billsportsmaps.com

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

December 23, 2022

Spain: 2022-23 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list.

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 10:01 pm

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Spain: 2022-23 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list




By Bill Turianski on 23 December 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022-23 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 2022-23 La Liga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2022: Almería, Real Valladolid, Girona; relegated in 2022: Granada, Levante, Alavés.) 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 World Cup break of November/December) plus 2021-22 finish, with teams playing in Europe noted. There are also columns listing Venue-capacities and Percent-capacities. The team with the highest percent-capacity currently is newly-promoted Girona, at 91%-capacity. Worst at filling their stadium currently is Espanyol, at 48%-capacity (the stadium is simply too large for the club’s fanbase). Overall, post-Covid restrictions, Spanish football has rebounded pretty well. There are a whole lot of teams playing to ~80%-capacity (Rayo Vallecano, Betis, Cadiz, Valencia, Sevilla, Barcelona, Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Almería, Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid). (Attendance in Spain is not as good as in Germany, but really, no top flight league (besides the Premier League) ever draws as well as the Bundesliga.)
B) A chart showing Seasons-in-La Liga by club, with consecutive seasons listed. This is the 92nd 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 2021-22). 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.

La Liga will re-start on 29-to-31 December, with the 15th match-week. {worldfootball.net/competition/esp-primera-division.}



___
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).

January 17, 2022

Spain: 2021-22 La Liga – Location-map, with Seasons-in-1st-Division for the current 20 clubs & Spanish titles list.

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 12:58 pm

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Spain: 2021-22 La Liga – Location-map, with Seasons-in-1st-Division for the current 20 clubs & Spanish Titles list



By Bill Turianski on the 17th of January 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2021-22 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 shows the twenty clubs in the current season of the Spanish La Liga [2021-22].
The map features the locations and crests of the 20 current La Liga clubs. Plus, the recently-promoted and -relegated teams are noted. (Promoted in 2021: Espanyol, Mallorca, Rayo Vallecano; relegated in 2021: Eibar, Valladolid, Huesca).

The 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain are shown {Autonomous communities of Spain} (en.wikipedia.org).

Also shown on the map are the 20 largest Spanish metropolitan areas.
{source: Largest metropolitan areas in Spain (2018 European Spatial Planning Observation Network figures) (en.wikipedia.org)}. Those 20 largest Spanish metro-areas, with their 2018 population estimates, are listed at the top-centre of the map-page.

On the main map of Mainland Spain and on the inset-map showing the Canary Islands, those 20 metro-areas are shown via circles which denote the city-centre. In some cases, there is more than one city-centre for the metro-area (as with Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés up in the north of Spain; and as with both Murcia–Orihuela and with Alicante–Elche in the south of Spain).

There are two charts on the right-hand side of the map page .
One chart shows Seasons-in-1st-Division [current clubs]. (2021-22 is the 91st season of La Liga.) The second chart is the All-time Spanish professional titles list (1929 to 2020-21).

Currently [17 January 2022], after 20 or 21 matches, and with ~52-to-55% of the 2021-22 season played, Real Madrid leads the league by 5 points over Sevilla, although Sevilla has one game in hand. Third place is Real Betis, stuck 15 points behind Real Madrid, so it looks like only Sevilla has a chance to catch los Blancos (the Whites).

If the season were ended right now, the four Champions League spots would go to Real Madrid, Sevilla, Betis, and reigning champions Atlético Madrid. The remaining lower-tier-European places would go to the current #5 and #6-place teams: Real Sociedad and the still-imploding Barcelona.

There are several others who could challenge for a spot in Europe next season, including recently-promoted dark-horses Rayo Vallecano (of Vallecas, a working-class neighborhood on the south-east side of Madrid). Current relegation-zone dwellers are: Alavés, Cádiz, and Levante.
___
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).
-Autonomous communities of Spain;
-List of metropolitan areas in Spain (en.wikipedia.org).

July 3, 2019

Spain: football clubs of Madrid – map of all clubs in the top 3 divisions of Spanish football that are located in the Community of Madrid (11 clubs plus 3 B-teams, including 4 La Liga clubs).

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 10:28 am

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Madrid clubs (11 clubs plus 3 B-teams)



By Bill Turianski on 3 July 2019; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2019-20 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-2019–20 Segunda División (en.wikipedia.org).
-Segunda División B de España 2019-20 (es.wikipedia.org).
-How the challenge of building a club’s identity in Madrid’s satellite towns could alter Spanish football forever (from March 2019, by Mark Sochon at thesefootballtimes.com.

The map shows all clubs from the Community of Madrid that are currently [2019-20] playing in the top 3 levels of Spanish football. (There are 17 autonomous communities of Spain, one of which is the Community of Madrid {see this, Autonomous communities of Spain (en.wikipedia.org)}.) A small chart to the right of the map includes each club’s, or B-team’s, 2018-19 home league average attendances, as well as Seasons-in-the-1st-division. (Note: ‘n/a’ on the chart means ‘not applicable’ – and it refers to the fact that in Spain, although B-teams [reserve teams] are allowed to play in the Spanish league system, the B-teams are only allowed to win promotion to the 2nd division, and are banned from winning promotion to La Liga, and are not allowed to be in the same or higher level as the parent-club.)

There are 11 clubs from Madrid/Greater Madrid that are currently in the top 3 levels. Plus there are also 3 B-teams in the 3rd tier…Real Madrid Castilla [B], Atlético Madrid B, and the just-promoted Getafe B. So that makes it 14 teams in total from Madrid/Greater Madrid that are playing in the top 3 levels.

There are 4 Madrid/Greater Madrid-based clubs playing in La Liga (the 1st division), although last season [2018-19], the Spanish top flight had a record 5 clubs from Madrid/Greater Madrid. But that changed with the relegation of Rayo Vallecano, in May 2019.

The mini-profiles below include: Colours, 2018-19 avg. attendance (and change from 2017-18), Venue/location, Seasons-in-1st-Div, Titles-or-best-finish…
The 4 Madrid/Greater Madrid-based clubs in La Liga
-Real Madrid. Colours: All-White with random trim colours. Crowds: 60.5 K per game (down -8.5%). Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (cap: 81.0 K), in the pricey Chamartín district that is located just north of Madrid city centre. Real Madrid are a founding member of La Liga and have never been relegated (89 seasons counting 2019-20). Real Madrid have won a record 33 Spanish titles (last in 2017), and a record 13 UEFA Champions League titles (last in 2018).
-Atlético Madrid. Colours: Red-&-White vertical-stripes with Blue pants. Crowds: 56.0 K (up +1.1%). Venue: Estadio Metropolitano (cap: 67.8 K), located in the eastern part of Madrid, in the Rosas neighbourhood in the San Blas-Canillejas district. Previously (up to August 2017), Atlético Madrid played at Vicente Calderón Stadium, which was located in southern Madrid (its location is shown on the map). The club has played in 83 of the 89 seasons of La Liga. Atlético Madrid have won 10 Spanish titles (last in 2014), which is 3rd-most.
-Getafe CF. Colours: Light-Royal-Blue. Crowds: 10.8 K (up +5.4%). Venue: Coliseum Alfonso Pérez (cap: 17.3 K), located just south of the City of Madrid (right on the border), in the city of Getafe, which is a suburb of Madrid. Getafe have many former Atletico Madrid supporters. They have had success in Europe (beating Tottenham en route to the 2008-09 UEFA Cup Quartefinals). Getafe will be playing their 15th season of La Liga in 2019-20. Their best finish was last season, where they finished in 5th, just missing out on the UEFA Champions League.
-CD Leganés. Colours: Blue-&-White vertical-stripes and White pants. Crowds: 9.9 K (up +4.0%). Venue: Buturque (cap: 12.4 K), located in the city of Leganés, which is just south of the City of Madrid, and just west of Getafe. Leganés will be playing in only their 4th season of La Liga in 2019-20. Their best finish was last season, in 13th place.

The 3 Madrid/Greater Madrid-based clubs in the 2nd level (Segunda División)
-Rayo Vallecano (who were just relegated from La Liga). Colours: White-with-Red-diagonal-sash. Crowds: 11.8 K (up +25.5%). Venue: Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas (cap: 14.8 K), located just east of Madrid city centre, in the working-class neighborhood of Vallecas (in the Madrid district of Puente de Vallecas). Rayo Vallecano have played in 18 seasons of La Liga, but were relegated straight back to the 2nd division in May 2019. Rayo’s best finish was 8th place in La Liga, in 2012-13.
-AD Alcorcón. Colours: Yellow with Dark Blue trim. Crowds: 2.1 K (down -1.5%). Venue: Estadio Municipal de Santo Domingo, located in the city of Alcorcón, south-west of Madrid. Counting 2019-20, Alcorcón have played 10 straight seasons of 2nd-division football; their best-ever finish was 4th place in the 2011–12 Segunda División.
-CF Fuenlabrada (who were just promoted from the 3rd tier). Colours: all-Royal-Blue. Crowds: 1.4 K (down -7.0%). Venue: Estadio Fernando Torres (cap: 7.5 K), located in the city of Fuenlabrada, which is south-west of central Madrid. Fuenlabrada are making their 2nd division debut in 2019-20.

The 4 Madrid/Greater Madrid-based clubs, plus the 3 B-teams [making 7 teams in total), in the 3rd level (the 80-team Segunda B)...
-CF Rayo Majadahonda (who were just relegated from the 2nd division). Colours: White jerseys with Red trim and Blue pants. Crowds: 3.3 K (up +2.8 K-per-game). Venue: The club plays in a 3.5-K-capacity stadium at the training ground and academy of Atlético Madrid (see below), located 16 km (10 mi) north-west of central Madrid, in the city of Majadahonda. Rayo Majadahonda were promoted to the 2nd division for the first time ever in 2017-18, but they went straight back down to the 3rd tier in May 2019. In the interim, though, the club more than sextupled their average attendance, going from 0.5 K to 3.3 K.
-Real Madrid Castilla (B-team). Crowds: 1.0 K (up +0.1 K per game). Venue: Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium, in Valdebebas, Madrid, located a couple kilometers north-east of the Bernebeu. Real Madrid Castilla have played 33 seasons of 2nd division football, but have been stuck in the 3rd tier since 2014; their best-ever finish was in 1983-84, when they finished in 1st place in the 2nd division, and Real Madrid Castilla would have been promoted to La Liga had they not been a B-team.
-San Sebastián de los Reyes [aka Sanse; aka SS Reyes]. Colours: All White with Red trim. Crowds: 0.7 K (~no change from 17/18). Venue: Estadio Municipal Nuevo Matapiñonera (cap: 2.0 K), which features artificial turf and is located in the town of San Sebastián de los Reyes, 20 km (10 mi) north-east of central Madrid. SS Reyes’ best finish was as a 6th place finisher in Group 1 of the Segunda B [3rd tier]: this happened 3 times (1994-95, 1999-2000, 2006-07).
-Atlético Madrid B. Crowds: 0.5 K (down -0.06 K). Venue: the Atlético Madrid B-team plays at Estadio Cerro del Espino (cap: 3.5 K), at the training ground and academy of Atlético Madrid, located 16 km (10 mi) north-west of central Madrid, in the city of Majadahonda. Atlético Madrid B have been playing in the 3rd tier consecutively since 2000-01; they have played 11 seasons of 2nd division football: their best finish was in 2nd place in the 2nd division in 1998-99, so, like Real Madrid Castilla in 1984, Atlético Madrid B would have won promotion to La Liga in 1999 had they not been a reserve team.
-CF Internacional (aka Inter de Madrid). Colours: Red-&-Black horizontal-stripes with Black pants. Crowds: 0.4 K (change v. 17/18 unavailable because 4th division attendances are not reported in Spain). Venue: the tiny Polideportivo Municipal (cap: 1.0 K), located in the town of Boadilla del Monte, which is just west of central Madrid. Inter de Madrid won promotion to the 3rd tier for the first time ever two seasons ago [2017-18], so their best finish was last season: 14th place in the 3rd tier in the 20-team Group 1 of the 80-team Segunda B.
-Las Rozas CF (who were just promoted from the 4th tier). Colours: Blue jerseys and White pants. Crowds: attendance unavailable because 4th division attendances are not reported in Spain. Venue: Dehesa de Navalcarbón (cap: 3.0 K), located in the town of Las Rozas, which is 18 km (11 mi) north-west of central Madrid. Las Rozas won promotion back to the 3rd tier in 2018-19; their best finish was in Group 1 of the Segunda B (the 80-team 3rd tier) in 2004-05.
-Getafe B (who were just promoted from the 4th tier). Crowds: attendance unavailable because 4th division attendances are not reported in Spain. Venue: Getafe B play at the club’s training ground, Ciudad Deportiva Getafe CF, which is adjacent to the senior team’s stadium, in the northern part of the city of Getafe (which borders the southern edge of the City of Madrid). Getafe B won promotion back to the 3rd tier in 2018-19, after 3 seasons in the 4th tier; their best finish was in 2010-11, at 7th place in Group 1 of the Segunda B (the 80-team 3rd tier).
___
Thanks to all at the following links…
-Globe-map of Spain by TUBS at File:Spain on the globe (Europe centered).svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Map of Spain showing the Community of Madrid, by TUBS at File:Comunidad de Madrid in Spain (plus Canarias).svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Blank map of the Community of Madrid by Miguillen at File:Spain Madrid location map.svg(en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance figures from worldfootball.net.

February 8, 2019

All-time La Liga (Spain/1st division): List of all clubs with at least one season in the Spanish 1st division (88 seasons/since 1929/63 clubs); with Spanish titles listed.

Filed under: Football: All-time 1st Div,Spain — admin @ 9:45 am

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All-time La Liga (Spain/1st division): List of all clubs with at least one season in the Spanish 1st division (88 seasons/since 1929/62 clubs); with Spanish titles listed.




By Bill Turianski on 8 February 2019; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Sources…
-Spanish Premier Division All-Time Table 1928-2018 (87 Leagues) [up to 2017-18] (rsssf.com).
-Anexo:Clasificación histórica de la Primera División de España [up to 2017-18] (es.wikipedia.org).
-La Liga/Performance by club [titles] (en.wikipedia.org).
-laliga.es/kits-for-2018-19.

-Links to my other All-time 1st division charts [2018-19 season]
-England: All-time Football League/Premier League (since 1880-81).
-Italy: All-time Serie A (since 1929-30.
-Germany: All-time Bundesliga (since 1963-64).

    This chart is for All-time Spanish 1st division: total seasons by club.

{Click on image at the top of this post.}
Going from left to right on the chart, here is what is listed on the chart…
1). Name of club.
2). Level (aka division) that the club is in, currently [2018-19].
3). Crest & colours [home colours from 2018-19].
4). Seasons in Spanish 1st Division (La Liga): 88 seasons (1929 to 1935-36; 1939-40 to 2018-19).
5). Consecutive seasons in the 1st division [current/2018-19] – OR – Last season that the club was previously in the 1st division.
6). La Liga clubs for 2018-19 are shown with crest and small home kit illustration [tan column down the middle of the chart].
7). Full name of club.
8). La Liga titles: Spanish titles [87 seasons] (1929-2018). Only 9 clubs have won the Spanish title.

There are 63 clubs that have played in the Spanish first division since it was established in 1929. Three clubs that were founding members have played all 88 seasons, and have never been relegated – Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Club [Bilbao]. Ten clubs that have played in the Spanish 1st division are defunct.

Below are the 25 clubs in Spain with the most seasons played in the Spanish 1st division (La Liga)…
List below includes 4 things:
1) Seasons in 1st Division [divisional status in 2018-19 is noted, if club is not currently in 1st Div]. 2) Location. 3) Colours. 4) Average attendance (and attendance-change from 2017-18) {figures from 7 Feb 2019; source: soccerway.com }.

Joint-1st: Athletic Club [Bilbao]. 88 seasons. From Bilbao, the capital and largest city in the Basque Country. Colours: Red-and-White stripes with Black. 40.6 K per game (up +3.2 K).

Joint-1st: Barcelona. 88 seasons. From Barcelona, the 2nd-largest city in Spain, and the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia; they are located in the western part of the city, in the district of Les Corts. Colours: Dark-Blue-and-Garnet-Red stripes with Gold trim. 73.8 K per game (highest-drawing club in Spain) (up +8.0 K).

Joint-1st: Real Madrid. 88 seasons. From Madrid, the largest city and capital of Spain; they are located in the wealthy Chamartín district in downtown Madrid. Colours: All-White with various random trim colours. 62.3 K per game (2nd-highest-drawing club in Spain) (down -3.2 K).

Joint-4th: Valencia. 84 seasons. From Valencia, the 3rd-largest city in Spain, and the capital of the the autonomous community of Valencia. Colours: White with Black. 39.3 K per game (up +0.6 K).

Joint-4th: Espanyol. 84 seasons. From Cornellà de Llobregat, which is in the south-west of Greater Barcelona. Colours: Blue-and-White stripes. 18.6 K per game (up +0.9 K).

6th: Atlético Madrid. 82 seasons. From Madrid, located east of the city-centre, in the Rosas neighborhood of the San Blas-Canillejas district. Colours: Red-and-White stripes with Blue. 57.0 K per game (up +1.5 K).

7th: Sevilla. 75 seasons. From Seville, the 4th-largest city in Spain, and the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Colours: All-White with Red trim and Black socks. 36.4 K per game (up +3.3 K).

8th: Real Sociedad. 72 seasons. From the city of San Sebastián, in the Basque Country, about 12 miles (20 km) from the French border. Colours: Blue-and-White stripes. 22.3 K per game (up +2.6 K).

9th: Zaragoza. 58 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division.] From Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragorn (in northeastern Spain). Colours: White with Dark-Blue. 20.9 K per game [highest-draw in the 2nd division] (up +2.2 K).

Joint-10th: Celta Vigo. 53 seasons. From Vigo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwest Spain. Colours: Pale Blue with White. 16.2 K per game (up +0.5 K).

Joint-10th: Betis. 53 seasons. From Seville, Andalusia. Colours: Bright-Green and White. 47.2 K per game [4th-highest-drawing team in Spain, currently] (up +0.7 K).

12th: Deportivo La Coruña. 46 seasons. [Relegated in 2018, and currently in the 2nd division.] From A Coruña, in Galicia, in northwest Spain. Colours: Blue-and-White stripes. 16.6 K per game (down -4.0 K).

13th: Racing Santander. 44 seasons. [Currently in the 3rd division.] From Santander, the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. Colours: Green with Black. Their current attendance is unavailable, because the Spanish 3rd division does not report attendance figures.

14th: Valladolid. 43 seasons. [Promoted to 1st division in 2018.] From Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León (which is in north-central Spain). Colours: Pale-Purple-and-White stripes. 18.2 K per game (up +7.7 K).

15th: Sporting Gijón. 42 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division.] From Gijón, the largest city in the autonomous community of Asturias (in northern Spain). Colours: Red-and-White stripes with Blue. 19.3 K per game (down -1.3 K).

16th: Oviedo. 38 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division.] From Oviedo, the capital of Asturias (in northern Spain). Colours: Blue with White. 13.9 K per game (about the same as last season).

17th: Osasuna. 37 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division.] From Pamplona, Navarre (which is the capital of the autonomous community of Navarre, and is the 2nd-largest city in the Greater Basque cultural region). Colours: Red with Dark-Blue. 13.9 K (up about 0.1 K).

18th: Las Palmas. 34 seasons. [Relegated in 2018, and currently in the 2nd division.] From the Canary Islands (in the Atlantic Ocean, located about 60 miles (~100 km) west of Morocco]. Colours: Yellow with Blue. 13.7 K per game (down -2.3 k).

19th: Mallorca. 27 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division; promoted from 3rd div in 2018.] From Palma, which is in the Balearic Islands (an archipelago off the coast of eastern Spain in the Mediterranean Sea). Colours: Red with Black. 7.5 K per game (attendance change from 2017-18 unavailable, due to Mallorca being in the 3rd tier last season).

20th: Granada. 23 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division.] From Granada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Andalusia. Colours: Red-and-White stripes with Blue. 10.1 K per game (down -0.7 K).

21st: Elche. 21 seasons. [Currently in the 2nd division; promoted from 3rd div in 2018.] From Elche, which is in the southern part of the Valencian autonomous community. Colours: White with Green trim. 9.6 K per game (attendance change from 2017-18 unavailable, due to Elche being in the 3rd tier last season).

Joint-22nd: Hércules. 20 seasons. [Currently in the 3rd division.] From Alicante, a city in the southern part of the Valencian autonomous community. Colours: Blue-and-White with Black. Their current attendance is unavailable, because the Spanish 3rd division does not report attendance figures.

Joint-22nd: CD Málaga (1904-92/defunct). 20 seasons. Club was dissolved in 1992; replaced by current-2nd-division side CF Málaga (who have played 17 seasons in the Spanish 1st division).

24th: Villarreal. 19 seasons. From the small city of Villarreal (population of around 51,000), located about 40 miles (65 km) north of Valencia. Colours: All-Yellow with Blue trim. 16.3 K per game (down -0.3 K).

25th: Rayo Vallecano. 18 seasons. [Promoted to 1st division in 2018.] From the neighborhood of Vallecas, in Punte de Vallecas, which is a district in the southeast of Madrid. Colours: White-with-Red-sash and Black. 11.8 K per game (up +2.4 K).

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
Sources:
-Spanish Premier Division All-Time Table 1928-2018 (87 Leagues) [up to 2017-18] (rsssf.com).
-Anexo:Clasificación histórica de la Primera División de España [up to 2017-18] (es.wikipedia.org).
-La Liga/Performance by club [titles] (en.wikipedia.org).
-laliga.es/kits-for-2018-19.
-Small kit illustrations from each team’s page at en.wikipedia.org.

October 11, 2016

2016-17 Primera División (aka La Liga) (Spain/1st division) location-map, with: 15/16 attendance data, seasons-in-1st-division-by-club & major titles listed./ Plus the 3 promoted clubs (Alavés, Leganés, Osasuna).

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 4:06 pm

spain_2016-17_la-liga_map_w-15-16-attendance_seasons-in-1st-div_titles-listed_post_c_.gif
2016-17 La Liga (Spain/1st division) location-map, with: 15/16 attendance data, seasons-in-1st-division-by-club & major titles listed



By Bill Turianski on 11 October 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-Teams, etc…2016-17 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Fixtures, results, table, stats…Primera División [summary] (soccerway.com/national/spain/primera-division).
-Here is a great blog which I have had on my blogroll here since 2007…Spanish Football & Sports blog (spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com).
-Football Espana site…football-espana.net.

    The 3 promoted clubs for the 2016-17 Spanish 1st division
    (Alavés, Leganés, Osasuna)

Alavés won the 2015-16 Segunda División title and return to La Liga for the first time in 10 seasons. Leganés, who are from a southern suburb of Madrid, finished in 2nd place in the Segunda División last year, and will make their 1st division debut in 2016-17. Osasuna won the 15/16 Segunda División play-offs, and return to La Liga after two seasons in the 2nd division.

2015-16 Segunda División champions…

    • Deportivo Alavés.

Deportivo Alavés S.A.D., est. 1921.
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain. The city of Vitoria-Gastiez, founded in the 12th century, has a population of around 243,000 {2015 figure}, and is the capital of the Basque Country (autonomous community).
Ground: Mendizorrotza. Capacity 19,840 seated. Opened 1924; last renovated and expanded in 1999.
Colours: Blue-and-white vertically-striped jerseys. Nickname: Babazorros (Basque for ‘bean sacks’) / El Glorioso (The glorious one).
Seasons that Alavés have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 12 seasons [counting 2016-17]. Previous spell in Spanish 1st division: a one-season spell in 2005-06.
Major titles: (none), but Alavés were UEFA Cup runner-up in 2000-01 (losing to Liverpool 5-4 aet).

Coach: Mauricio Pellegrino (age 43), born in Córdoba, Argentina.

2016-17 Season Preview: Alaves (from 15 August 2016 by Euan McTear at football-espana.net).

Alavés return to La Liga after 10 seasons in the second division – then 3 games in, they beat Barcelona…
Alavés made an emphatic start to their first division return, drawing away to Atlético Madrid 1-1 in their first match (with a last-gasp goal by Manu Garcia in the 95th minute), then drawing 0-0 at home versus Sporting Gijón, and then shocking Barcelona away 1-2 (with goals by Deyverson in the 39th minute, and the winning goal by Ibai Gómez in the 69th minute). Alavés have cooled off a bit since then, but still sit 12th after 7 games, with 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. After 3 home games, Alavés are playing to a decent 79.3 percent-capacity at their 19.8-K-capacity Estadio Mendizorrotza, drawing 15,751 per game.

Alavés made their top-flight debut in the early 1930s, back when La Liga had a very strong Basque presence (40%+ of the 1st division teams were Basque).
Deportivo Alavés first played in La Liga for a 3-season-spell in the early 1930s (1930-31 to 1932-33), back in the very early days of La Liga, when 40-to-50 percent of the Spanish first division was comprised of clubs from the Basque region. (La Liga – the professional Spanish first division – was established in the truncated season of 1929, as a 10-team league {see this}.) First-division Spanish football in its infancy was very Basque-centric. While the first Spanish football club was founded in the south of Spain (Recreativo Huleva, in 1896), one of the oldest clubs from Spain is Athletic Club [Bilbao] (est 1898). And Athletic Club were the first champions of organized Spanish football, when the club from Bilbao won the first Copa del Rey title in 1903 (beating Madrid FC [Real Madrid] 3-2). Basque football had such a strong presence in the early days of Spanish football that 40% of the charter-members of the Spanish first division in the inaugural season of La Liga in 1929 were Basque.

Those 4 Basque clubs that were founding members of the Spanish 1st division are…
-Athletic Club [Bilbao],
-Real Sociedad de Fútbol [of San Sebastian, the 2nd-largest Basque city],
-Arenas Club de Getxo [of Gexto, which is a suburb of Bilbao], and
-Real Unión Club de Irún [of Irún, a suburb of San Sebastian on the border with France].

Arenas de Gexto and Real Unión de Irún have never been in the 1st division since the 1930s, and are both currently in the 80-team/4 sub-division regionalized Spanish 3rd division, in Segunda B Group 2. It might surprise you (well, it surprised me) that all four of these clubs – and not just Athletic Club and Sociedad – have won major titles. Real Unión de Irún have won four Copa del Rey titles (in 1913 over fellow Basque-side Athletic, in 1922 over Barcelona, in 1924 over Real Madrid, and in 1927 over fellow Basque side Arenas de Gexto). And Arenas de Gexto have won one Copa del Rey title (in 1919 over Barcelona). There are only 14 clubs in Spain which have ever won a Copa del Rey title {see list here}, and two of them are present-day 3rd-division-clubs from the Basque Country.

The peak of percentage of Basque teams in La Liga came about with the promotion of Deportivo Alavés for the 1930-31 season…
{See this page, with map, at the Spanish Wikipedia, Primera División de España 1930-31}. In 1930-31, not only were half the teams in the Spanish top flight from the Basque lands, but that season a Basque side – Athletic Club [Bilbao] – was the first club in Spain to win the Double (the Primera División title and the Copa del Rey title). This 50%-Basque-first-division in La Liga lasted two seasons, as Real Unión Club de Irún were relegated the following season of 1931-32. And the next season of 1932-33, Alavés were relegated (and Alavés would not return to the top flight until a two-season spell in the mid-1950s). Then two years after that, in 1934-35 (when La Liga expanded by 2, to 12 teams), two more Basque sides also suffered relegation (Real Sociedad and Arenas de Gexto). The next season, a club within the greater Basque region, Osasuna, was promoted for the first time. At that point, right on the eve of the onset of the Spanish Civil War (which was fought from July 1936 to April 1939), the geographic distribution of Spanish 1st-division clubs began to more resemble the modern-day make-up of La Liga. You can see that by looking at the map of the 1935-36 season {here/1935-36 La Liga},

2016-17: there are 5 clubs from the Basque Country (Greater Region) in La Liga, once again…
Fast forward to 7 decades later, and now in 2016-17, the Basque football presence in La Liga is at its highest level since the mid-1930s. Because with the promotion of Alavés back to the Spanish 1st division, and the continued top-flight-survival of the smallest-ever La Liga club – SD Eibar – as well as the continued 1st division presence of Real Sociedad and, of course, the continued presence of the never-relegated Athletic Club [Bilbao], there are now once again four Basque clubs in La Liga. And if you count the region of Navarra as part of the Basque region – and most people do – then that number of Basque teams currently in La Liga is 5…because CA Osasuna, of Pamplona, Navarre, have also just gained promotion back to the first division (see Osasuna section further below).

Below,
Basque clubs in the 2016-17 Spanish top flight: 4 clubs from the Basque Country proper, plus Osasuna from the Basque Country (greater region)…

basque-clubs-in-la-liga_map-of-4-clubs_2016-17_alaves_athletic-club-bilbao_eibar_real-sociedad_plus-osasuna_c_.gif
Image credits above -
Road map of Basque Country from Google.com [image search].
Blank map of Spain [segment] by NordNordWest, at File:Spain location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
Original map by billsportsmaps.com, spain_2016-17_la-liga_map_w-15-16-attendance_seasons-in-1st-div_titles-listed_m_.gif.

alaves_promoted2016_estadio-mendizorrotza_vitoria-gasteiz-basque-country_v_.gif
Photo and Image credits -
Alaves badge, photo unattributed at 3.bp.blogspot.com. 16/17 Alaves jersey, photo unattributed at en.as.com/en/imagenes. Twilght in Gasteiz, photo by spain.info. Central city square, with Napoleanic War Memorial in Gasteiz at dusk, photo by Mikelcg at File:Plaza Virgen Blanca VITORIA-GASTEIZ tras reforma.JPG. Wide-view aerial photo, photo unattributed at elcorreo.com/alava/multimedia/fotos/alaves/20140423/mendizorroza-anos-historia. 2nd aerial photo by lfp.es at marca.com/futbol/segunda-division/album. 3rd aerial photo by @JCDrone at twitter.com/jcdrone.

2015-16 Segunda División runner-up…

    • Leganés.

Club Deportivo Leganés, S.A.D, est. 1928.
Leganés, Greater Madrid, Spain. Leganés is a suburb of Madrid located 11 km (7 mi) S of the city centre of Madrid.
Ground: Estadio Municipal de Butarque. Capacity 10,958 seated. Opened 1998, renovated and slightly expanded in 2016.
Colours: Blue-and-White vertically-striped jerseys. Nickname: los Pepineros (the Cucumber Growers).
Seasons that Leganés have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 1 season [counting 2016-17]. Top-flight debut for Leganés in 2016-17.
Major titles: (none).
Coach: Asier Garitano (age 46), born in Bergara, Basque Country. Asier Garitano has been the coach of Leganés since June 2013, when the club was in the Spanish 3rd division. He got Leganés promoted in his first season (2013-14). Then after 2 seasons in the Spanish second tier, Garitano got Leganés promoted again, as they finished in 2nd place in the 15/16 Segunda División, 3 points above Gimnàstic Tarragona.

Leganés make their La Liga debut in 2016-17…
So Leganés play in the first-division for the first time in their 88-year history, just as two of the four 1st division clubs in Greater Madrid have been relegated (Rayo Vallecano and Getafe). CD Leganés play at the small but rather decent Estadio Municipal de Butarque, which was opened in 1998, and which in early 2016 was renovated (with new seats installed), and was slightly expanded. Butarque now has a capacity of 10.9 K, which is about 2.8-K-more seated-capacity than the original stadium was. {See this article on Estadio Municipal de Butarque, from 2011, which has been updated to 2016; and see 6th paragraph at there, Leganés – Estadio Municipal de Butarque (by Chris Clements at estadiosdeespana.com).}

As of early October 2016, and after 7 games, Leganés have made a pretty decent start of it in La Liga, as they sit right at mid-table on 10 points, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses (all those 3 wins were away). And the turn-out by the home fans has been fantastic – Leganés are playing to solid 89.9 percent-capacity at Butarque (see last 2 photos below, which were taken in 2016 after the stadium renovation, the last photo of the full-capacity crowd there for their match versus Barcelona).

The municipalty of Leganés is a satellite-city just south-west of central Madrid, with a population of around 186,000. The suburb of Leganés is home to many high-yielding vegetable farms, and is particularly noted for its cucumbers, hence CD Leganes’ nickname of los Pepineros (the Cucumber Growers) (see photo of a Leganes fans’ banner-and-tifo-display, which references the Cucumber nickname). Visiting teams even have nice gift-baskets of cucumbers waiting for them in the Leganés club-house dressing room (also see photo below).

-Here is a great article on the first-division home debut of CD Leganés…
(Leganés 0-0 Atlético Madrid on 27 August 2016), from Sid Lowe at the Guardian/football, Noisy neighbours Leganés give Atlético blues to take back corner of Madrid (by Sid Lowe on 29 Aug. 2016 at theguardian.com/football/blog).

-2016-17 Season Preview: Leganes (from 21 August 2016 by Dave Redshaw at football-espana.net).

leganes_promoted2016_estadio-municipal-de-butarque_los-pepineros_the-cucumber-growers_i_.gif
Photos of 16/17 Leganes jersey and badge by satglobe.net. Aerial photo of Butarque by lfp.es at La LFP te descubre los 22 estadios de Segunda desde el aire(marca.com/futbol/segunda-division [Gallery]. Shot of promotion-celebration at Leganes, photo by EPA via dailymail.co.uk/football. Shot of Leganes fans tifo, photo unattributed at krge.tumblr.com. Shot of gift-basket of Leganes cucumbers, photo unattributed at soccerinfomania.com. Photo of interior of Butarque during a match (2014), photo by Miguelazo84 at File:Leganés-Bilbao Athletic 2014.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Photo of interior of Butarque following 2016 renovation (incl new seats), photo by Miguelazo84 at File:FondoNorteButarque.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Shot of crowd at a match in Sept. 2016 (v. Barcelona), photo by Miguelazo84 at File:LegaBarcelona2016gol.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).

2015-16 Segunda División play-offs winner…

    • Osasuna.

Club Atlético Osasuna, est. 1920.
Pamplona, Navarre, Spain.
Ground: El Sadar. Capacity 18,761 seated. Opened 1967, last renovated and expanded in 2003.
Colours: Deep Red jerseys, Blue (or Dark Blue) trim and pants. Nickname: Los Rojillos / Gorritxoak (The Reds).
Seasons that Osasuna have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 37 seasons [counting 2016-17]. Previous spell in Spanish 1st division: a 14-season spell, from 2000-01 to 2013-14.
Major titles: (none), but Osasuna were runner-up in the 2004-05 Copa del Rey Final, losing to Betis 2-1 aet.
Coach: Enrique Martín (age 60), born in Pamplona.

2016-17 Season Preview: Osasuna (from 21 August 2016 by Euan McTear at football-espana.net).

Osasuna return to La Liga after 2 seasons in the second tier…
Osauna won promotion to La Liga for 2016-17 via the play-offs. Osasuna did this by finishing in 6th place in the 15/16 Segunda División, just squeaking in to the play-offs thanks to the the head-to-head tiebreaker rule that Spain uses (Osasuna ahead of Alcorcón and Zaragoza on head-to-head record: with on Osasuna 7 points, Alcorcón on 6 points, Zaragoza on 4 points). Then Osauna won the 15/16 play-offs by beating Gimnàstic Tarragona in the semifinals by 6-3 aggregate, and then they beat Girona in the finals by 3-1 aggregate.

CA Osauna are from Pamplona, which is most famous for its annual Running of the Bulls event (see photo below). While not part of the official region of the Basque Country, Pamplona is part of the Basque Country (greater region). Counting 2016-17, Osasuna have played 37 seasons in the Spanish top flight (their previous stint in La Liga was a 14-season spell, from 2000-01 to 2013-14). Osasuna’s best season was in 2005-06, when they actually finished in 4th place, and just missed out on qualifying for the 2006-07 Champions League Group Stage, losing to Hamburger SV 1-1 aggregate (away goals rule). But their great run didn’t end there, because Osauna were placed in the 2006-07 UEFA Cup Group Stage, where they advanced to the knockout stages and then beat Glasgow Rangers and then Bayer Leverkusen, before bowing out to eventual champions Sevilla. (Man are Spanish teams good in Europe.)

Osauna has a really nice little stadium, the 18.7-K-capacity Estadio El Sadar
El Sadar (formerly called Reyno de Navarra) opened in 1967 and was last renovated in 2003. It is sort of like a small Spanish version of Newcastle’s St James Park. El Sadar is all-roofed and with the seats very close to the pitch (as they do in Spain), with one much-larger stand dominating the rest of the structure (like at Newcastle), and with the other 3 stands being double-tiered, despite not being very large. It looks like there really is not a bad seat in the house. El Sadar might need a bit of a spruce-up, but it is nevertheless an underrated gem of a stadium.

Unfortunately for Osasuna, they are one of those clubs in Spain (like, currently, for example, Valencia) that have went through severe financial trouble. In 2014, Osauna were so far in debt (over €100 million in debt) that they had to sell their stadium – to the regional government of Navarre, in November 2014. That same season they were relegated. But less than two years later Osasuna have not only survived, but have bounced back. They settled their debt earlier this year {see this, from March 2016, Spanish Second Division Side Osasuna Presents Financial Viability Plan (sportsbusinessdaily.com)}.

But Osasuna have had a bad start back in the first division. Currently (second week of October 2016) they sit near the basement of La Liga, in 19th place after 7 games, with 0 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses. After 4 home games, Osasuna have been drawing OK, playing to 81.8 percent-capacity at 15,310 per game.

osasuna_pamplona-navarre_estadio-el-sadar_reyno-de-navarra_promoted2016_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Photo of 16/17 Osasuna jersey unattributed at 2.bp.blogspot.com. Photo of Pamplona, photo unattributed at archaeoccidens.com. Photo of running of the bulls in Pamplona, photo by AFP/Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk. Interior photo of stadium, photo by Stuart MacDonald at File:Inside Estadio Reyno de Navarra.JPG (commons.wikimedia.org). Strret-level photo of main tribune of stadium, photo by frank-jasperneite.de via stadiumdb.com. Aerial photo of El Sadar, photo by CA Osasuna at navarrainformacion.es.

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of Spain, by NordNordWest, at File:Spain location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Blank map of Spain incl. Canary Islands [segment], Miguillen, at File:EspañaLoc.svg
-Blank map of Spain incl. Canary Islands, by Miguillen, at File:España-Canarias-loc.svg.
-Attendances from E-F-S site, european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm.
-2015-16 stadium capacities (for league matches) from Primera División de España 2015-16/Ascensos_y_descensos (es.wikipedia.org).
-Titles from La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Seasons in Spanish 1st Division, Spanish Premier Division All-Time Table 1928-2016 (85 Leagues [85 seasons])
-Thanks to the contributors at 2015–16 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Thanks to Football-Espana.net, for the nice team previews; Football-Espana.net can be found at the blogroll here.

September 7, 2015

Spain: 2015-16 La Liga location-map, with: 14/15 attendance data, seasons-in-1st-division-by-club & major titles listed./ Plus, the 3 clubs promoted to La Liga for 2015-16 (Betis, Sporting Gijón, and Las Palmas)./ Plus an update on Eibar (relegated as 18th-place-finisher in 2014-15, but re-instated into La Liga for 2015-16 following Elche’s expulsion for tax delinquency).

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 8:45 pm

Note: to see my latest map-&-post of Spanish football, click on the following, category: Spain.
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spain_la-liga_2015-16_map_clubs-2014-15-attendance_clubs-1st-div-seasons_titles_post_h_.gif
Spain: 2015-16 La Liga location-map, with: 14/15 attendance data, seasons-in-1st-division-by-club & major titles listed




Links…
-Teams, etc…2015–16 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Fixtures, results, table, stats…Primera División (soccerway.com/national/spain/primera-division).
-Here is a great blog which I have had on my blogroll here since 2007…Spanish Football & Sports blog (spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com).
-Football Espana site…football-espana.net.

By Bill Turianski on 7 September 2015; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.com.

On the map page…
The map page features the same template as my recent Germany and England top flight map-&-posts. Cities listed on the map comprise the 5 largest cities (metro-areas) in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao…all Spanish cities with a metro-area population over .9 million) {source: List of metropolitan areas in Spain (en.wikipedia.org).

    The 3 clubs Promoted from the 2014-15 La Segunda to La Liga for 2015-16:
    Betis, Sporting Gijón, and Las Palmas/
    (+ 18th-place Eibar, who were re-instated following Elche’s expulsion from La Liga for tax delinquency)

2014-15 Segunda División champions…
Betis. Real Betis Balompié S.A.D., est. 1907.
Seville, Andalusia, Spain.
Ground: Estadio Benito Villamarín. Capacity 52,500 seated (capacity lowered from actual-seated-capacity of 56,500). Opened 1929; last renovated 1997-2000.
Seasons that Betis have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 50 seasons [counting 2015-16]. Previous spell in Spanish 1st division: a 3-season spell, from 2010-11 to 2013-14.
Major titles: 1 Spanish title (1934-35). (Zero Copa del Rey titles.)
Estadio Benito Villamarín…
betis_estadio-benito-villamarin_d_.gif
Photo credits above -
Exterior shot: by Gregory Zeier at File:Stade Manuel Ruiz de Lopera Séville.JPG (commons.wikimedia.org).
Aerial shot, unattributed at skyscrapercity.com/thread-[SEVILLA - Estadio Benito Villamarín (56,500) ].

Squad info, etc…-2015-16 season preview: Betis.
The bright-green-&-white clad Betis have had three spells in the second division in the last 15 years {en.wikipedia.org/Real_Betis/team statistics}. Betis are probably one of the 5 or 6 biggest yo-yo clubs in all of Europe (“up there” with Hertha Berlin, FC Köln, FC Nürnberg, Sunderland, FC Kaiserslautern, RC Lens, Norwich City, Wolverhampton, Sporting Gijón, and Bologna). Betis is a club which can draw between 34-and-37 K in decent seasons (such as in 2011-12 and 2012-13), and can actually draw as high as 30 K when they are stuck in the 2nd division (like they did in 2014-15, en route to the Segunda División title).

When Betis are in the top flight, it seems that they are constantly battling for their first division life. It just seems that way, though, because Betis can actually pull off a great season now and then, such as in 2012-13 when they finished 7th and then qualified for the 13/14 UEFA Europa League; and especially such as in 2004-05, when they finished 4th and then qualified for the 05/06 UEFA Champions League Group Stage (that made Betis the first Andalusian team to play in the rarefied air of the Champions League Group Stage).

The biggest impediment to Betis’ success in the last two decades has been their felonious and monstrously corrupt former owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera – who entered the scene in 1992, helped get Betis’ much-too-large stadium re-built in 2000, grandiosely got the stadium named after him…then in 2006 was sentenced to a two-and-a-half year prison term for embezzlement of over €30 million. At the Betis fansite BlogBetis.com, at their article The History of Betis, it is recounted how…{excerpt}…”In 2006 he [Manuel Ruiz de Lopera] was found guilty of ‘financial irregularities’ by Spain’s Inland Revenue between 1996 and 1997. From his tenure at Betis, he is alleged to have taken €36 million from the club – roughly half the amount of debt he left the club in. He basically contracted out Betis’ employees and services to his own personal companies and properties, for a vastly inflated fee.”

Although Betis can and do outdraw local rivals Sevilla in some seasons (such as in 2011-12 & 2012-13), they still suffer from a deficit of attention due to the presence of FC Sevilla there in the capital of Andalusia. So you might say that the second biggest problem Betis has had in the modern era is that the club suffers from the ‘Sheffield syndrome’, which is my term for a city which would probably be better off if just one medium-large club, as opposed to two medium-large clubs, existed there. Maybe I am wrong and Seville is a city big enough and football-focused enough to swing two quasi-contender-top-tier clubs, but I think that Spanish football would be a more competitive affair in the present-day Real/Barca duopoly if only one title-contender had ever emerged from Seville (which is Spain’s fourth-biggest city, with a metro-population of around 1.2 million/ see this, List of metropolitan areas in Spain). Like it is with respect to Spain’s 3rd-largest city, Valencia, a city which does have 2 top-flight clubs, but of the two, only Valencia CF is big enough to compete for trophies, while Levante is simply happy to avoid the drop on the few occasions in which they have been in La Liga.


2014-15 Segunda División runner-up…
Sporting Gijón. Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D., est. 1907.
Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
Ground: El Molinón. Capacity: 30,000. Opened 1908; last renovated 1997 and 2008.
Seasons that Gijón have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 41 seasons [counting 2015-16]. Previous spell in Spanish 1st division: a 4-season spell, from 2007-08 to 2011-12.
Major titles: none.
El Molinón…
sporting-gijon_el-molinon_d_.gif
Photo credits above –
Aerial shot: unattributed at ea1fft.es.tl/SPORTING-DE-GIJON.
Interior shot: by Sporting Gijón at realsporting.com.

Squad info, etc…-2015-16 season preview: Sporting Gijon.
Gijón wear Atletico-Madrid-style colors (red-and-white striped jerseys and bright-royal-blue pants). As alluded to in the section above, Sporting Gijón are probably one of the 9 or 10 biggest yo-yo clubs in Europe…while not as high-drawing as Betis, Gijón can draw 21 K in the top tier and around 17-19 K in the second division. They, like Betis, have won 3 promotions in the era of the 2000s. Gijón’s best finish was in 1978-79, when they were runner-up, finishing 4 points behind Real Madrid. Situated in the north of Spain on the Bay of Biscay, about equidistant from Bilbao on the east and La Coruna on the west, Gijón is in the Autonomous Community of Asturias. The metropolitan area of Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés is the 7th-largest metro-area in Spain, with about 840,000 population {2007 estimate}. (Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, is about 8 miles south of Gijón).

Sporting Gijón boasts a fine stadium, the venerable 30-K-capacity El Molinón. This is a proper Spanish-style stadium with seats right up against the pitch, and with the corners filled in, yet with four distinct and staggered-sized stands, some of which are at a viewer-friendly high-pitched-angle. (It sort of looks like a smaller St James’ Park [Newcastle], without all the erector-set-cantilver bracing.) As it says in the stadium’s Wikipedia page, “El Molinón is the oldest professional football field in Spain. It has been in use since at least 1908, and is located on the site of an old watermill, hence the stadium’s name, the Asturian word for “big mill”…”


2014-15 Segunda División play-offs finals winner…
Las Palmas. Unión Deportiva Las Palmas S.A.D., est. 1949.
Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Island, Canary Islands, Spain.
Ground: Estadio Gran Canaria. Capacity: 32,150. Opened: 2003.
Seasons that Las Palmas have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 32 seasons [counting 2015-16]. Previous spell in Spanish 1st division: a 2-season spell, from 2000-2002.
Major titles: none.
Estadio Gran Canaria…
las-palmas_estadio-gran-canaria_e_.gif
Photo credit above – by: Quique Curbello at laprovincia.es/deportes/2014/11/07/luz-verde-iniciar-obras-graderio.

Squad info, etc…-2015-16 season preview: Las Palmas.
There are two clubs from the Canary Islands which have had top flight experience: the dark-blue clad Tenerife (from the Island of Tenerife) and the royal blue-and-yellow clad Las Palmas (from the Island of Gran Canaria). It is hard to say which of the two are a bigger club, because their crowd sizes vary so much from season-to-season, depending on how well the clubs are doing (the clubs draw within a wide ~9-K-to-19-K-range in 2nd division; although Tenerife were stuck in the 3rd division for a season recently, and last season Tenerife only drew 9.6 K). Tenerife have spent 13 seasons in La Liga (last in 2009-10, when they drew 18.0 K); Las Palmas now will have spent 32 seasons in La Liga (previously in 2001-02, when they drew 16.4 K). I would have to give the nod to Las Palmas as being the biggest club from the Canary Islands. I think Las Palmas will be drawing around 20 K in 2015-16 – as long as they can remain outside the relegation-zone, or at least be showing a solid chance of avoiding the drop (which might be too big an ask).

The biggest obstacle that Canary Islands-based clubs face is the sheer isolation of the Canaries from mainland Spain. Las Palmas, Gran Canaria is 1,750 km (1,090 mi) from Madrid ! You can imagine how hard it would be for Canary Islands-based clubs to lure good Spanish mainlanders to play for them…for all intents and purposes, the Canary Islands in this respect could be seen as Spain’s tropical Siberia. An example of what this means vis-a-vis rosters for Canary-Islands-based-teams is that in their successful 14/15 promotion-campaign, no less than 90% of the Las Palmas squad were Canary-Islands-born. Anyway, after a wrenching Segunda División 13/14 play-offs finals loss (to Córdoba), Las Palmas shrugged off that set-back and made the play-offs again in 2014-15, as 4th place finishers. Then in the Segunda División 14/15 play-offs, Las Palmas defeated Valladolid in the semis, and then defeated Zaragoza in the finals, thanks to a dramatic and acrobatic 86th-minute goal by then-Boca Juniors loanee Sergio Araujo. That match was played at Estadio Gran Canaria, with 28 K in attendance. Araujo (age 23) has now signed with Las Palmas.

Las Palmas were last in La Liga 13 seasons ago, during a 2-season top flight spell that ended in 2002. Back then, Las Palmas were drawing between 16.4-and-17.2 K as a top flight club. They have a new stadium now. Talk about bad timing, though…Las Palmas were relegated down to the 2nd division the year before the 32,000-capacity Estadio Gran Canaria was opened (in 2003). Talk about bad planning, too, because the folks who run these things out there in the Canary Islands did not get the memo that says that ALL football fans detest stadiums with stupid, useless, and atmosphere-destroying running tracks. So, another decent stadium in the Latin lands ruined by an idiotic running track (sigh). In the photo above, just look at that soul-destroying and yawning +60-foot gap between the stands behind the goal there [in the foreground], and the pitch. Sheesh, you’d need binoculars from the first row.


And finally…
Re-instated (as 18th-place finishers), into La Liga for 2015-16, following Elche’s expulsion for violating 1st division financial criteria…
SD Eibar. Sociedad Deportiva Eibar, S.A.D., est. 1940.
Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain.
Ground: Ipurua. Capacity: 6,237 for La Liga matches (as of Sept. 2015). Opened: 1947; last renovation – currently ongoing (2014-2015-onward to ~2018).
Seasons that Eibar have spent in La Liga [the Spanish 1st division]: 2 seasons [counting 2015-16].

[Note, Eibar is pronounced "A-bar".]

Squad info, etc…-2015-16 season preview: Eibar (football-espana.net).
Basque Country side SD Eibar were shock-promotion-winners in 2014 (when they drew 3.0 K in the 2nd division in their tiny, then-5.2-K-capacity stadium). Eibar became the smallest-ever club to play in La Liga. They started the 2014-15 La Liga season very strong (and were in 7th place in early December 2014), but they then went through a horrible run that saw them winless in 7 and then into the relegation places by March 2015. They rallied, but it wasn’t enough. But if Eibar played in England, Germany, Italy, or France (or most any other place in Europe), they would have automatically stayed up last season – because all those leagues sensibly use Goal Difference as the first tie-breaker for league table placement, and Eibar had a better goal difference than the other two clubs they were even on points with. But Spain uses the ant-democratic Head-to-Head as first tiebreaker. How elitist. Spain is saying that when teams are dead-locked on points total at the end of the season, the league as a whole is secondary – the issue of settling who finishes above whom is only an issue between the two clubs who are tied. Or the three clubs who are tied. Etc. (Try following that at home.)

Which is what happened on the final day of the 2014-15 La Liga season, when Deportivo La Coruña, Granada, and Eibar were all deadlocked at 35 points…and one of those three had to end up in 18th place, and thus be relegated. And the Head-to-Head records were: Deportivo with 7 pts, Granada with 6 pts, Eibar with 2 pts. So Eibar were relegated back to La Segunda on 15 May 2015.

Then three weeks later, on 5 June 2015, Eibar got a reprieve. Another La Liga club – Elche, of Valencia province – ended up running afoul of financial rules (tax delinquency), so the 13th-place-finishing Elche were relegated instead. In the Spanish top flight, tax debt is not necessarily a punishable offense, but the failure of a club to provide a re-payment-plan with a time-table, well, that is a punishable offense, and tax-delinquent Elche was punished with automatic relegation to the 2nd division. {See this article, by Tim Stoddard at FourFourTwo.com for more on that, Did Elche get their just deserts with demotion?.}

This made room for the highest-placed relegated club, and that was SD Eibar, the plucky little club from the small town of Eibar in the looming foothills of the Pyrenees (population 28,000). So Eibar remains in the top flight, and just in time for SD Eibar to start off their 75th Anniversary season in grand style…Celtic, the Scottish giants, accepted an invitation to play a friendly at Ipurua in July of 2015 {see third article linked to in the next paragraph, and see Eibar’s Scottsh connection in the last photo and caption in the illustration further below}. Then in late August, Eibar went out and started the 2015-16 La Liga season by beating Granada away (by a 1-3 score), and then they beat Basque giants Athletic [Bilbao] 2-0, at Ipurua, in front of 5,500.

Here are a couple nice, illustrated articles on Eibar’s little gem of a stadium, Ipurua (current capacity 6,237 seated), plus a recent article on Eibar’s Scottish connection…
-From Footballallnews.com, 2014-2015 La Liga Stadium Tour: Eibar – Ipurua
-From The Basque Pass.com, from 29 June 2015, by Euan McTear, THE LONG READ: Breaking Down Eibar’s Stadium Expansion.
-From The Herald (Scotland), from 17 July 2015, also by Eaun McTear, Bagpipes in the Basque: Why Celtic are playing Eibar this weekend (heraldscotland.com/sport).

Eibar’s expansion plan for Ipurua…
Construction scheduled from 2014-to-2018/ adding about 4,800 more seats to make Ipurua a 9-K-capacity ground…
By January 2018, SD Eibar plan to meet new Segunda Division minimum stadium seated-capacity requirements of 9,000-seated. If Eibar are still in the 1st division at that point (2018-19), the club hopes that the Spanish football authorities will allow them a waiver for the 1st division minimum stadium seated-capacity of 15,000-seated. As it is, there is scant room for further expansion of the ground because of how narrow the mountain-valley is, in which the town of Eibar is situated in. Large public housing occupies the land immediately behind the North Stand, and a highway is right up against the South Stand. Behind the West Stand (a goal stand) is the team’s training pitch, and behind the East Stand (another goal stand), there is more large public housing. {See aerial/bird’s-eye satellite view of Ipurua from Bing.com satellite-view, here (zoom using + sign at top-right, for bird’s-eye-effect); or see it in the illustration below.} There really is nowhere to forther expand Ipurua, unless public housing is torn down, or unless Eibar tears up their practice pitch. That is why I think Eibar will get the minimum-capacity waiver if it ever comes to that juncture. Besides, a 15-K-stadium for a town of only 28,000 is just plain crazy.

Ipurua…
eibar_ipurua_2014-15-north-stand-expansion_p.gif"
Photo credits above –
Ipurua exterior shot (NE corner of the stadium, near old North Stand entrance) & interior shot (SW view towards the hills, SW of town): unattributed at footballallnews.com [stadium tour of Ipurua].
Aerial shot: bing.com/maps
Half-way built new North Stand: shot by Chris Murphy / CNN at ‘Miracle’ club Eibar a blueprint for soccer’s future? (cnn.com).
2015 Ipurua stadium expansion, photo: unattributed at estadiosdeespana.com/posts/eibar-ipurua.
Photo from Ipurua East Stand of the Eskozia la Brava fan group, shot by Ramón Beitia at blogseitb.com/eibar; eitb.eus/es/blogs.
Photo of Eskozia La Brava mural outside wall of East Stand, by Gorka Aranzabal at panoramio.com.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of Spain, by NordNordWest, at File:Spain location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Blank map of Spain incl. Canary Islands [segment], by HansenBCN, at File:EspañaLoc.svg.
-Blank map of Spain incl. Canary Islands, by Miguillen, at File:España-Canarias-loc.svg.
-Attendances from E-F-S site, european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm.
-2014-15 stadium capacities (for league matches) from 2014-15 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Titles and seasons-in-1st-division data from La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors at 2015–16 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Thanks to Football-Espana.net, for the nice team previews; Football-Espana.net can be found at the blogroll here.
-Thanks to Euan McTear at The Basque Pass.com for the 2 excellent articles; The Basque Pass.com can be found at the blogroll here.

August 22, 2014

Spain, 2013-14 attendance map & chart: all clubs in the top two divisions who drew over 4 K [36 clubs] / Plus, an illustrated article on SD Eibar – the smallest-ever club to play in La Liga [3.0 K per game in 2013-14].

Filed under: European Leagues- -attendance maps,Spain — admin @ 9:34 pm

spain_attendance-map_top-2-divisions_2013-14_all-drawing-above_4k_post_.gif
Spain: all clubs [36 clubs] that drew above 4 K per game in the 2013-14 La Liga and Segunda División seasons



Note: to see my latest post on Spanish football, click on the following, category: Spain.

[Please note: this map is different than the previous three 2013-14 attendance maps (of Germany, England, and France), all of which showed every club in those countries which drew over 4,000 per game. The problem here is that because reported 3rd division Spanish attendance figures do not exist, and because it is almost certain that clubs drawing above 4 K in the Spanish third division (Segunda B) do exist (such as for Racing Santander in 2013-14), I had to change the parameters of the map and chart for Spain. So the map shows all clubs that drew above 4 K per game in 2013-14 in Spain from the top two divisions (La Liga and Segunda División), plus...10 other clubs or teams in grey tone sans crests (but with locations shown). Those 10 extra included in grey-tone are... all the clubs that were in the Segunda División last season that didn't draw above 4 K per game (4 clubs as well as 2 teams - Barcelona's B team and Real Madrid's B team) plus the 4 four clubs that were promoted from the third division (Segunda B) to the second division (Albacete, Leganes, Llagostera and Racing Santander). One final point - one of these clubs just mentioned (and that drew below 4 K) is Eibar, who drew 3.0 K last year and won the Segunda División - thereby getting promoted to the Spanish first division for the first time {see below}.]

    SD Eibar – the smallest-ever club to play in La Liga

eibar_ipurua_xabi-alonso_i_.gif
Photo credits above – Town of Eibar seen from aerial view, by egoibarra.com. Interior photo of Ipurua with public housing in background, by Getty Images via the worldgame.sbs.com.au. Interior photo of 2 main stands at Ipurua with hills in background, by SD Eibar via stadionwelt.de. SD Eibar supporters with banners and flags, photo unattributed at el-punto-de-vista.com. Xabi Alonso photo as Eibar player in 2001, unattributed at wijzijnvoetbal.nl/forum/buitenland/48620-sd-eibar-1-baskische-bazen-op-weg-naar-de-primera-division.html.

[Note: Eibar is pronounced "A-bar".] SD Eibar, formed in 1940, are a small club from the Basque Country, in Eibar, Gipuzkoa province, in the steep and looming foothills of the Pyrenees in northern Spain. Eibar is located about equidistant from the two largest Basque cities in Spain – 49 km (30 mi) southeast of Bilbao and 56 km (35 mi) southwest of San Sebastian. The town of Eibar has a population of only around 27,000 {2010 figure). Sociedad Deportiva Eibar wear Barcelona’s colors and play in a 5,200-capacity stadium called Ipurua, and their fan base is about 2,500 or so (they drew 3.0 K in 2013-14). The club often relies strongly on loan players in general – often from the two biggest Basque clubs, Athletic Club [Bilbao] and Real Sociedad (of San Sebastian). Examples from the recent past include Spain national team members Xabi Alonso (of Real Madrid) and David Silva (of Manchester City), both of whom were sent by Real Sociedad to Eibar (14 years ago and 10 years ago, respectively) to toughen them up, early in their careers.

Eibar’s manager is the 39-year-old Bilbao-born Gaizka Garitano, who played in the midfield for Eibar for about 5 seasons total in two different spells (last in 2005), along with spells at all three of the biggest Basque football clubs (with Athletic Club for 111 league appearances from 1993-99; with Real Sociedad from 2005-08; and finishing his playing career with Alavés in 2008-09). Garitano took the reins at Eibar two years ago and has now led Eibar to back-to-back promotions.

Eibar has played 26 seasons in the second division, but had never won promotion to La Liga. Last season [2013-14], Eibar had just won promotion back to the second division, yet still had a higher wage bill than several clubs in Segunda División, including clubs that draw more than three-times-higher than Eibar, like Alavés and Hércules. Thus, Eibar gambled (successfully) on using a slew of somewhat expensive loan signings towards building a team that had a real chance of getting promotion – instead of having the approximately 1.7 million Euros in the bank that would have kept them safe from the stringent rules in place in the Spanish second division concerning fiscal solvency {see next paragraph and also see this article from May 2014 from the blog called El Punto de Vista, Let’s talk about SD Eibar}. As Neil Morris writes in the article at that link, “Much of [Eibar's] wage bill has been taken up by the loan fees of players from the top flight such as Berchiche, Eizmendi, Jota, Morales, Rivas and Garcia, and these deals have certainly helped them in their quest for promotion. The decision to keep a high wage bill seems to be a calculated gamble that has paid off with the ultimate prize.”…{end of excerpt from el-punto-de-vista.com/2014/05/28/lets-talk-about-sd-eibar by Neil Morris}.

The transition from the semi-pro third division to the pro second division is huge and often difficult in Spain because the clubs have to basically change their whole legal structure and become an S. A. D. {definition of S. A. D. in the following paragraph}, and then they have to have millions in the bank to fulfill the extremely stringent criteria. In the Spanish second division, as per a 1999 law intended to curb spending excess, each club must have cash on-hand (capital) equal to 25% of the average expenses of all sides in the second division (not counting the two clubs with the biggest outlays and the two with the smallest) – and in 2013-14, that amounted to about €1.7 million (or about $2.3 million). Last season, Jaén and Mirandés (both promoted to the Segunda División for 2013-14 along with [Basque sides] Alavés and Eibar) had similar problems in transitioning and navigating the red tape and the financial hurdles – Jaen got relegated back to the third (finishing second-to-last in 21st place) while Mirandés (finishing in 19th place) also would have been relegated right back to Segunda B had not the authorities banished Murcia instead on financial irregularities {see this from Marca on 8 August 2014, [article is in the Spanish but with a translation button to the English at the top left at the link], La LFP desciende al Murcia a 2ªB y asciende al Mirandés}. Last season, Eibar could very well have also went right back down to the third division if they remained within the spending rules throughout the whole season.

[Definition of S. A. D., from the Wikipedia page Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, {excerpt}... ..."Sociedad anónima deportiva ("Public limited sports company") is a special type of public limited company in Spain. The new legal status was introduced in 1990 to improve financial management and transparency in sports clubs. Many Spanish football and basketball clubs add the suffix S.A.D. to the end of their official name, e.g. Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D.. Every club which plays in Segunda División or [La Liga] and remains in the league is obliged to convert in S.A.D. Due to historical reasons Athletic Club, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Osasuna were allowed to retain their status as non-commercial sports associations.”…{end of excerpt}.]

Right when Eibar won the 2013-14 Segunda División in late May, there was talk that the authorities would block their promotion because of S. A. D. guidelines, and the following link is an article from that time period in the late spring of 2014 when it looked questionable for Eibar’s chances of being in the top flight (or the second tier for that matter). From 27 May 2014, from Guardian.com/football, from here is an article by Phil Ball, the author of the excellent book on Spanish football, Morbo
Could Eibar’s astonishing rise to La Liga end before a ball is kicked? The smallest club to enter the top flight of Spanish football, described as a ‘model club’, could be demoted before the season starts due to ‘unfair’ regulations

A small club going up into the second tier, whether it is their first time in the second division or like Eibar in bouncing back up – will invariably find themselves forced to cut corners on player purchases just to remain within the Segunda División’s strict rules about fiscal solvency and the rules about becoming an S. A. D. (and their rule of literally having millions in the bank). One could make the case for the fact that had Eibar not gambled on success, a conservative and penny-pinching fiscal outlay resulting in a weaker squad would have just ended getting them relegated in 2013-14 the old fashioned way – via results on the pitch. If that is all true, I just love Eibar even more. For going for it. Well, via a limited share offering the club put together, football fans from all over (from 48 nations) plunked down cash to help Eibar’s cause, and the small club from hills of the Basque Country did raise the cash (the equivalent of $2.47 million was raised). From 16 June 2014, Eibar raises cash needed to play with the big boys (theworldgame.sbs.com.au via Omnisport).

From the New York Times, from 23 July 2014, by Raphael Minder, A Tiny Club’s Uneasy Rise – Eibar Is Facing Stiff Challenges in Spain’s La Liga.

From CNN, from 22 August 2014, by Chris Murphy and James Masters, Tiny Eibar take on Spanish soccer’s big guns Real Madrid and Barcelona (edition.cnn.com/sport/football).

I’ll leave the last word on this to Xabi Alonso, who with David Silva was instrumental in getting the world out that Eibar needed help from football fans the world over…to be allowed to play in La Liga this season. “It is contradictory that a club who has an enviable financial health and with zero debts is obliged to do this, when there are others who have much deeper problems.”…{quote by Xabi Alonso and can be found at the link third from above}.

    Attendance problems, with lots of empty seats in Spain (plus billions of debt)

From Inside Spanish Football.com, from 5 March 2014, by Jen Evelyn, La Liga’s alarming attendance deficit demands actions (insidespanishfootball.com).

Attendance is down in Spain. As the article above touches on, the late start times (10pm) for some games and the lack of a definite schedule resulting in the switching of some game-dates and game-times – these things have not helped attendances in La Liga. Of course the economy is absolutely dreadful in Spain, but that has not actually eroded attendances since mid-2008 as much as one might have expected (see next paragraph).

Last season [2013-14] La Liga had a minus-1,282 per game average attendance drop or a 4.5 percent drop (26,995 per game in 2013-14, down from 28,237 in 2012-13). And in the season before, it was a 2 percent drop. If you are wondering about the lingering effects of the 2008 global economic downturn, well, in 2007-08, right before the market-crash, La Liga was averaging 29.1 K; and from 2008-09 to 2011-12 (4 seasons), league attendance stayed in the 28 K range, with it diminishing from 28.7 K average in 2011-12 to 28.2 K average in 2012-13. In other words, the slight-drop-off in crowds from the initial economic devastation in 2008 had already happened, and now in the last two seasons there is starting to be a bit of a steeper drop. From the Row Z Football blog, here is a graph from 2 years ago that shows what I was talking about in the last sentence, rowzfootball.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/european-football-attendance-chart.jpg; and here is a current chart showing attendance change in the Big 5 European leagues last season, European League Attendances 2013-14.

La Liga – playing to 125 thousand empty seats each week
And it is worse than it first appears because, as Ms. Evelyn points out in the article linked to 3 paragraphs above, the average La Liga stadium holds about 37,000, yet the league averaged about 27,000 per game in 2013-14…so La Liga clubs are playing to less than 75 percent capacity. Actually, it is even worse. I did the math {via these stadium capacity figures}, and the 20 La Liga stadiums in the 2013-14 season averaged a 39,531 capacity. So La Liga played to 68.2 percent capacity. That is really bad. That percent capacity figure of 68.2 is like what former-Premier-League clubs in England’s second and third division draw (such as Leeds (63.3) and Wolverhampton (65.8) /see this chart (Eng. 2014 attendances)).

Percent capacity that low is usually not the sign of a successful major league. 18 of 20 clubs in the Premier League in 2013-14 played to above 90 percent capacity (Sunderland [84.9 pct-cap) and Aston Villa [84.1 pct-cap] were lowest there); in the Bundesliga in 2013-14, 16 of the 18 clubs played to above 90 percent capacity (Nürnberg [80.8 pct-cap] and Hertha Berlin [69.8 pct-cap] were lowest there). In the Premier League, if even one or two clubs are playing to less than 75 percent capacity or so, it is news. Like when Wigan were in the top flight – that’s all you ever heard about in reference to Wigan. Here, in Spain, that sort of lack of drawing power among top tier clubs is becoming the norm. Three-quarters (16 clubs) of the Spanish first division played to crowds below 75 percent capacity. Just two clubs filled their stadium in the 80 percent range: Atlético Madrid played to 84.3 percent-capacity, and Real Madrid played to 83.7 percent-capacity. And exactly one club played to above 90 percent capacity – Athletic Club Bilbao…in their new stadium. So that is how bad it is with regards to attendances in Spain – Premier League: 18 of 20 clubs played to above 90 percent-capacity / Bundesliga: 16 of 18 clubs played to above 90 percent capacity / Spain: 1 of 20 clubs played to above 90 percent capacity…thanks to their brand new stadium.

A big reason why Real Madrid or Barcelona win the title 90 percent of the time
What is contributing to the malaise of Spanish football is the structural problem of allowing a certain couple of clubs (Real Madrid and Barcelona) to negotiate their own television deals, thereby insuring that the lions’ share of television revenue produced by Spanish first division football goes to just two clubs. Via their television deals, Real Madrid and Barcelona get over one hundred million Euros more per year than most of the other clubs in La Liga. The following link shows 2 pie-charts which reveal one of the primary causes of the pronounced duopoly in Spanish football. There are several reasons why Real Madrid and FC Barcelona dominate La Liga to such an extent, but in the modern game, uneven distribution of television revenue is at or near the top of the list of causes for this disparity. A disparity which, when combined with the huge crowds and thus the huge ticket revenue that the Big Two pull in (above 70 K per game for both clubs) is leaving the rest of Spanish football behind. Many of the other La Liga mainstays have gone into serious debt in the last decade trying to keep pace with Big Two, thanks to the disparity in television revenue between the Big Two and the rest. A disparity, which, when combined with the absolutely horrible economy in Spain, threatens the viability of first division Spanish football. From Imgur, ‘How TV money is shared in Spain and in England [2012 figures/illustration unattributed]‘ (imgur.com/vTZ9B5f).

Talk about an uneven playing field. And yes, I know that Atlético Madrid won the Spanish title last season. That doesn’t change the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona have a grossly unfair advantage over all the rest, it just shows what a monumental achievement it was for Atlético Madrid, when the deck is stacked against every Spanish club besides the Big Two. And anyway, go look at that pie chart again and tell me who are the only other clubs besides Real Madrid and Barcelona to have bigger slices of the television revenue pie than the forgotten and hopeless rest-of-the-pack. That’s right…Valencia and current champions Atlético Madrid.

From El Centro Campista blog, from 6 August 2013, by Callum Nolan, La Liga’s haves and have nots (centrocampista.com).

Why are there no attendance figures reported for the 3rd division in Spain?
Spain might have a couple of the biggest football clubs in the world, but last season there were only 12 clubs in the whole country which drew above 20 K (meanwhile there were 27 clubs in England [& Wales] who drew above 20 K and there were 23 clubs in Germany who drew above 20 K). And in Spain, lower-league support is very thin. The Spanish football league system goes fully amateur below the third level, but it is not unknown for there to be amateur clubs in the semi-pro 3rd division. But they don’t even bother recording attendance figures in the regional third level in Spain, the 4 league/80 team Segunda División B. Elsewhere in Western Europe and in several places in Central Europe and in Eastern Europe, you can get attendance figures easily for the third divisions. Of course England has the most comprehensive reporting of lower league attendance figures…it is no problem getting attendance figures from the regional 6th level in England {like here}, and the 7th and most of the 8th level leagues in England produce readily available attendance figures {like here}. Germany produces attendance figures for all their lower leagues to at least the 5th level (which includes the semi-professional 4th level and the amateur 5th level there). Italy reports attendance for the top 4 divisions. France has attendance figures for its 3 top levels including their amateur 3rd division. Netherlands reports attendance for the top 2 levels (the pro levels there) there, as well as their amateur 3rd level (the Saturday and the Sunday leagues). And countries in Europe with pro leagues ranked far lower than Spain record attendance figures for their third divisions…Ukraine reports attendance for the top 3 tiers there, as does the Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland and even Denmark (including the 3rd tier in Denmark where over half the clubs are drawing below 350 per game). {Note: German and Italian and French and Dutch and Polish and Ukrainian and Czech and Swedish and Danish lower leagues attendance can be found at E-F-S site, here, among other places}. Here is the Spanish 3rd division official website, try finding attendance figures there (you won’t). I did not find attendance figures anywhere for the Spanish third tier, and a gentleman who helps run a Racing Santander web-forum confirmed to me what I had already figured out – they don’t exist (see thank you credits at the bottom of this post).

And what would be so shameful if attendances in Segunda B were revealed to be, outside of a few down-on-their luck mid-sized clubs, primarily within the 2 K to 3 K range, with several within the 500 to 1,000 range? If the figures were out there, at least you could talk about it. In this day and age, the status quo of absolutely no reporting of third division attendance in Spain looks more like a cover-up. A club of any size should not be ashamed of how low they are drawing at any one point in time (due to say, a relegation or two), to actively avoid announcing of their crowd sizes. A club that is a mainstay of any given league in any given level in any given country should not be ashamed of its attendance figures to actively avoid (and even repress) any reporting of it.

“It’s astounding how tolerant we all are to this corruption,” says Rubén Uría, a Spanish sports journalist with the Cope radio network and Eurosport.
{the quote above is from the article at the link below}
La Liga and by extension the Spanish football authorities act like a corrupt banana republic, with its special rules for its special friends. Special rules for the Big Two as seen in Real Madrid’s and Barcelona’s lucrative and separate-from-the-rest-of-the-league television deals. And special rules for the big boys – like the much more stringent and onerous financial rules for anyone entering into the second division compared to the spendthrift first division, where debts have reached the billions. And politicians, not actual bankers, running the banks that lend this crazy-cash to the profligate-spending clubs. As the article below points out, since 2006, half of the clubs in the top two divisions have entered bankruptcy proceedings, and by 2011-12, debts had reached €3.75 billion. From Newsweek, from 15 May 2014, by Mike Elkin, Spanish Soccer: World Champions (of Fraud) (newsweek.com). And smack dab in the middle of the most successful region of pro football in the world – Western Europe – the Spanish football authorities think it is perfectly acceptable to not even bother to report third division attendance figures. Meanwhile, judging by the alarming state of many first division clubs’ finances in Spain, it looks like more clubs and more clubs bigger than Alavés, Tenerife, Racing Santander, Hércules or Murcia will be finding themselves in (hopefully temporary) exile in the Twilight Zone of third division Spanish football. There in Segunda B, where few attend, and where the Spanish football authorities and the Spanish media never report attendances.

___

Thanks to NordNordWest, for the blank map of Spain, at ‘File:Spain location map.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org). Thanks to Miguillen, for the blank map of the Canary Islands, at ‘File:Canarias-loc.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org). Thanks to the contributors to the pages at La Liga and Segunda División (en.wikipedia.org and es.wikipedia.org and de.wikipedia.org).

Thanks to European-Football-Statistics site for attendance figures, http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm.

Special thanks to Peña at RacinguistasOnline.com , who responded to my question of what he would estimate Racing Santander’s 2013-14 average attendance was, there in the Segunda B. He responded…” …At the beginning of the season, more or less 2.000-3.000 persons per game, more or less from february, with the expulsión of thieves, attendance grew up, more or less to 8.000 persons per game, although is very difficult to calculate, because there was games with almost full attendance (18.000) and other with 5.000… “…{end of excerpt from e-mail}. That sounded like about somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 K per game to me.

May 29, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Spain (UEFA), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Spain, with 8 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 5:26 pm




Spain national team. UEFA (Europe). Nickname: La Roja (the Red [One]). Home jersey: red, with gold and dark blue trim.
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 14th qualification out of 19 tries (1930, did not enter). Spain has qualified for the World Cup in: 1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014.
Previous WC finish:
2010, Champions (6-0-1).
Highest WC finish: 2010.

Population of Spain: 46.7 million {2013 estimate}.
Capital and largest city: Madrid, metro area pop. 6.3 million {2013 est.}.

-Spain coach, Vicente del Bosque. Vicente del Bosque.
-Spain squad captain, Iker Casillas (Real Madrid). Iker Casillas.

From The Guardian, from 31 May 2014, ‘World Cup 2014: Fernando Torres and Juan Mata in Spain’s finals squad • Diego Costa retains place despite injury worries • Álvaro Negredo and Jesús Navas among those left out‘ (theguardian.com/football).

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Spain (with 8 other player-options further below) -
spain_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_v-del-bosque_v_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Spain 2014 home jersey badge, photo from aliexpress.com.
Spain 2014 home jersey, photo from citysports.com/adidas-2014-Spain-Home-Jersey.
Spain/EU map, by HansenBCN Miguillen at ‘File:Spain 2 location map.svg‘ (commons.wikipedia.org).
Map of Autonomous communities of Spain, at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_communities_of_Spain.
Coach,
Vicente del Bosque, photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Goalkeeper,
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Defenders,
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Raúl Albiol (Napoli), photo by AP/La Presse via it.eurosport.yahoo.com.
Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Jordi Alba (Barcelona), photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images AsiaPac via zimbio.com.
Midfielders,
Xavi (Barcelona), photo from fcbarcelona.com/xavi-hernandez-makes-450th-league-appearance.
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), photo from fcbarcelona.com/sergio-busquets-makes-150th-liga-appearance-with-barca.
Andrés Iniesta MF/AM (Barcelona), photo by Getty Images via bbc.com/sport/football.
Forward/Wingers,
Pedro RW/LW (Barcelona), photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
David Villa CF (New York City FC), photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
David Silva AM/LW/RW (Manchester City), photo by Kieran McManus/ISIPhotos.com via soccerbyives.net.
Other player-options,
Juan Mata AM/W (Manchester United), photo unattributed at independent.co.uk/sport/football.
Diego Costa CF (Atlético Madrid), photo by Carlos Delgado at ‘File:Diego Costa – 01.jpg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Cesc Fàbregas (Barcelona), photo by David Ramos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Koke AM/W (Atlético Madrid), photo by Carlos Delgado at ‘File:Koke Resurrección – 01.jpg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Juanfran RB/RM (Atlético Madrid), photo by Carlos Delgado at ‘File:Juanfran Torres – 03.jpg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Javi Martínez DM/CB (Bayern Munich), photo unattributed at goal.com.
Santi Cazorla LW/AM/RW (Arsenal), photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
César Azpilicueta LB/RB/RM (Chelsea), photo unattributed at upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/C%C3%A9sar_Azpilicueta_Chelsea_vs_AS-Roma_10AUG2013.jpg.
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), photo by Angel Martinez via mirror.co.uk/sport/football.
Fernando Torres FW (Chelsea), photo by Py21 at ‘en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Torres#mediaviewer/File:TorresFinale12_cropped.jpg‘.

___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Spain national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups (with positions-on-the-field graphics), at int.soccerway.com/international/europe/wc-qualifying-europe/2014-brazil/1st-round/r15653/.

October 24, 2013

Spain: 2013-14 La Liga location-map, with 2012-13 attendance data. / Plus, the new stadium of Athletic Club [Bilbao], San Mamés Barria. / Plus, photos of top 3 scorers & the top 3 on the assists table (after 9 games).

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 4:26 pm

2013-14_spain_la-liga_map_attendances_post_b.gif
Spain: 2013-14 La Liga Location-map, with 2012-13 attendance data



Note: to see my latest map-&-post of Spanish football, click on the following, category: Spain.

The following link shows 2 pie-charts which reveal one of the primary causes of the pronounced duopoly in Spanish football. In other words, there are several reasons why Real Madrid and FC Barcelona dominate La Liga to such an extent, but uneven distribution of television revenue is at the top of the list of causes for this disparity. A disparity, which, when combined with the absolutely dreadful economy in Spain, threatens the viability of first division Spanish football. From Imgur, ‘How TV money is shared in Spain and in England [2012 figures/illustration unattributred]‘ (imgur.com/vTZ9B5f).

The record for most wins to start a Spanish first division season was set by Real Madrid, with 9 straight wins to open the 1968-69 La Liga season (Real Madrid won the title that season of 1968-69 by 19 points over second-place finishers UD las Palmas). This season [2013-14], both FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid started the season 8 and 0. Then both teams stumbled in the 9th week, with Barcelona being held scoreless for the first time in the league in two years (64 league games), by drawing 0-0 away to Osasuna; and with Atlético Madrid falling 1-0 away to Espanyol. Meanwhile, Real Madrid were 2-0 winners at home versus Málaga. So that leaves Real Madrid within just 3 points of Barcelona in first. Now on Saturday, 26 October 2013, FC Barcelona will host Real Madrid in the 167th league meeting between the two clubs. The derby match, the Spanish derby, is of course called El Clásico. In the league games between the two biggest and most successful clubs in Spain, Real Madrid (with 32 Spanish titles) have won 70, and Barcelona (with 22 Spanish titles) have won 64, and there have been 22 draws. Last season, in October 2012, there was a 2–2 draw in the first El Clásico at Nou Camp in Barcelona; then in Madrid in March 2013 at the Bernebeau, Real beat Barça 2-1, although Barcelona was in firm control of first place by that time (and Barcelona eventually went on to win the 2012-13 La Liga title by 15 points).
El Clásico‘ (en.wikipedia.org).

From Guardian.com/football, ‘El Clásico: Sid Lowe on the Barcelona v Real Madrid rivalry – video‘ [4:57 video hosted by Amy Lawrence] (theguardian.com/football/video/).

    New stadium in Bilbao, San Mamés Barria, opened September 2013 (still only partially constructed, and at 3-quarters capacity). Current capacity: 36,500. Eventual capacity [with full-stadium completion projected for September 2014]: 53,332 all-seated. Owner: city of Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain.

athletic-club-bilbao_new_estadio_san-mames-barria_opened-2013_e.gif
Photo credits above -
Photo of construction at San Mamés from June 2013 uploaded by master_klon at skyscrapercity.com/thread, BILBAO – San Mamés Barria.
Photo of stadium from Sept.2013 (showing un-constructed section and interior of the constructed sections, from gamesbids.com/forums.
Exterior photo of San Mamés Barria, at water-side by David Grijalba at flickr.com.
Exterior street-view photo of San Mamés Barria, from ‘GALERÍA DE FOTOS: EL ATHLETIC NO FALLA EN LA INAUGURACIÓN‘ (eitb.com).

From WSC.co.uk, from 5 Nov. 2013, by Antonio Mateo, ‘Diego Costa a “traitor” for choosing Spain over Brazil – Striker won’t represent hosts at World Cup‘ (wsc.co.uk).

Top scorers in La Liga as of 23 Oct. 2013…
Diego Costa (Atlético Madrid), 10 goals.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 8 goals.
Christiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), 8 goals.
spain_la-liga_2013-14_top-scorers_as-of-24-october-2013_d-costa_l-messi_c-ronaldo_h.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
LFP logo, from a banner at http://www.lfp.es/.
D. Costa, bet365.com.
L. Messi, David Ramos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
C. Ronaldo, Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Pedro, kicksocca.com.

Assists table leaders in La Liga as of 23 Oct. 2013…
Cesc Fàbregas (Barcelona), 6 assists.
Koke (Atlético Madrid), 6 assists.
Neymar (Barcelona), 5 assists.
http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/spain_la-liga_2013-14_assists-table-leaders_as-of-24-october-2013_c-fabregas_koke_neymar_d.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
LFP logo, from a banner at http://www.lfp.es/.
C. Fàbregas, barcacentral.com.
Koke, sofoot.com.
Neymar, David Ramos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
___

Thanks to footiemap.com/madrid.
Thanks to official La Liga site for LFP logo, from a banner at http://www.lfp.es/.
Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘2013–14 La Liga‘;
and at es.wikipedia.org, ‘Primera División de España 2013/14‘.
Thanks to NordNordWest at en.wikipedia.org, for the blank map of Spain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spain_location_map.svg.

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