Eng-3rd Level/League One « billsportsmaps.com

November 1, 2011

2011-12 League One: Stadia map.

Filed under: 2011-12 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One,Football Stadia — admin @ 3:21 pm

2011-12 League One, Stadia map
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Note: to see my latest post of English 3rd division, click on the following, category: Eng,3rd Level/League One.
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As of 1 November, 2011, after all clubs in the league have played 16 games, Charlton Athletic lead over Huddersfield Town by 3 points; with Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, MK Dons, and Notts County in the play-off places. Rochdale, Chesterfield, Wycombe Wanderers, and Yeovil Town make up the clubs in the relegation zone.

Large aerial photo by Dean Nicholas via SFist.com. Small aerial photo of The Valley by Tom Shaw/Getty Images Europe via Zimbio.com/Aerial Views Of London Football Stadiums [Gallery].

Football League One is the 3rd Level of the English Football system. League One is the league which, most seasons, has the widest disparity of club size (as measured by average attendance). To be very general about it, you can divide the sort of clubs that are in any given League One season into 3 categories…

A) Medium-to-medium/large-sized clubs with more than 2 dozen seasons in the top flight, that have maybe won a few major titles, and have (and maybe at a stretch) the ability to average near or above 20,000 per game. In this category, this season, there are 5 clubs that fit this criteria – Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield Town AFC, Preston North End, Sheffield United, and Sheffield Wednesday. These clubs have fallen on hard times and now must rub shoulders with clubs who don’t even have stadiums larger than 10 or 12K capacity – clubs who have never even made it to the second division, let alone the top tier.

B). 3rd Level/League One mainstays. Clubs who have historically been found at the 3rd Level more than any other level, or who have slightly more seasons-spent in the 2nd Level (2 clubs, denoted in the following list by an asterisk). The 11 clubs in this category [for 2011-12] are Bournemouth, Brentford, Carlisle United, Chesterfield, Colchester United, Exeter City, *Leyton Orient, *Notts County, Oldham Athletic AFC, Tranmere Rovers, and Walsall. These clubs generally average between 4,000 to 7,000 per game. The higher-drawing of these 11 clubs are Bournemouth, Chesterfield and Notts County, who these days usually draw in the 6K to low-7K region. The middle-drawing of these 11 clubs are Tranmere, Exeter, Carlisle, Brentford, and Oldham, who usually draw in the mid-4K to mid-5K region. And the lower-drawing of these 11 clubs are Walsall, Colchester, and Leyton Orient, who these days usually draw in the high-3K to mid-4K range.

C). Clubs who have punched above their weight to get here, and who draw lower than the clubs listed above (usually drawing between 2,500 to 5,500 per game) and whose realistic goal, most seasons, is to remain at this level (7 clubs). Of course, these clubs can try to live the dream, as it were, and that is what you could call Scunthorpe United’s run for the last 6 seasons, which has included 2 spells and 3 seasons in the 2nd Level (the League Championship) for the plucky North Lincolnshire side – this from a club that has spent 39 seasons in the 4th Level, just 19 seasons in the 3rd Level, and only 9 seasons in the 2nd Level, 6 of which were before 1965. You also will find clubs in this category who have been in the 2nd Level somewhat recently (like Bury, last in 1999), or clubs that just fell short of a Cinderella-story promotion to the second division (like Yeovil Town, in 2006-07). You can sub-divide this category into C-1), Clubs who have been in the Football League for decades; and C-2), Clubs who never had a shot at the Football League until 1979-80, when automatic promotion/relegation was instituted between Non-League football and the 4th Level of the Football League. For the 2011-12 League One season, those C-1 clubs would be Bury, Hartlepool United, Rochdale AFC, and Scunthorpe United; the C-2 clubs are Stevenage, Wycombe Wanderers, and Yeovil Town. It is worth noting that these latter 3 clubs have all spent more seasons in the 3rd Level/League One than in the 4th Level/League Two.

That’s 23 clubs, what about the 24th?. Well, MK Dons belong in a special category all their own (thank goodness) – a club that stole another club’s league placement and history (Wimbledon FC), then moved the ‘franchise’ out of that club’s area (South London) into another area (in 2004, to Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, which is around 71 km./44 miles north of London).
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The map page shows an exterior or an aerial photo (or satellite image) of each football club’s ground. 2010-11 average attendances, 2009-10 average attendances, and league movement (if any) are listed at the lower right of the map page. Above that is a location-map of the 24 clubs in the 2011-12 League One season. By each club’s stadia photo is club and stadium info, 2011-12 kits, and the 5-level league history of the club.

I added 5th-Level-history because 3 clubs – Carlisle United, Colchester United, and Exeter City – have had a season or two (or five) in the wilderness of Non-League Football recently; and because 3 clubs – Stevenage, Wycombe Wanderers, and Yeovil Town – never had any League history before 1979-80. That season was when election to the Football League was replaced by the more democratic on-field promotion and relegation system that had already been in place in the Football League then for almost a Century. Since the elimination of that barrier, clubs like Stevenage, Wycombe Wanderers, and Yeovil Town have moved up the ladder and firmly established themselves in the Football League. You could call these 3 clubs the best argument for why there should be 3, and not just 2, clubs promoted from Non-League football each year.
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Below are the top 3 scorers in the 2011-12 League One season after 16 games – Bradley Wright-Phillips, Gary Medine, and Jordan Rhodes…

Photo credits – CAFC.co.uk. SWFC/galley. Bruce Rollinson/thestar.co.uk.

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Image credits on map page –
Carlisle United, aerial photo of Brunton Park from VisitCumbria.com.
Preston North End, http://www.deepdalestadium.co.uk/stadium_gallery/.
Huddersfield Town, satellite image from Bing.com/maps [found at each club's stadium page at en.wikipedia.org/click on the (blue-lit) coordinates of stadium/click on Bing.com's Bird's Eye satellite view, here.
Hartlepool United, Fanzone.co.uk.
Tranmere Rovers, Tranmererovers.co.uk.
Bury, 'Flightsandlessons.com'.
Rochdale AFC, Bing.com/maps.
Oldham Athletic AFC, Bing.com/maps.
Scunthorpe United, Bing.com/maps.
Sheffield Wednesday, the photo of Hillsborough was taken from by a camera suspended from the frame of a manned kite glider, Rob Huntley-Kite Aerial Photography.
Sheffield United, pparry at Photobucket.com.
Chesterfield, chesterfield-fc.co.uk.
Notts County, Bing.com/maps.
Walsall, Mediastorehouse.com/Bescot Stadium.
MK Dons, Bing.com/maps.
Stevenage, Bing.com/maps.
Colchester United, Colchester.gov.uk.
Wycome Wanderers, photo by DipseyDave at 'Adams Park' (en.wikipedia.org).
Brenrford, Bing.com/maps.
Leyton Orient, photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images Europe via Zimbio.com/Aerial Views Of London Football Stadiums [Gallery]
Charton Athletic, photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images Europe via Zimbio.com/Aerial Views Of London Football Stadiums [Gallery].
Exeter City, Bing.com/maps.
Yeovil Town, ytfc.net.
AFC Bournemouth, Bing.com/maps.

Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘2011–12 Football League One‘.

Thanks to European-football-statistics.co.uk, for attendance data.

Thanks to these two sites…
1). Data for ‘Seasons spent in Levels’ lists, thanks to http://stats.football365.com/hist/tier3/attable.html [data up to 2001-02].

2). For league placement data from 2002-03 and on, plus general data on the clubs’ league placement through the years, thanks to Footy-Mad.co.uk sites of each club, usually [at the top menu bar there] at ‘Club/League History’. Example, Carlisle United’s Footy-Mad page/Club/League History.

Comments (4)

August 4, 2011

English Football League One – attendance map and data for clubs in the 2011-12 League One season.

Filed under: 2011-12 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One — admin @ 7:01 am

League One attendance map

League One – Results, Fixtures, Table (Soccerway.com).
‘2011–12 Football League One‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
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Note: to see my latest map-&-post of the English 3rd division, click on the following, Eng-3rd Level/League One.
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As I mentioned in my League Two post {here}, 5 clubs in the 2011-12 League One had a percent-capacity (for home league matches) of 60% or higher, last season [2010-11]. Here are the five…
67.0%-capacity – Chesterfield. A brand-new stadium (B2net Stadium, capacity 10,400) and a season-long-spell near the top of the table was a winning combination for the Spireites, who drew 6,972 per game in 2010-11. Chesterfield manager John Sheridan now has the task of making Chesterfield a viable third division side. The North Derbyshire club’s last spell in the 3rd Level lasted 6 seasons from 2001-02 to 2008-07, but Chesterfield never finished higher than 16th place.

66.4%-capacity – AFC Bournemouth. After avoiding financial meltdown, Bournemouth won promotion from League Two in 2010. The club lost manager Eddie Howe to Burnley in Jan. 2011, but still maintained good form and qualified for the play-offs, where they lost to Huddersfield Town in the first round. Caretaker manager Lee Bradbury got a 2 and-a-half year deal. The Cherries drew a solid 7,103 to their 10,700-capacity Dean Court.

63.1%-capacity – Sheffield United. A season from hell in South Yorkshire for Blades fans. Sheffield United sacked manager Kevin Blackwell after 3 games, hired Gary Speed, then he up and left them for the Wales job in December. The Blades never recovered. The solidity of the club’s fan base shows in their half-decent percent-capacity figure. They drew 20,632 per game to their 32,702-capacity Brammall Lane. Well, getting the drop to the third tier while still drawing over 20,000 per game worked out, in the end, for Norwich City. Blades supporters should just roll with it and treat this as an opportunity to finally visit places like Yeovil in Somerset, and Birkenhead in the Wirral [Tranmesre Rovers], and Carlisle in Cumbria.

61.07%-capacity – Exeter City. Exeter City, along with fellow League One club Brentford, are the highest-placed supporter-owned football clubs in England. Exeter City FC is wholly owned by Exeter Supporters Trust. The Grecians, despite their isolation in Devon, have been having a great run. Back-to-back promotions were followed last season by an impressive 8th place finish. Exeter drew 5,393 per game at their St. James Park, which has a capacity of 8,830. Attendance was actually down from 2009-10 (by minus-7.5%), but a good deal of that drop can be explained by the spate of cancellations and mid-week re-scheduled matches last winter, combined with Exeter’s isolated location.

60.4%-capacity – Scunthorpe United. Scunthorpe’s relegation was a blessing in disguise, because now the club doesn’t have to tear down a stand and re-build it as an all-seater. {See this, from Nov.2010, from The Two Unfortunates site, by Lloyd, ‘Keep Scunthorpe Standing‘}. Scunthorpe drew 5,548 per game last season at their 9,183-capacity Glanford Park. With up-and-coming manager Alan Knill (who played 130 games for Scunthorpe as a central defender in the 1990s), the club looks to be in a good position to compete for promotion once again. Maybe once they get back to the Championship and consolidate there, the Football League will have re-considered their rule that basically forces cash-strapped clubs to tear down perfectly good terraces. Germany does just fine with safe all-standing terraces, not just in the German second division (Bundesliga-2), but also in Bundesliga.
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Here are the clubs that the oddsmakers have tipped to be promotion favorites…
From Statto.com, English League One – Promotion Odds. Top pick to get promotion is Huddersfield Town (of course). Second best pick is Sheffield Wednesday, followed by Preston North End, Sheffield United, and Charlton Athletic.
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Hartlepool United’s cut-price season ticket scheme has been very successful, with the County Durham club selling 5,750 season tickets {See this, from HartlepoolMail.co.uk, ‘Pools season ticket push‘}. So Victoria Park, which has a capacity of just 7,787 for league games, will be seeing much higher percent-capacitry figures this season [note: their first home match on 13 Aug. drew 5,170]. Hartlepool is 41 km. (25 miles) SE of Newcastle, and has a population of around 90,000 {2006 figure}. Pools only drew 2,933 per game last season, and have been playing to mid-3,000-size crowds for half a decade now, yet have still managed to hang on in the third tier for 7 of their last 8 seasons. In the 2003-04 season, they drew 5,419, so it looks like some of those fans of the Monkey Hangers have come out of the woodwork for this deal.

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Thanks to E-F-S site, for attendance figures.
Thanks to the FootballGroundGuide.com, for stadium capacities.

Comments (2)

May 9, 2011

League One, 2010-11 season. The 2 automatically-promoted clubs, and the 4 play-off clubs.

Filed under: 2010-11 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One,Football Stadia — admin @ 4:59 pm

2010-11 Football League One, Top of the Table

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League One Play-off Final at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester on Sunday, 29 May 2011 – Huddersfield Town 0-3 Peterborough United. Peterborough United win promotion the the 2011-12 Football League Championship (their second time promoted to the 2nd Level in 3 seasons), attendance 48,410.
From Guardian.co.uk, by Louise Taylor, ‘Three second-half goals see promoted Peterborough past Huddersfield‘.
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2010-11 Football League One final table (Soccerway.com).
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Brighton & Hove Albion FC, managed by the Uruguayan Gus Poyet, ran away with the title. The Seagulls could not have timed their storybook season any better, because the club will be moving in to their fantastic new stadium in August. Falmer Stadium (aka American Express Community Stadium) looks a bit like Huddersfield Town’s Galpharm Stadium (as well as Bolton’s Reebok Stadium). Falmer will seat 22,374, and has the capability to be expanded to around 30,000. Brighton, and their fans, had to endure two seasons of playing over an hour’s travel time away, in Gillingham, Kent in the late 1990s, followed by 12 seasons in the purgatory of the running track-scarred Withdean Stadium, an inadequate facility that only had a capacity of around 8,000. But that is now in the past, and Brighton & Hove Albion look to have a good future. The Seagulls have historically spent the most time in the third tier that they are now leaving, with 51 seasons in the 3rd Level. Brighton has spent 14 seasons previously in the 2nd Level, most recently for a 2-season spell from 2004 to 2006. Brighton has only played 4 seasons in the first division, from 1979-80 to 1982-83, with a 13th place finish in 1982 being the Seagulls’ highest league placement. When Brighton were in the First Division, they drew 24,745 in 79/80; 18,984 in 80/81; 18,244 in 81/82; and 14,662 in their relegation season of 82/83. It remains to be seen if Brighton can still draw in the 20,000-range, but I feel that if Brighton can make it through next season by avoiding the drop, they will be in a good position to cultivate a fan base that can regularly fill the 23,000-capacity Falmer Stadium. Brighton’s metro area is 12th largest in Britain {see this,’List of urban areas in the United Kingdom‘, from en.wikipedia.org}.

The other automatically-promoted club from League One to the League Championship are another club from the south coast of England, Southampton FC. Southampton returns to the second tier after 2 seasons in the wilderness of the third tier, which is a level that Saints supporters would have thought the club had outgrown. Because prior to their 2 seasons in the 3rd Level, Southampton had a 4-season spell in the 2nd Level, and prior to that, the club spent 23 consecutive seasons in the top flight. Southampton spent from 1978-79 to 2004-05 in the First Division/Premier League.Southampton’s highest league placement was in 2nd place in the First Division in 1983-84, while their best finish in the last 20 years was in 8th place in the 2002-03 Premier League. Southampton has an FA Cup title – they won the FA Cup in 1976, when the club was in the Second Division (they are one of only 8 teams to have ever won the FA Cup while not in the top flight. {see this, ‘FA Cup/Winners from outside the top flight‘, from en.wikipedia.org}). Southampton, who averaged 22,161 per game this season (up 5.6% from 09/10) have a pretty decent-sized fan base, and can come pretty close to filling their 32,689-seat St. Mary’s Stadium on a regular basis when the team is playing well, and even when they are not. For example, they drew 30,680 per game when they finished in 8th in the Premier League in 2002-03. And they were drawing almost exactly that figure (30,610 per game) when they got relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the 2004-05 season. Southampton fans must be pretty optimistic, because they have a solid manager, ex-Scunthorpe physio and ex-Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins, who took over in September 2010, and got the Saints first in to the play-off places by November 2010, and then into 2nd place on New Year’s Day. The club effectively clinched automatic promotion with 2 games to spare on 2nd May, 2011 (because their lead with 2 games to play was 6 points and a goal difference of over 15 more than the third place team). Adkins’ Saints broke the club record for clean sheets, with 20 out of 46 clean sheets this season. The other reason Southampton supporters will be looking forward to their return to the second tier is that this time, their arch-enemies, the nearby Portsmouth FC, are also in the second division, so the South Coast derby will resume next season. Portsmouth and Southamprton played in the FA Cup in 2009-10, but besides that there hasn’t been a regular league South Coast derby match since 2005.
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Photo credits on the map page -
Brighton…Withdean Stadium photos by Colin Smith at en.wikipedia.org, here. Falmer Stadium under construction, July, 2010, by Tescoid at en.wikipedia.org, here. Aerial photo from England.Brighton.blogspot.com, here.

Southampton…Exterior photo of St. May’s Stadium by Marcsfc at Flickr.com, here. Interior photo from Urban75.og/blog. Aerial view from Bing.com/maps/Bird’s Eye satellite view, here.

Huddersfield Town…Interior photo of the Galpahrm Stadium from Sky Sports.com, Huddersfield Town. Extreior night-time photo of the Galpharm by Matthew Ashton at The Guardian, “Huddersfield’s community stadium dream sours in ownership wrangle [6 May, 2009]“. Aerial image from Bing.com/maps/Bird’s Eye satellite view, here.

Peterborough United…Photo of London Road Terrace by ynysforgan_jack at Flickr.com, here. Photo of Norwich and Peterborough South Stand from ExtremeGroundhopping.blogspot.com, here/new address at ExtremeGroundhopping.woedpress.com, here. Aerial image from Bing.com/maps/Bird’s Eye satellite view, here.

Milton Keynes Dons…Exterior photo of Stadium mk from Rowecord structural Engineering site, RoweCord.com. Interior photo from SportyDesktops.com. Aerial image from Bing.com/maps/Bird’s Eye satellite view, here.

Bournemouth… Photo of Main Stand at Dean Court from Tims92.webs.com, here. Photo of parts of the three stands at Dean Court from DATM.info (Huddersfield Town fansite), here. Aerial image of Dean Court from Bing.com/maps/Bird’s Eye satellite view, here.

Huddersfield Town…Interior photo of Galpharm Stadium from SkySports.com/Huddersfield Town page. Exterior photo of Galpharm Stadium at night, by Matthew Ashton/EMPICS Sport, at guardian.co.uk, here. Aerial image from Bing.com/maps/Bird’s Eye satellite view, here.

Thanks to HistoricalFootballKits.co.uk, for the kit illustrationa, ‘Npower League One 2010-11‘.
Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘Football League One‘.
Thanks to Soccerway, for for attendances.

Comments (7)

September 20, 2010

League One, 2010-11 season – Attendance map (2009-10 figures).

Filed under: 2010-11 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One — admin @ 4:42 pm

League One 2010-11 season, with 2009-10 attendances
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Note: to see my latest map-&-post of the English 3rd division, click on the following, Eng-3rd Level/League One.
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On the map page, the map shows a small club crest for location and a variably-sized club crest to denote 2009-10 average attendance (home league matches). The chart at the top right includes attendance rank in all leagues combined, which I found at (mikeavery.co.uk / 2009-10 Attendance Tables Median, Levels 1-8).
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The first chart below shows the seasons spent in the 3rd Level by club, with each current League One club’s first arrival into the third tier listed.

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At the top left on the map page and also below is a chart I put together that shows the total seasons each current League One club has spent in each of the top 4 levels of English Football. Included, in parenthesis, is the last year the club has spent in the level. The gray vertical bar in the center is 3rd Level/League One; within that bar is a tan bar which shows how many consecutive seasons each club has presently spent in the third tier. Of all clubs currently in League One, AFC Bournemouth has spent the most seasons in the 3rd Level…67 seasons. [I am pretty sure Bournemouth is also the longest-serving member of the 3rd Level overall throughout the English League system, but I guess I will find that out for sure when I make charts like this for the1st Level/Premier league, the 2nd Level/League Championship, and the 4th Level/League Two...which I will do sometime later in this season.] Oldham Athletic has currently spent the most seasons consecutively in the 3rd Level…14 seasons.

The five columns, from left to right, are: A). English titles. B). Seasons spent in the 1st Level. The 1st Level was originally called simply the Football League and had just 12 clubs in it (from 1888-89 to 1891-92). From 1892-93 to 1991-92, the top flight was called the First Division. From 1992-93 to the present, the English top flight has been the Premier League. C). The 2nd Level. Instituted in 1892, and called the Second Division (from 1892-93 to 1992-93). The 2nd tier of English football is now known as the Football League Championship. D). The 3rd Level. Instituted in 1920 (1920-21 season), and called the Third Division. Expanded to two geographical regions the next season, as the Third Division South and the Third Division North (from 1921-22 to 1957-58). With the addition of the 4th Level in 1958-59, the 3rd Level went back to being called the Third Division (1958-59 to 1991-92). The 3rd tier of English football is now known as Football League One. E). The 4th Level. Instituted in 1958 as the Fourth Division (1958-59 to 1991-92). The 4th tier of English football is now known as the Football League Two. This is the lowest level of the Football League. Level 5 and lower are called Non-League football [note: current League One clubs that spent some seasons in Non-League football are denoted with an asterisk at the far right of the chart.]

Thanks to the Footy-Mad sites for League History info on the clubs, Footy-Mad.net/League One
Thanks to Mike Avery, 2009-10 Attendance Table at mikeavery.co.uk .

Comments (6)

May 12, 2010

League One, 2009-10 season. The 2 promoted clubs and the 4 play-off clubs.

Filed under: 2009-10 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One,Engl. Promotion Candidates,Football Stadia — admin @ 7:22 am

It was a nail biting final match day last Saturday in League One. Charlton, then Millwall had the edge up to finish in the crucial second spot, and automatic promotion. Then 10-man Leeds scored twice on Bristol Rovers in the space of 5 minutes, with goals from Jonathan Howson in the 59th minute, and from Jermaine Beckford in the 63rd minute. Leeds United returns to the League Championship along with table-topper Norwich City.
Both promoted clubs had pretty good results at the turnstiles (for big clubs being stuck in the third division, that is), with Leeds drawing 24,818 per game (up 3% from 08/09), and Norwich averaging 24,617 per game (up 1% from 08/09).
The four playoff clubs all were in the top 8 of average attendance in League One. The just-relegated Charlton Athletic saw a sharp drop in attendance, to 17,407 per game (-17% from 08/09). Huddersfield Town has continued with it’s cut-rate season tickets promotion, and drew 14,381 per game (+8% from 08/09). Millwall overcame the disappointment of losing in the Play-Off final to Scunthorpe United in 2008-09. This season Millwall had decent gates, as the Lions remained competitive and exciting all season, drawing 10,835 per game (+21% from 08/09). Swindon Town also saw an increase, though more modest, as the Robins went from being a relegation-threatened side (in 2008-09) to a promotion challenger. Swindon drew 8,389 per game (+12%).

Other high-drawing clubs in League One in 2009-10 that did not win promotion, or make the playoff, were Southampton, who drew 20,982 per game (an 18% increase from 08/09), and MK Dons, who drew 10,290 per game (a 2% decrease from 08/09).
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The four clubs battling for the third promotion spot are Millwall, Charlton Athletic, Swindon Town, and Huddersfield Town. Play-Off fixtures here, League 1 Play-Offs Confirmed (Football League site).
Friday, 14 May, at The County Ground in Wiltshire, it’s Swindon Town v. Charlton Athletic; with the return leg on Monday, 17 May, at The Valley in Charlton, Greewnwich, South East London.
Saturday, 15 May, at the Galpharm Stadium in West Yorkshire, it’s Huddersfield Town v. Millwall; with the return leg on Tuesday, 18 May at the New Den in Bermondsey, Lewisham, South East London.
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Thanks to Mike Avery’s Non-League Football site, Football League One Attendance Grids and Charts 2009-2010.
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Thanks to The Pinkun’, a Norwich-based weekly newspaper and website, The Pink’un newspaper. Thanks to Mskau at Panoramio.com, Carrow Road “Come on you Yellows”. Thanks to Away Grounds.com, League One Grounds, at www.awaygrounds.com.

Thanks to Raddersndakman at en.wikipedia.org, Elland Road [2007]. Thanks to Gunnar Larsson at en.wikipedia.org, Elland Road, Leeds [exterior]. Thanks to Leeds United.com, leedsunited.com / Stadium tours. Thanks to susstudio_x at Flickr.com, Elland Road exterior, part 1.

Thanks to daejin at Flickr.com, The New Den [aerial shot]. Thanks to Les Bailey at Flickr.com, Millwall Stand.

Thanks to Bing.com/maps, The Valley, Charlton, London: Bird’s Eye view. Thanks to shields_t at Flickr.com, The Valley [exterior]. Thanks to John Mills at www.yourlocalweb.co.uk, Pictures of New Charlton and the surrounding area.

Thanks to Matthew Ashton at The Guardian, “Huddersfield’s community stadium dream sours in ownership wrangle [6 May, 2009]“. Thanks to Sky Sports.com, Huddersfield Town.

Comments (2)

September 25, 2009

England: Attendance map of all football clubs that drew over 4,000 per game in 08/09 (77 clubs).

Filed under: 2009-10 English Football,Eng>Premier League (Eng-1st Level),Eng-2nd Level/Champ'ship,Eng-3rd Level/League One,Eng-4th Level/League Two,Engl. 2008-09, 77 clubs — admin @ 8:49 pm

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Please note: I recently made a map & post similar in theme to this one (click on the following),
England & Wales: the highest-drawing football clubs within the English football leagues system (all clubs [74 clubs] that drew above 4 K per game in the 2013-14 season) / Plus a short illustrated article comparing English and German attendances last season, by division.

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England: Attendance map of all football clubs that drew over 4,000 per game in 08/09 (77 clubs)…

The gate figures 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 home attendance from their 2008-09 domestic league matches.

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 Utd, and Hereford Utd, 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 Utd.

After all the promotions and relegations that occurred in May, 2009, here is the current [2009-10] 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 Utd, 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}.

Comments (8)

July 14, 2009

England: 2009-2010 League One, with attendance figures from 08/09 season.

Filed under: 2009-10 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One — admin @ 4:40 pm

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Note: to see my latest map-&-post of the English 3rd division, click on the following, Eng-3rd Level/League One.
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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}.

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May 13, 2009

England: League One, 2008-’09 season. The 2 Promoted Clubs, and the 4 Playoff Clubs.

Filed under: 2008-09 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One,Engl. Promotion Candidates,Football Stadia — admin @ 6:12 pm

The top 6 clubs in the 2008-2009 English Football League One season are shown on the map. On the right are the two automatically promoted clubs, Leicester City FC and Peterborough United FC. On the left are the four playoff clubs competing for the third promotion spot. At the top right are the average attendances of the clubs on the map, listed numerically in context of the league averages…2008-’09 League One average attendances {click here (Tony’s English Football site)}.

Here are the match-ups for the playoff semi-finals…

Scunthorpe United v. MK Dons, Friday 8 May; MK Dons v. Scunthorpe United, Friday 15 May. Result, 1st Leg: Scunthorpe 1-1 MK Dons.

Millwall v. Leeds United, Saturday 9 May; Leeds United v. Millwall, Thursday, 14 May. Result, 1st Leg: Millwall 1-1 Leeds.

Thanks to Colours of Football site, for the kits {click here (set and England)}.

Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site, for gate figures {click here}.

Thanks to WebbAviation.co.uk {click here (set at Aerial photographs of Leicester)}. Thanks to the Stadium Guide.com {click here}. Thanks to remarkablepeople.co.uk {click here (set at “…all the place we have been [sic]“)}. Thanks to soccervoice.com {click here}.

Thanks to Extreme Groundhopping Blogspot {click here}. Thanks to http://www.theposh.com . Thanks to Miss Gas at the FootballStadiumGuide.co.uk {click here}.

Thanks to http://www.worldstadia.com . Thanks to blueandwhite1867 @ Flickr.com {click here}. Thanks to MKDons.com {click here}.

Thanks to the Tim’s92 site {Although I couldn’t fit this photo in to the map (it’s the second photo, the one with the bobbies next to the New Den’s club shop. Note the barbed wire. To keep out skint Millwall fans, I guess.)}. Thanks to daejin @ Flickr.com {click here}. Thanks to http://www.geocities.com/londonfootball/Clubs/millwall.htm . Thanks to Les Bailey @ Flickr.com {click here}.

Thanks to LeedsUnited.com {click here (set at Club history)}. Thanks to Rivals.net {click here}. Thanks to Ray Nimmo’s North Lincolnshire page {click here}. Thanks to Brad- @ Flickr.com {click here}. Thanks to JJ Willow @ Flickr.com {click here}.

Thanks to the contributors to the pages at Wikipedia {click here (set at League One page)}.

Comments (5)

December 22, 2008

League One, 2008-’09 Season: Map, with Team Profiles; and Average Attendances up to 20th December, 2008.

Filed under: 2008-09 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One,Zoom Maps — admin @ 8:32 am

Please note: to see my latest map-&-post of the English 3rd division, click on the following, Eng-3rd Level/League One.
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I have never done a Zoom Map of the 3rd Level of English Football, which is known as League One. So here it is, with up-to-date attendance figures (at top left of the map).

Here is the top half of the League One Table, with current 08/09 attendance figures, and leading scorer by club (note: all clubs have played 21 games)…

1. Leicester City: 47 pts.; 19,268 avg. attendance (down 18.1%). The Foxes, under manager Nigel Pearson, seem a solid bet to bounce straight back to the League Championship, racking up 5 straight wins. Matty Fryatt: 18 league goals (League leader, tied with Rickie Lambert of Bristol Rovers), 23 overall (born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and went through the Walsall youth program…see his Wikipedia profile, here). 2. MK Dons: 43 pts./ 10,006 avg. attendance (up 5.8%). MK Dons are doing well under new manager Roberto Di Matteo, and seem destined to rise to the League Championship in the near future. Sam Baldock: 8 league goals, 9 overall (grew up nerby to Milton Keynes, in Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire, and went through the MK Dons youth system). 3. Millwall: 43 pts.; 8,711 avg. attendance (up 0.5%). Millwall looks solid under manager Kenny Jackett (former Wales, and Watford player, during WFC’s late 1980s glory days). Tresor Kandol: 8 league goals (born in Congo; on loan from Leeds United). 4. Scunthorpe United: 38 pts.; 5,452 avg. attendance (down 15.3%). Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins has kept the Iron from experiencing a post-relegation drop in form. Gary Hooper: 11 league goals, 15 overall (began with Grays Athletic).

5. Stockport County: 37 pts.; 6,139 avg. attendance (up 8.8%). The Greater Manchester-based Stockport County are one of four English Football clubs to be fully owned by their supporters (the other three are AFC Telford United, AFC Wimbledon, and FC United of Manchester). Manager Jim Gannon has shown that County have a real chance of back-to-back promotions. Craig Davies: 5 league goals, 6 overall (English-born Welsh international). 6. Oldham Athletic: 37 pts.; 5,846 avg. attendance (up 9.8%). English-born former Irish international Jim Sheridan has the Latics back in the playoff places in this his third season at the helm. Lee Hughes: 11 league goals (former West Bromwich striker, before his 2004 conviction and imprisonment for causing death by dangerous driving). 7. Peterborough United: 37 pts.; 6,872 avg. attendance (up 14.6%). Sir Alex’s son Derek Ferguson continues to keep the Posh on an upward course; they seem headed for the League Championship in the next few seasons. Craig Mackail-Smith: 14 league goals, 16 overall (ex-St. Albans and Dagenham & Redbridge). 8. Tranmere Rovers: 33 pts.; 5,666 avg. attendance (down 12.9%). Manager Ronnie Moore needs to keep the Merseyside club on a more even keel this season. Last season, Rovers started out strong then faded. Ryan Shotton: 4 league goals, 5 overall (defender on loan from Stoke City).

9. Leeds United: 32 pts.; 18,990 (down 12.5%). The huge West Yorkshire club is at a very low point in the club’s history. Sunday, the club sacked manager Gary McAllister, after a run of 5 straight losses (including an FA Cup 2nd Round match versus the tiny Non-League club Histon) {see this}. Many supporters may feel Leeds are too big for the 3rd division, but it looks like they are going to have to get used to it for at least another season. Jermaine Beckford: 12 league goals, 19 overall (released by Chelsea, he made his mark at Isthmian League club Wealdstone, where he netted 35 times in 40 games; has chosen to stay with Leeds rather than join a club in the upper divisions). 10. Huddersfield Town: 32 pts; 12,819 avg. attendance (up 36.5%). This is the West Yorkshire club’s Centenary season. Special 100-pound season ticket offers have swelled the gate figures, and Town are in decent form, especially considering the recent managerial change. Ex-Norwich City assistant coach Lee Clarke is the new manager. Gary Roberts: 5 league goals, 7 overall (on loan from Crewe Alexandra). 11. Hartlepool United: 29 pts.; 3,762 avg. attendance (down 16.5%). Speaking of coaching changes, Pools has a caretaker manager, Chris Turner. Joel Porter: 7 league goals, 12 overall (Australian international; with Hartlepool since 2003, with 40 goals). 12. Northampton Town: 28 pts.; 5,195 avg. attendance (down 4.0%). Manager is Stuart Gray. Last season, the Cobblers under Gray had their highest finish in a decade, at 9th in League One. Adebayo Akinfenwa: 6 league goals, 8 overall (the London-born striker played for 8 clubs, including the Lithuainian club FK Atlantas, before joining Northampton this season).

Here are the other top scorers in League One…Rickie Lambert (Bristol Rovers): 18 league goals (Merseyside-born; acquired from Rochdale). Simon Cox (Swindon Town): 13 league goals, 16 overall (Reading-born; came up through Reading’s youth system). Danny Graham (Carlisle United): 11 league goals, 12 overall (born and raised in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; started with Middlesbrough).

Thanks to European Football Statistics {Click here (set at 2007-’08 English Football League gate figures) }. Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site {Click here}.

Thanks to Historical Football Kits, for the kits on the map {Click here}.

Comments (3)

August 4, 2008

2008-09 English Football: League One- Attendance Map (with attendances from the 2007-08 season).

Filed under: 2008-09 English Football,Eng-3rd Level/League One — admin @ 4:49 pm

Note: to see my latest map-&-post of the English 3rd division, click on the following, Eng-3rd Level/League One.
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League One is the 3rd Level of English Football. This level invariably has the biggest disparity in attendance figures. In the past decade, this league has been usually comprised of one or two “big” clubs, who have fallen on hard times; mixed in with a large portion of medium-small sized clubs; and rounded out by some rather small clubs who are punching above their weight. Last season, League One had an overall average gate of 7,992, up 6.7% from the season before (thanks to Leeds’ gate figures, mainly).

This season, in the first category are Leeds United and Leicester City. Both these clubs, particularly Leeds, have fan bases bigger than some current Premier League clubs. In recent years (1999 to 2008), Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Manchester City, and Birmingham City have had spells in the 3rd Level. These are all clubs that have spent considerable time (at least 45 seasons) in the top flight, and all regularly draw above 20,000 per game.

In the second category are clubs that presently draw around 5,000 to 10,000 per game. Some of these clubs, such as Oldham Athletic, Millwall, and Brighton & Hove Albion, have had a somewhat recent spell in the top flight (Oldham from 1991 to ’94, Millwall from 1988 to ’90, Brighton from 1979 to ’83). Huddersfield Town won 3 straight English Titles in 1924, ’25, and ’26, but has not been in the top flight since 1971-72. Four clubs here spent a single season in the top tier: Swindon Town in 1993-94, Carlisle United in 1974-75, Northampton Town in 1965-66, and Leyton Orient in 1962-63. Some of these clubs, like Colchester United, Southend United, Crewe Alexandra, and the just-promoted Stockport County have recently been in the second level, but have never made it to the top tier.

In the third category are a few clubs with very small fan bases, like Cheltenham Town, Hartlepool United, and the newly-promoted Hereford United. Yeovil Town, who until 5 years ago had never been above the 5th level, can be considered as part of this category, even with their rise in attendance (to the range of 5,400 to 6,400) since they were first promoted to the League, in 2004. Nevertheless, many feel the Glovers, from the Football-deficient outpost of Somerset, cannot maintain their status as a third-level club, and are due for the drop. Pretty much the same thing could be said for Gloucestershire’s Cheltenham Town, as well as Hereford. But County Durham’s Hartlepool seem to be holding their own in the third tier (with a 7th place finish last season), despite only drawing 4,500 per game.

As of 3rd August, the bookies’ favorites for promotion are Leeds United, the just-relegated Leicester City, and the just-promoted Peterborough United. The next favorites are the just-promoted MK Dons, as well as Huddersfield, Carlisle, and Southend. Brighton, and the just-relegated Colchester, are also rated as relatively good bets to go up {Click here (Statto.com site)}.

Thanks to the European Football Statistics site {Click here}, for the attendance figures.

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