billsportsmaps.com

 


Once you click to get on to the main map page,  the map of Greater London is viewable in full screen when you click near the center of the map…right on the rectangular Millwall crest.  Besides showing the ceremonial counties which ring Greater London,  I added surrounding towns.  I did this with Google Earth,  and then I checked town populations;  sorry if I missed any significant towns.  I added a few details in central London…Hyde Park,  Regents Park,  Parliament,  and the boundaries of The City of London. 

The crests of all the clubs on the map itself are all the same size,  while the crests next to each club’s profile are sized to reflect domestic league average attendance from 7 December, 2009.  The 15 clubs’ average attendances are listed at the far left.

The following link has the list of all London football clubs in the top 8 Levels,  including the 15 clubs on the map,  plus the 3 London-based clubs in the Conference-South (6th Level),  and the 23 London-based clubs in the Isthmian Leagues (7th and 8th Levels) [aka Ryman Leagues]…{click here (Football Clubs in London page at Wikipedia)}. 

Thanks to ITV for gate figures and percent capacity figures {click here}.    Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org {click here (set at Hayes & Yeading page)}.   Thanks to Maciej at http://www.futbol.net.pl ,  for submitting a comment requesting this map. 

The gate figues are from the 2008-09 season.  The cut-off for this map was 4,000 per game.   Each club’s crest is sized to reflect the club’s average attendance from their 2008-09 domestic league. 

At the top of the map,  the banner lists the breakdown of clubs which made this map,  by league level.   Here it is… All 20 Premier League clubs.   All 24 League Championship clubs.   21 of the 24 League One clubs  (the 3 clubs not making the map being Cheltenham Town,  Hartlepool United,  and Hereford United,  who all all drew in the 3,000s).   11 of the 24 League Two clubs  {to see the 13 League Two clubs that drew lower than 4,000 last season,  click on the following title- 2008-09_league_two_attendance.gif }.  The sole Non-League club that drew over 4,000 last season was Oxford United. 

After all the promotions and relegations that occurred in May, 2009,  here is the current breakdown of the clubs on the map…All 20 Premier League clubs.    All 24 League Championship clubs.    23 of the 24 League One clubs (the exception being plucky little Hartlepool United,  who drew only 3,835,  and managed to avoid relegation by 1 point).    8 League Two clubs:  Bradford City,  Shrewsbury Town,  Port Vale,  Northampton Town,  AFC Bournemouth,  Crewe Alexandra,  Grimsby Town,  and Notts County.   2 Non-League clubs:  the Blue Square Premier League’s Oxford United,  and the beleaguered Luton Town.     

Thanks to the E-F-S site for the attendance figures {click here}.   Thanks to http://www.thelinnets.co.uk (the official site of King’s Lynn FC),  for Non-League gate figures {click here}.

On the map,  all club crests are the same size.  On the right,  the crests are sized to reflect the clubs’ 08/09 average attendance,  and are displayed in order of largest to smallest gate figures.  On the far right are thumbnail lists for each club,  with the club’s finish in the last 2 seasons;  the club’s highest finish;  total seasons the club has spent in the top flight;  and Major Titles (English Title,  FA Cup,  and League Cup) / Significant Titles (Football League Trophy,  which is for 3rd and 4th Level clubs).

Here are the 09/10 kits for Premier League clubs,  from the Historical football Kits site {click here}.

Thanks to Tony’s English Football site,  for attendance figures {click here}.   Thanks to the FootyMad sites,  for clubs’ League histories {click here (set at Premier League)}.   Thanks to the contributors to the pages at Wikipedia {click here (set at  2009-10 Premier League)}.

Football League Two is the 4th Level of football in England,  and the lowest rung of League football.  The season starts Saturday, 8th August;  here are fixtures {click here (Sky Sports/ League 2)}.

League Two Preview,  from the Guardian.uk,  by Mikey Stafford  {click here}.

**Recommended…’The 2009/10 Preview: League Two (Division Four, In Old Money)’,  by Rob Freeman,  at TwoHundredPercent.net {click here}. 

Promotion favorites: {click here (Statto.com)}.  The oddsmakers have made these clubs the favorites for promotion [Note: unlike the higher levels,  4 clubs,  not 3 clubs,  get promoted to League One each season]… Notts County  (on the strength of their new,  deep-pocketed owners and the appointment of Sven Göran-Eriksson as Director of Football)  Rotherham United;  Bradford City;  Shrewsbury Town  (who lost in May at Wembley to Gillingham,  in the Playoffs Final);  Northampton Town;  and Bury  (who lost in the 1st Round of the Playoffs in May).   Also rated for promotion are Bournemouth,  Chesterfield,  and Rochdale (who lost in the Playoffs 1st Round in May).

Here is an article on the recent events at Nottingham’s less prominent club,  Notts County,  called  ‘Sven on the Trent?  Don’t laugh, this could well be the future’   {click here (Guardian.co.uk article from 22nd July, by Barney Ronay)}.

Here are the 09/10 kits,  from the Historical Football Kits site {click here}.

Thanks to the FootyMad.net sites,  for their League History sections on each club  {click here (FootyMad / League Two)}.   Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site,  for attendance figures {click here}.   Thanks to the contributors to the pages at Wikipedia {click here (set at 2009-10 Football League Two)}.

The map shows the 24 clubs in the 2009-2010 season of the English Football League Championship,  which is the 2nd Level of professional football in England and Wales.

Here are the oddsmaker’s picks for the best promotion candidates in the Championship this season  {click here  (Statto.com)}.  The three clubs that were relegated from the Premier League in May are the three favorites for promotion back to the top flight…Newcastle United,  West Bromwich Albion,  and Middlesabrough.  Also highly rated for promotion are Ipswich Town (on the strength of new manager Roy Keane);  Sheffield United (who, with their large attendances, have been perennial favorites for the jump three seasons running now);  and Reading (despite a horrible second half of last season).   It is interesting that even with all the cash at their owners’ disposal,  Queens Park Rangers are now less highly rated for promotion.  QPR has the 7th best odds for promotion now, versus second-best odds for promotion one year ago.  All those managerial changes and the accompanying front office discord have taken the shine off noveuu-riche QPR’s potential,  it seems.  Also,  note how decently-rated the three East Midlands clubs are,  at 9th, 10th, and 11th best odds for promotion…  Nottingham Forest,  Derby County,  and Leicester City.  Forest had a tough time of it last season in their return to the 2nd Level;  Derby County had an abysmal season following their horrendous last-place stint in the Premier League (in 07/08);  while Leicester has just bounced straight back to the Championship following their first-ever season in the 3rd Level.  All three clubs have solid fan bases and will draw well,  and that certainly can’t hurt their chances.

Here is a 2009-2010 League Championship preview,  from SportingLife.com,  written by Pete Thompson {click here}.  

**Here are the kits for the clubs in the 2009-2010 League Championship,  from the Historical Football Kits site {click here}.

Thanks to the E-F-S site,  for attendance figures {click here}.   Thanks to the contributors to the pages at Wikipedia {click here  (set at League Championship 09/10 season)}.   Thanks to the FootyMad.net sites,  for each club’s League history {click here (set at League Championship main page)}.

This map begins my 2009-2010 English Football category.  I started with League One,  which is the 3rd Level in England,  because a viewer posted a comment in which he asked me for the map (he’s a Norwich City supporter).   Plus I am fascinated by League One…the way-station between the upper leagues and the lower leagues,  and the league that these days usually features the biggest disparity in clubs’ average attendances [but not this season, thanks to Newcastle’ United’s relegation to the 2nd Level]. 

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I have kept the same framework for this map as last season  {you can see my League One 08/09 map, w/ attendances from 07/08, here}.  But with this map,  I have added information on… A). each club’s past two seasons (ie, where they finished in the table);  B). each club’s highest-ever finish;  C). each club’s Major Titles (if any) / or significant Titles [well, I wanted to list FA Trophy Titles- three clubs here (Colchester United,  Wycombe Wanderers,  and Yeovil Town) have won it- and I didn’t want to call the cup competition of Non-League Football a major Title];  and D. the total seasons each club has spent in the 1st Level (if appilcable).

One interesting aspect of the 2009-2010 League One season is that all 7 of the newly arrived clubs are from the south of England…the three clubs relegated from the 2nd Level (the League Championship):  Charlton Athletic,  Norwich City,  and Southampton;  and the four clubs promoted from the 4th Level (League Two): Brentford,  Exeter City,  Gillingham,  and Wycombe Wanderers. 

As has been the case for the last decade,  again League One will feature some pretty big clubs that have spent significant time in the top flight,  but have currently fallen on hard times.  In addition to Leeds United beginning their third season in the third tier,  there are 3 more clubs which traditionally draw more than 20,000 per game…the aforementioned three clubs that were relegated from the League Championship.  Incidently,  while on the subject of the higher-drawing clubs here,  Huddersfield Town had a 37 percent increase in their average attendance last year primarily because they slashed season ticket prices.  Another West Yorkshire club,  the League Two side Bradford,  has had success with this policy for the last two seasons,  and Huddersfield followed suit.  Maybe other lower division clubs will take notice. 

Here are the oddsmakers’ picks for the best promotion candidates in League One this season  {click here (Statto.com)}.  Not surprisingly,  Leeds United tops the list.  Other clubs highly rated for promotion are Norwich City,  Charlton Athletic,  last season’s 3rd-place finisher MK Dons,  Huddersfield Town,  Brighton & Hove Albion,  and last season’s Playoff finalist Millwall.

I have included this link to the web version of the weekly Norwich newspaper called the Pink’Un {click here}.  Here is their away grounds [ie, League One 09/10] guide  {click here}.

Here is the Historical Football Kits site’s page on the kits in League One for the 2009-2010 season {click here}.

Thanks to the Footy-Mad sites,  for their indispensible League History lists for all the football clubs {click here (set at Footy-Mad / League One main page)}.   Thanks to E-F-S site,  for attendance figures {click here}.      Thanks to Huddersfield Town FC official site {click here}.   Thanks to the contributors to the pages at Wikipedia {click here}.