Division & All-time German Titles list./+ FC Union Berlin: from the 2nd division to the Champions League in 5 seasons./+ Illustration for: The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23./+ The 2 promoted clubs (Heidenheim, Darmstadt).

Filed under: Germany — admin @ 5:37 pm

germany-bundesliga_2023-24_location-map-of-the-18-clubs_w-3-charts_attendance_titles_seasons-in-1st-div_post_b_1.gif
Germany: 2023-24 Bundesliga – Location-map, with 3 Charts: Current Attendance, Seasons-in-1st-Division & All-time German Titles list




By Bill Turianski on 15 September 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 Bundesliga (en.wikipedia.org).
-World Football.net site…worldfootball.net/bundesliga.
-All the new Bundesliga jerseys for the 2023/24 season (from bundesliga.com/en).

The map page shows a location-map for the 18 clubs in the 2023-24 Bundesliga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2023: Darmstadt, Heidenheim; relegated in 2023: Schalke, Hertha [Berlin].) The map also shows the 16 Federal States of Germany, and the 14 largest cities in Germany, with 2021 population estimates listed at the the top of the map.

The 3 charts are
A) 2022-23 Attendance & 2022-23 finish, with teams playing in Europe noted. There are also columns listing Venue-capacities and Percent-capacities.
B) Seasons-in-Bundesliga by club, with consecutive seasons listed.
C) All-time German titles list (including the pre-1963-64/pre-Bundesliga amateur era), with current level [2022-23] of each title-winning club listed.





Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich took control of the 2022-23 Bundesliga title race in week 26, on the 1st of April, when they beat Dortmund 4-2. Bayern Munich have now won an absolutely unprecedented ten straight titles. Dortmund finished in second place, even on points, but with a goal-difference that was 15 less than Bayern’s. Third place went to Rasenballsport Leipzig. And fourth place – and the coveted final German spot in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage – went to former second-division mainstay FC Union Berlin. Union Berlin have reached the Champions League Group Stage in only their fourth season of Bundesliga football {see this (dailymail.co.uk/sport)}. {Also see this: Seven Bundesliga teams to play in European competition in 2023/24 (bundesliga.com/en).} Union Berlin will play in UCL Group C, with Napoli, Real Madrid, and Braga.

Union Berlin are a club from Köpenick, Berlin (population: around 67,000). A large part of Köpenick is pine forests and expanses of water, and Köpenick is often referred to as the “green lungs” of Berlin (Grüne Lunge Berlins). During the Cold War, Köpenick was part of the Soviet sector of East Berlin, before the Berlin Wall fell down in November 1989. 1. FC Union Berlin was founded in 1966, after the East German football authorities decided there needed to be a third East Berlin club, a “civilian counterpart”, to the Army club of East Berlin (ASV Vorwärts) and to the Police club of East Berlin (SV Dynamo). So TSG Berlin was established as the Workers’ club of East Berlin, out of the merger of three existing sports clubs in East Berlin, and 3 years later, in 1966, Union Berlin emerged as the football wing of TSG Berlin. Union Berlin played 15 seasons of East German 1st-division football (in the DDR-Oberliga). And in 1968, Union Berlin won the East German Cup (the FDGB-Pokal). After German reunification in 1990, Union Berlin had a hard time advancing in the Bundesliga league-system, because at that point in time Union had been a 2nd-division East German side, and only 8 spots for East German clubs were being allotted at first, in 1991-92. The top 2 East German clubs went into the 1991-92 Bundesliga (Hansa Rostock and Dynamo Dresden); and 6 more East German clubs went into the 1991-92 2.Bundesliga. So Union Berlin ended up being a 3rd-tier club for 10 years (1991 to 2001). Union Berlin finally won promotion to 2.Bundesliga in 2000-01. Union Berlin played 18 straight seasons in the second tier (2001-’19). In 2019, when Union Berlin won promotion to the Bundesliga, they became the first Bundesliga club from the former East Berlin (and the 6th from the former East Germany, after Dynamo Dresden, Hansa Rostock, VfB Leipzig, Energie Cottbus, and RB Leipzig).

Union Berlin play at the 22.0-K-capacity Stadion An der Alten Försterei (English: Stadium at the old forester’s house). The stadium was last renovated in 2009 and last expanded in 2013, with some work carried out by over 2,300 Union Berlin supporters, who donated work and building materials. {See this 10-minute video: The Fans Who Literally Built Their Club – Union Berlin (youtube.com/uploaded by Copa 90 Stories).} In 2022-23, Union Berlin drew 21,911 per-game (at 97.5 percent-capacity). Union Berlin’s top scorer last season was Sheraldo Becker (a Dutch-born Suriname international). Their manager is the Swiss-born Urs Fischer, who, in his first season at the helm in 2018-19 got Union Berlin promoted to the Bundesliga.
Below: Stadion An der Alten Försterei, home of Union Berlin, who have gone from the 2nd tier to the Champions League Group Stage in just 5 years
union-berlin_stadion-an-der-alten-forsterei_f_.gif
Photo credits above – uslatar at stock.adobe.com/images [October 2021]. 2023-24 FC Union Berlin jersey, photo from footballkitarchive.com.




The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23
-The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23 (bundesliga.com/en). -ea.com/games/fifa/fifa-23/ultimate-team/tots/bundesliga. -{See also, Kicker magazine Bundesliga team of the season…en.wikipedia.org/[Kicker magazine 2022-23 Bundesliga Team of the season]; Kicker magazine 2022-23 Bundesliga Team of the season (reddit.com).}
germany_2022-23_bundesliga_team-of-the-year_g-kobel_j-frimpong_m-de-ligt_n-schlotterbeck_a-davies_j-brandt_j-bellingham_j-musiala_m-diaby_r-kolo-muani_n-fulkrug_b_.gif
Photo credits above -
-Gregor Kobel GK (Dortmund), photo by Imago/Ostseephoto via sportbuzzer.de/fussball. -Jeremie Frimpong DF, RB (Leverkusen), unattributed at manutdnews.com. -Matthijs de Ligt DF (Bayern Munich), photo by Getty Images via fussballeuropa.com. -Nico Schlotterbeck DF, CB (Dortmund), photo by Imago via kicker.de. -Alphonso Davies DF (Bayern Munich), photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images via cbc.ca/sports. -Jude Bellingham MF (Dortmund), photo unattributed at football-espana.net. -Jamal Musiala MF (Bayern Munich), photo by Fantasista/Getty Images via bavarianfootballworks.com. -Julian Brandt MF (Borussia Dortmund), photo by Imago via ligainsider.de. -Moussa Diaby FW (Leverkusen), photo by PictureAlliance/Icon Sport via sport.fr/football. -Niclas Füllkrug FW (Werder Bremen), photo unattributed at rnz.de/sport. -Randal Kolo Muani FW (Eintracht Frankfurt), phot by Jan Huebner/Imago via fr.de.




2023: Heidenheim, promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever…
1. FC Heidenheim first played in the 3rd tier in 2009-10. Five years, later, in 2014, Heidenheim won promotion to the second division for the first time, joining 2.Bundesliga in 2014-15. Eight years later, in May 2023, Heidenheim won promotion to the German top flight for the first time, in dramatic fashion…on the final matchday of the season, Heidenheim scored two goals in stoppage time, to beat Jahn Regensburg. This put Heidenheim into the automatic promotion-places, at the expense of Hamburg, whose fans had already invaded their pitch in celebration {see this, from dw.com}. (Heidenheim finished top of the table, ahead of Darmstadt on goal difference.) The city of Heidenheim is in Baden-Württemberg [Southwestern Germany], and is located, by road, 53 miles (85 km) E of Stuttgart, and is just west of Baden-Württemberg’s state border with Bavaria. Heidenheim is a rather small city to be the home of a Bundesliga club (population: around 49,000). Heidenheim wear Red-and-White, and play at the 15-K-capacity Voith-Arena, which, at 1,821 feet (555 meters) above sea level, is the highest stadium in German professional football {see photos and captions below}. Heidenheim’s manager is Frank Schmidt, who has been their manager for 16 years (since 2007), and has led Heidenheim to 3 promotions. {See this article, Who are Heidenheim, the Frank Schmidt-led club who have defied the odds to make it to the Bundesliga?}
http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/heidenheim_promoted-2023_voith-arena_b_.gif
Photo credits above – Heidenheim 2023-24 jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Heidenheim an der Brenz with the castle Helfenstein in foreground, photo by Manuel Shoenfeld/Adobe Stock via outdooractive.com. Aerial drone shot of Voith Arena, by octofly at dronestagr.am/voith-arena-heidenheim-germany.




2023: Darmstadt, promoted back to the Bundesliga after 4 years…
Darmstadt is in Hesse [Southwestern Germany], located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region), located 21 miles (44 km) S of Frankfurt. The city of Darmstadt has a population of around 161,000. SV Darmstadt 89 wear Blue-and-White and play at the 17.6-K-capacity Merck-Stadion. Darmstadt first played in the Bundesliga in 1978-79, but went straight back down to the second division. Darmstadt had another one-year-spell in the Bundesliga in 1981-82. In the 1990s, financial mismanagement led to the club slipping to the third and fourth divisions. In 2008, Darmstadt barely avoided insolvency, with debts of around €1.1 million. In 2011, the club won the Regionalliga Süd, and were promoted to the third division. Three years later, in 2014, Darmstadt won promotion to 2.Bundesliga for the first time in 21 years. In 2015 Darmstadt then secured their second straight promotion, by finishing in 2nd place in the 2.Bundesliga, thereby returning to the Bundesliga after a 33-year absence. Darmstadt had a 2-season-spell in the Bundesliga from 2015-2017. So for 2023-24, this will be Darmstadt’s fourth spell in the Bundesliga, but only their 5th season in the 1st division. Darmstadt’s manager is Torsten Lieberknecht, who has been their manager since June 2021.
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Photo credits above – Darmstadt 2023-24 jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor, aerial drone shot, unattributed at pinterest.com/dein_stadion. Traveling Darmstadt fans with banners etc, photo by Stefan Holtzem at sv98.de/fanhinweise-zum-auswaertsspiel-in-duesseldorf.
___
Thanks to all at the following links
-Blank map of Germany, by NordNordWest at File:Germany location map.svg (Wikimedia Commons).
-Globe-map of Germany by Rob984 at File:EU-Germany (orthographic projection).svg.
-Populations of 14 largest German cities from List of cities in Germany by population (en.wikipedia.org).
-Bundesliga; -List of German football champions (en.wikipedia.org).
-(West) Germany – List of Champions (rsssf.com).
-2022-23 attendance figures and 2022-23 capacity figures: from soccerway.com.

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