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October 22, 2016

2016-17 Ligue 1 (France/1st division) location-map, with: 15/16 attendance data, seasons-in-1st-division-by-club & major titles listed./ Plus the 3 promoted clubs (Nancy, Dijon, Metz).

Filed under: France — admin @ 8:07 pm

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2016-17 Ligue Un [1] (France/1st division) location-map, with: 15/16 attendance data, seasons-in-1st-division-by-club & major titles listed



By Bill Turianski on 22 October 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-Teams, etc…2016-17 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org).
-Fixtures, results, table, stats…Ligue 1 [summary] (soccerway.com).
-Ligue 1 official site (in English)…ligue1.com.

New Regions of France (effective 1 Jan 2016/final decree of names on 1 Oct 2016).
…Regions in France have been reduced from 27 regions to 18 regions…Regions of France [1982-2016] (en.wikipedia.org).

    The 3 promoted clubs in the 2016-17 Ligue Un (Nancy, Dijon, Metz)

Nancy won the 2015-16 Ligue 2. Dijon finished in 2nd place in the 15/16 Ligue 2. Metz finished in 3rd place in the 15/16 Ligue 2, bouncing straight back up to Ligue 1.

    • AS Nancy

(Est. 1967). City-population of Nancy: around 104,000/ 38th-largest city in France {see this}; metro-area population: around 434,000/ 20th-largest urban area in France {see this} {2012 estimates}. Nancy is, by road, 59 km (37 mi) S of Metz. Nancy is, by road, 160 km (99 mi) W of Strasbourg. Nancy is, by road, 385 km (239 mi) E of Paris.

Colours: Red-and White. Nicknames: ASNL, Les Chardons (The Thistles).

Manager: Pablo Correa (age 49), born in Montevideo, Uruguay. (See photo of Pablo Correa, and caption, further below.)

Major titles: 1 Coupe de France title (1978) (with Nancy winning 1-0 over Nice, the goal scored by Michel Platini in the 57th minute).
Seasons in the 1st division: counting 2016-17, Nancy have spent 30 seasons in the French 1st division. Their first season in the top flight was in 1970-71 (which was just 4 years after the club was formed, in 1967). The previous spell AS Nancy had in Ligue 1 was an eight-season spell from 2005-06 to 2012-13.

Thus far, up to 10 games (on 22 October), Nancy have had a horrible time of it back in Ligue 1, and have only won once, and sit in the relegation zone. Nancy are drawing pretty well, though, at 17.7 K per game. That is an increase of 2.6 K from last year. They are filling their stadium well, playing to 88.2 percent-capacity.

nancy_stade-marcel-picot_promoted2016_m-dalé_a-robic_y-hadji_p-correa_i.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Photo of 16/17 Nancy jersey unattributed at footballkitnews.com/jpg. Aerial photo of Foire de Nancy 2010 (2010 Fair of Nancy) -Cours Léopold, photo by François Bernardin at File:Foire-de-Nancy Cours-Léopold.JPG (commons.wikimedia.org). Skyline view of central Nancy, photo by Toltek at File:NancycentreEst.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Aerial shot of Stade Marcel Picot, photo by AS Nancy at asnl.net/stade_presentation. Shot of AS Nancy supporters with scarves held up, photo by Lolotho at File:Supporter asnl.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Photo of MauriFred Marvaux at gettyimages.in. Photo of Antony Robic celebrating with fans, photo unattributed at football365.fr.
Photo of coach Pablo Correa celebrating promotion (April 25 2016), photo by Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP at zimbio.com. Photo of AS Nancy players and staff singing as they celebrate promotion (April 2016), photo by Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP at zimbio.com. Promotion celebration in Nancy city centre, photo by Fans Of Nancy (@asnlfans) | Twitter.

    • Dijon

(Est. 1998). City-population of Dijon: around 152,000/ 17th-largest city in France {see this}; metro-area population: around 239,000 {2012 estimates}. Dijon is, by road, 263 km (163 mi) SE of Paris.

Colours: Red-and White-with-Black-trim. Nicknames: DFCO, Les Rouges.

Manager: Olivier Dall’Oglio (age 52), born in Alès, southern France.

Major titles: (none).
Seasons in the 1st division: counting 2016-17, Dijon have spent 2 seasons in the French 1st division. Their first season in the top flight was in 2012-13.

Dijon have been renovating their stadium, and due to the demolition and rebuilding of one of the stands at the Stade Gaston Gérard, capacity for 2016-17 has been reduced by about 5.3 K, to 10,578. Dijon began the 16/17 campaign poorly, but have recently improved their form and are unbeaten in 4 – with a win and then 2 draws, then a 1-0 win (v Lorient on 22 October), and Dijon have moved above the relegation zone. Dijon currently (Oct. 22 2016) are playing to a decent 82.9 percent-capacity after 5 home matches, at 8,846 per game at their (temporarily-reduced-capacity) stadium.

Here is a map-and-post that I made, from 2011, which features Dijon, when they had gained promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time; it has more information on Dijon’s ongoing stadium re-build…France: the 3 promoted clubs from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1, for the 2011-12 season (Évian TG, Ajaccio, Dijon).

dijon-fco_promoted2016_stade-gaston-gerard_o-dall-aglio_j-tavares_l-diony_e_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
16/17 Dijon jersey, photo by Dijon FCO at dfco.fr/shop. Aerial photo of Dijon city centre, photo unattributed at kukly-bratc.ru/[Djon France] k.e. Interior-photo of stadium, photo unattributed at essma.eu e. Shot of recently-built stand, photo unattributed at stadedijonfootball.t.s.f.unblog.fr. Olivier Dall’Oglio, photo unattributed at sofoot.com. Júlio Tavares, photo by dijon-sportnews.fr. Loïs Diony, photo by Emmanuel Lelaidier at francetvsport.fr/football/ligue-2. Tavares jumping in celebration, photo by Ligue 1 at ligue1.com/ligue1/article/dijon-secure-promotion.

    • Metz

(Est. 1967). City-population of Metz: around 119,000/ 30th-largest city in France {see this}; metro-area population: around 389,000 {2012 estimates}. Metz is, by road, 59 km (37 mi) N of Nancy. Metz is, by road, 167 km (104 mi) NW of Strasbourg. Metz is, by road, 331 km (206 mi) E of Paris.

Colours: Garnet-Red-and-White. Nicknames: Les Grenats (the Maroons), les Messins, les Graoullys (the Dragons).

Manager: Philippe Hinschberger (age 56), born in Algrange, Lorraine (which located is 18 miles south of Metz). (For more on Philipe Hinschberger, who played his entire 15-year career with FC Metz, see photos and captions further below.) Hinschberger got Metz promoted back to Ligue 1 by the narrowest of margins, finishing in 3rd, even on points AND even on goal difference with Le Havre, but with 2 more goals scored than Le Havre.

Major titles: 2 Coupe de France titles (1984 & 1988). In the 1984 Coupe de France Final, Metz beat Monaco 2-0 (aet), with goals by (current-Metz-coach) Philippe Hinschberger in the 104th minute, and by Slovenian-German FW Tony Kurbos in the 108th minute. Four years later, Metz won the Coupe de France title again, this time in a 5-4 penalty shootout following a 1-1 score with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. Scottish FW Eric Black had scored the Metz goal in the 45th minute, nine minutes after a Sochaux goal in the 36th minute. After the scoreless added extra time, all 5 Metz players scored their penalties (Bernard Zénier, Philippe Hinschberger, Jean-Louis Zanon, Christian Bracconi, Sylvain Kastendeuch). Metz have never won the French title, but came agonizingly close in 1997-98, when they finished even on points with RC Lens, but lost out on winning the league on a goal difference of 5 (Lens had 68 points and a goal difference of +35; while Metz had 68 points and a goal difference of +30).

Seasons in the 1st division: counting 2016-17, Metz have spent 59 seasons in the French 1st division. Their first season in the top flight was in 1935-36 (which was the fourth season of the professional French first division [ie, Ligue 1).

Metz might have barely squeaked into the 1st division last season, but seem to be holding their own in Ligue 1 in 2016-17. They started out strong, although they have lost two in a row as of 22 October, and Metz sit right at mid-table on 4 wins, one draw, and 4 losses. As of that date, Metz are drawing OK, as they have seen a 3.4 K-increase from last season (to 16.7 K)...but they are playing to just a 65.1 percent-capacity. So perhaps Metz' stadium is a bit too big (their Stade Saint-Symphorien has a 26.6-K-capacity, and was at a 2-K-reduced 24.5-K-capacity last season in Ligue 2, and is currently at a slightly-reduced 25.6-K-capacity for their Ligue 1 games this season). {From the excellent Ligue 1 official site, here are current attendances and capacities.}

Metz is the 30th-largest city in France. Metz is capital of the department of Moselle, and capital and largest city in the historical province of Lorraine. Metz is located at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille Rivers. Metz is very nearby another promoted club from Lorraine - Nancy.

Timeline of Metz, from the 12th century to the present-day...
In 1189, the city of Metz rose to the status of a Free Imperial City in the Holy Roman Empire (from 1189-1552).
In 1552, following the Siege of Metz, Metz was ceded by the Holy Roman Empire, and became part of the Kingdom of France (from 1552-1871).
In 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War, Metz was re-gained by Germanic-speaking people: Metz became part of the German Empire (from 1871-1918).
In 1919: after the First World War, and following the Treaty of Versailles, Metz became part of France again (from 1919-1940).
In 1940: during WW II, (with the Annexation of the Moselle), Metz was again re-gained by Germany [well, maybe not Germany per se, but by the Nazis] [and Metz briefly became part of the Third Reich].
On 13 Dec. 1944: the Battle of Metz ended; the Germans [Nazis] were ousted. Metz was re-gained by France for the third time.

metz_promoted2016_h-diallo_c-bekamenga_y-nbokato_p-hinschberger_h_.gif"
Photo and Image credits above –
16/17 Metz jersey, photo unattributed at 4.bp.blogspot.com/[jpg]. Photo at twilight of confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers in Metz, photo unattributed at militaryingermany.com/discover-metz-france. Aerial shot of Stade Saint-Symphorien, photo by FC Metz at thinkfoot.fr/stade-football [metz]. Panoramic interior shot of Stade Saint-Symphorien, photo by Yann Dupré at elsass-groundhopping.over-blog.com/2016/05/stade-saint-symphorien-metz. Photo of Habib Diallo, photo by Michel Dell’Aiera via wort.lu/fr/sport. Photo of Christian Bekamenga, photo by Fred Marvaux at gettyimages.com. Photo of Yeni N’Bakoto by Fred Marvaux/Icon Sport via footballclubdemarseille.fr. Photo of 1982 Panini trading card of Philipe Hinschberger, photo from oldschoolpanini.com. Photo of Philipe Hinscberger at FC Metz promotion celebration (30 April 2016), photo by Le Républicain Lorrain via forum-fcmetz.com/[promotion-celebration FC Metz April 2016].

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of France, by Eric Gaba (aka Sting)/Otourly/NordNordWest, at File:France adm-2 location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendances, from E-F-S site, european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm.
-2015-16 stadium capacities (for league matches), from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015%E2%80%9316_Ligue_1#Stadia_and_locations.
-Coupe de France titles, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupe_de_France#Performance_by_club.
-French 1st division titles, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligue_1#Performance_by_club.

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)…

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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.

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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.

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