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August 3, 2021

2021-22 EFL League One: Location-map, with League History chart./+ The four clubs promoted to the 3rd division in 2021…Cheltenham Town, Cambridge United, Bolton Wanderers, Morecambe.

Filed under: >2021-22 English football,Eng-3rd Level/League One — admin @ 6:24 pm

2021-22 EFL League One: Location-map, with League History chart
By Bill Turianski on the 3rd of August 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2021-22 EFL League One (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary – League One (ENG): results, fixtures, table, etc (soccerway.com).
-League One 2021-22 season preview (by Ben Fisher at theguardian.com/football).

-Cheltenham Town Secure First Ever Automatic Football League Promotion (by Matthew Creamer at lastwordonsports.com).
-The story of how Cambridge United won promotion to League One (by Mark Taylor at cambridgeindependent.co.uk),
-From 20th to promotion: How Bolton fell in love with the team they never saw (by Chris Flanagan at fourfourtwo.com).
- League Two play-off final: Morecambe 1-0 Newport County (aet) (by Michael Pearlman at bbc.com/sport).

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2021-22 EFL League One: Location-map, with League History chart…
This is a new template, which features a standard location-map, plus a chart which shows the League History of all the clubs in the division, this season. As well as showing the locations and crests of the 24 League One clubs this season, the main map includes the 58 Unitary authorities of England, and shows the major Urban Areas of England and Wales.

The League History chart lists the total seasons that each club has played in the 1st level [Premier League], the 2nd level [EFL Championship], the 3rd level [EFL League One], and the 4th level [EFL League Two]. Alongside each column there is also listed the most recent season each club has played in each level.

The League History chart also shows the total League seasons of each club (in the dark-blue column). (Total League seasons is: all Football League seasons plus all Premier League seasons that a club has played.) 2021-22 is the 123rd season of League football in England: 1889-90 to 1914-15; 1919-20 to 1939-40; 1947-48 to 2021-22. There were 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888-89, and seeing how one of those clubs is defunct (Accrington FC), and seeing how one of those clubs has been relegated out of the Football League (Notts County), that means there are only 10 clubs in England that have played all 123 seasons of League football. And one of those clubs is in the 3rd tier this season: the just-promoted Bolton Wanderers. They, and the other 3 clubs that won promotion to to the 3rd tier last season, are featured below.

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Cheltenham Town, Cambridge United, Bolton Wanderers, Morecambe…

Cheltenham Town: promoted back to the 3rd division after 12 years.

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above – 2020-21 Cheltenham Town jersey, photo from unisportstore.com.
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org). Segment of map of English clubs by Bill Turianski at http://billsportsmaps.com/?p=47406 [2019 attendance map]. Blank map of England by Nilfanion at File:England relief location map.jpg. Whaddon Road, photo unattributed at gloucestershirelive.co.uk/sport. Michael Duff (manager), photo by Peter Norton/Getty Images via theathletic.com.-Ben Tozer (CB/DMF/RB), photo by Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images via gettyimages.in. -Will Boyle (CB), photo from PA Archive via newschainonline.com/sport. -Alfie May (CF), photo from ctfc.com. -Michael Duff and his Cheltenham squad celebrate clinching automatic promotion to League One (27 April 2021, Cheltenham 1-1 Carlisle (3rd-to-last-match of the season), photo by Getty Images via bbc.com/sport.

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Cambridge United: promoted back to the 3rd division after 19 years.

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above – Aerial image of Cambridge, screenshot from drone video uploaded by 16cliffedge at youtube.com. Abbey Stadium, photo by Bill Blake via stadiumdb.com. 2020-21 Cambridge Utd jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. -Mark Bonner (manager), photo from cambridge-united.co.uk. -Kyle Knoyle (RB), photo by Simon Lankester via cambridgeindependent.co.uk/sport. -Wes Hoolahan (AMF/CMF/LMF), photo by PA via pinkun.com/sport. -Paul Mullin (CF/RW), photo by Warren Gunn/Cambridge News at cambridge-news.co.uk/sport. -Joe Ironside (CF), photo by Simon Lankester via cambridgeindependent.co.uk/sport.

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Bolton Wanderers: promoted back to the 3rd division after one year.

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above – 20/21 Bolton jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. University of Bolton Stadium, photo by Peter J Dean at stadiumdb.com/reebok_stadium. Aerial shot of Bolton, photo unattributed at thebusinessdesk.com. -Ian Evatt (manager), photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Wire via manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport. -Ricardo Santos (CB/RB), photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Wire via manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport. -Eoin Doyle (CF/LW/RW), photo from bwfc.co.uk/news. -Antoni Sarcevic (CMF), photo unattributed at theboltonnews.co.uk/sport. -Nathan Delfouneso (CF/RW/LW), photo from bwfc.co.uk/news.

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Morecambe: promoted to the 3rd division for the first time ever.

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above – Illustration of 20/21 Morecambe jersey, from morecambefc.com/news/2020/may/centenary-kit-and-crest-revealed. Mazuma Stadium, image unattributed at video uploaded by FootballTalk2 at youtube.com. -Derek Adams (former manager), photo by Mark Robinson Ltd via thescottishsun.co.uk/sport. -Stephen Robinson (new manager), photo from morecambefc.com/news. -Samuel Lavelle (captain) (CB), photo from PA Wire via southwalesargus.co.uk/sport. -Carlos Mendes Gomes (RW/AMF/LW), photo by PA via dailyrecord.co.uk/sport. -Cole Stockton (CF), photo by Morecambe FC via thetimes.co.uk. -Aaron Wildig (CMF/AMF/DMF), photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@efl_hub]. -2021 League Two play-off final: John O’Sullivan of Morecambe is brought down by Newport’s Ryan Haynes, leading to a penalty, photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images via theguardian.com/football/live.
-2021 League Two play-off final: Carlos Mendes Gomes celebrates after scoring late penalty goal v Newport County, photo by John Walton/PA via theguardian.com/football/live. -Captain Sam Lavelle lifts trophy and Morecambe players and staff celebrate, photo by PA via itv.com/news.
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Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg (en.wikipedia.org).
-PFA League Two Team of the Year [2021].
-Historical attendance figures, european-football-statistics.co.uk.
-Seasons in Football League by Club: Club League Divisional History Summary 1888-89 to 2020-21 (myfootballfacts.com)
;fchd.info (Football Club History Database)
;England – First Level All-Time Tables 1888/89-2018/19 (rsssf.com).
-Player-positions: transfermarkt.us.
-Distances: mapdevelopers.com/distance_from_to.php (mapdevelopers.com).

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July 24, 2021

South Korea: K League 1 (1st division football) – Location-map, with club profile-boxes and 3 charts: South Korean titles list, Seasons-in-1st-division chart, and a chart showing cities in South Korea with top-flight clubs.

Filed under: Korea: K League — admin @ 12:50 pm

South Korea: K League 1 (1st division football) – Location-map, with titles list, seasons-in-1st-division chart, and chart showing cities in South Kore with top-flight clubs

By Bill Turianski on the 24th of July 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2021 K League 1 (en.wikipedia.org).
-K League 1 [2021] – Summary – fixtures, results, table, stats, etc (soccerway.com).
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The 2021 season of K League-1 is back from its summer break, with about 25% (or 7 game-weeks) left in the regular season, before the league splits into two (Scottish-style), for the final stage of the season. As of Saturday the 24th of July, Ulsan Hyundai lead the league, 4 points ahead of 3 teams (reigning champions Jeonbuk Motors, Suwon Bluewings, and Daegu FC).

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Timeline of South Korean association football…
1964 to 1982: only semi-pro or amateur football in South Korea.
1983: K League is founded, originally as the Korean Super League, and is initially comprised of 5 teams: 2 pro/3 semi-pro.
1987: in its 5th season, the league becomes fully professional, and is rebranded as the Korean Professional Football League.
1998: league is rebranded again, as the K League (now with 10 teams).
2003: league expands again, to 12 teams [and remains a 12-team league up to 2021].
2012: Promotion/Relegation system is introduced; 2 teams are relegated from K League 1 that year.
2013: a 2nd level league is instituted, with the creation of K League 2.

2021 is the 39th season of K League football. And 2021 and is the 10th season since promotion/relegation was introduced in South Korean football. One or two of the 12 L League-1 clubs are relegated each year, to K League-2.

The implementation of relegation seems to have gone smoothly, but it must be pointed out that there are characteristics of South Korean pro football ownership that have allowed the threat of relegation to be easier dealt with by the clubs. This is because many South Korean pro teams are owned by very large corporations. Like Hyundai Motors [owner of Jeonbuck], Hyundai shipbuilding [owner of Ulsan Tigers], and Hyundai construction [owner of just-relegated Busan IPark]. And like Samsung [owner of Suwon Samsung Bluewings]. And the 3rd-largest South Korean conglomerate SK Group [owner of Jeju United]. And the giant Korean steel manufacturer Pohang (POSCO) [owner of Pohang Steelers].

Meanwhile, a newer trend is towards clubs that are owned by municipal or regional governments. In fact, 6 of the 12 clubs in the K League 1 in 2021 are local-government-owned: high-drawing southern club Daegu FC (drawing 10,700 pre-COVID [2019]), 13-year-old north-eastern club Gangwon FC, 11-year-old south-western club Gwanju FC, north-western port-city club Incheon United (with 17 straight years in K League), and two clubs located in the southern part of the Greater-Seoul/capital-region: Seongnam FC and the newly-promoted Suwon FC.

But it is interesting to note that no local-government-owned team has ever won a K League title. The only local-government-owned club that has won a title is Seongnam FC. But all 7 of Seongnam FC’s domestic titles were won before the Seongnam City Government bought the club, in 2014.
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The 8 title-winning clubs of K League-1 and K League-2 (Jeonbuk Motors, Seongnam FC, FC Seoul, Pohang Steelers, Suwon Bluewings, Busan IPark, Ulsan Hyundai, Jeju United)

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The most titled club in South Korea is the lime-green-&-black-clad Jeonbuck Hyundai Motors, of the west-central city of Jeonju. Jeonju is in the province of North Jelloa, and is the 16th-largest municipality in South Korea, with a population of around 658,000. Jeonju is located, by road, 134 miles (216 km) S of Seoul. Jeonbuck Motors were established rather late, in the 12th season of the K League, in 1994. And Jeonbuck did not win their first title until 2009. Incredibly, Jeobuck have won all of their 8 titles in the last 13 years, and are currently 4th-times-straight reigning champions. Jeonbuck have also won 2 AFC Champions League titles (in 2006, and in 2016). Pre-COVID [2019], Jeonbuck Hyundai Motors were drawing a solid 13,900 per game (the second-best attendance in the K League, behind only FC Seoul). Jeonbuck play at the 42,000-capacity Jeonju World Cup Stadium {here is an aerial view of the venue}. Jeonbuck Motors have played in 27 of the 39 K League seasons (6th-most).

Seongnam FC. The second-most successful South Korean club is the aforementioned Seongnam FC. Seongnam feature a magpie-type bird on their crest and wear black-with-white-trim. Seongnam is located, by road, 17 miles (25 km) SW of central Seoul. Seongnam is the 12th-largest municipality in South Korea, with about .94 million inhabitants. Seongnam FC were originally Seoul-based, and were called Ilhwa Chunma, and sported a sky-blue/dark-blue crest featuring a winged horse {you can see their original crest in their profile-box on the map-page}. They were champions for 3 straight years from 1993 to ’95. But also in 1995, Ilhwa Chunma were one of three top-flight clubs forced to move out of Seoul, as part of the K League’s Decentralisation Policy. (The Decentralisation Policy was tied to the South Korea’s participation in the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted with Japan, and was a effort to spread the popularity of football to the provinces; {see this}.) So in 1996, the club grudgingly moved 50 miles west of central Seoul, to Cheonam. But this lasted only 6 years, and then in 2001, the club moved again, closer to central Seoul, to Seongnam. As Seongnam Ilhwa Cunma, they immediately had another another run of 3-straight-titles. Their 7th and last title was won in 2006. In 2014 the city council bought the club, and rebranded them as Seongnam FC. But Seongnam FC have seen a drop-off in support, and were only drawing 5,500 pre-COVID [2019]. And currently [24 June 2021], Seongnam FC are in the relegation zone. Seongnam FC have also won 2 AFC Champions League titles (in 1995 and in 2010). Seongnam FC have played in 31 of the 39 K League seasons (4th-most).

FC Seoul. The third-most successful South Korean club is FC Seoul, with 6 titles. The red-and-black-vertically-striped FC Seoul are the highest-drawing Korean football club (at 17,061 per game, pre-COVID [2019]). FC Seoul are owned by the 8th-largest conglomerate in South Korea, GS Group (which is involved in Energy, Retail, Construction, and Sports). FC Seoul were originally owned by Samsung’s big corporate rivals, the LG Group, and were called Lucky-Goldstar FC, joining in the league’s second season in 1984. They wanted to be Seoul-based, but initially they were based south of there, in the west-central part of the country, in Chungcheong Province. 7 years and one title-win later, they did move to Seoul, in 1990, as LG Cheetahs, where they were immediately successful, winning their 2nd title that year. But in 1995, they found out that they were part of the league’s Decentralisation Policy, and were forced to move back out of Seoul. So in 1996, they grudgingly moved to the Seoul suburb of Anyang (13 mi/21 km S of central Seoul), as the Anyang Cheetahs. Their stay in Anyang lasted 8 years, and included one title-win in 2000. After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Anyang Cheetahs were the biggest beneficiaries of the infrastructure built for the tournament, because they were the club that got to move into the massive, central and high-profile Seoul World Cup Stadium (capacity 66,700). So the club moved back to Seoul in 2004, and rebranded as FC Seoul. In a 7-year-span from 2010 to ’16, FC Seoul won their last three titles. FC Seoul have no AFC Champions League titles, though (they were finalists in 2002 and 2013). FC Seoul have played in 38 of the 39 K League seasons (co-2nd-most).

Pohang Steelers. The fourth-most successful South Korean club is the red-and-black-horizontally-striped Pohang Steelers, who have won 5 K League titles. But Pohang have not been champions in over 20 years (their last title-win was in 1997). Pohang Steelers are from the east-central port-city of Pohang. Pohang is the 22nd-largest city in South Korea, with a population of around 511,000. The club is owned by POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd.), the fourth-largest steel manufacturer in the world, as measured by crude steel output. Pohang play in the cauldron-like Pohang Steel Yards, a compact two-tiered stadium with a capacity of just 17,000 {photos via tripadvisor, here}. Pohang Steelers averaged 8,400-per game pre-COVID [2019], which was slightly above the K League’s overall average attendance of 8,014 that year {see this list}. Though Pohang Steelers have a 23-year-long K League title drought, they have won a major title in that time, winning their 3rd AFC Champions league title, in 2009. The Pohang Steelers have played in all 39 K League seasons (and are the only club to have done so).
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Suwon Samsung Bluewings. (The postion of fifth-most successful South Korean club is shared by Suwon Bluewings and Busan IPark, both of whom have won 4 K League titles.) The all-blue-clad Suwon Bluewings are from Suwon, which is located 26 miles (41 km) S of central Seoul. Suwon is the 7th-largest city in South Korea, with around 1.1 million inhabitants. (In 2021, there are two clubs from the city of Suwon that are playing in the K League, the other being the just-promoted Suwon FC.) Suwon Bluewings are owned by Cheil Worldwide, a marketing company that is a subsidiary of the Samsung Group, and the club’s royal blue colour comes from their parent-company. The club was established in 1995, as the 9th K League team. In 1998, in their 3rd season, they won their first K League title, and have won three more titles (their last in 2008). Suwon Bluewings have also won two AFC Champions League titles (in 20001 and 2002). Suwon Bluewings averaged 8,800 pre-COVID [2019], which was 800 per game above the league average of 8,000. Suwon Samsung Bluewings have played in 26 of the 39 K League seasons (7th-most).

Busan IPark. The all-red-clad Busan IPark are co-5th-most-successful South Korean club, with 4 titles. But Busan IPark are currently in the 2nd division (K League 2), and have not won a K League title since 1997. Busan IPark are turning into a yo-yo club, with relegations in 2015 and in 2020. Busan IPark were a founding member of the K League in 1983, as the Daewoo Royals. Busan is the second-largest city in South Korea, with a metro-area population of around 7 million. Busan IPark are owned by HDC (Hyundai Development Company), a conglomerate involved in property, petrochemicals, retail, leisure, sports, and finance, and which is a subsidiary of Hyundai. IPark is the construction branch of Hyundai. Busan IPark were drawing 3,900 in the 2nd division, pre-COVID [2019]. Busan IPark, as Daewoo Royals, won one AFC Champions League title, in the tournament’s first season, in 1985-86.

Ulsan United. The blue-&-dark-blue-vertically-striped Ulsan United have won two K League titles (last in 2005). Ulsan is on the south-east coast between Pohang to the north and Busan to the south. Ulsan is the 8th-largest city in South Korea, with a population of around 1.1 million. Ulsan United are owned by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilding company. Ulsan draws decent figures, and they drew 4th-best pre-COVID [2019], at 9,600 per game. Ulsan have played in the K League since the 2nd season (1984), and have played in 38 of the 39 K League seasons (co-2nd-most).

Jeju United [including Yukong Elephants]. Jeju United have won one K League title, in 1989, back when they were the Seoul-based Yukong Elephants. Jeju United now play in the smallest top-flight city. Their home of Seogwipo is on Jeju Island, which is located 60 miles off the south-western coast of mainland Korea. Jeju Island is sort of like the Hawaii of South Korea, with a large tourist trade (10 million per year) attracted by the mild climate and beaches. Segwipo has a population of only around 153,000 (and is the 60th-largest city in South Korea). Here is Jeju United’s convoluted history…
1983: Yukong FC, a founding member of the K League.
1989: Yukong Elephants win the K League title.
1996: Yukong FC are forced by the K League to move out of central Seoul (Decentralisation Policy). The club relocated to Bucheon (25 km/14 mi W of central Seoul), but played in Mokdong (on the western edge of Seoul), until a new stadium was built in Bucheon.
1997: club rebranded, as Bucheon SK.
2001: club moved into new stadium in Bucheon, but only played there for 5 years.
2006: club re-located again, this time without coercion from the league, to far southern South Korea, to Segwipo on Jeju Island, and rebranded again, as Jeju United.
Jeju United are owned by the SK Group, South Korea’s 3rd-largest conglomerate (involved in: Energy & Chemicals, Telecommunications, Trading & Services, Semiconductors). Jeju United wear orange, and feature a red-and-orange shield-shaped crest with antlers and a snow-capped volcanic peak – a reference to the nearby Hallasan, the highest point in South Korea (6,388 ft/1847 m). Jeju United averaged 3,700 per game, pre-COVID [2019]. Jeju United have played in 38 of the 39 K League seasons (co-2nd-most), having just bounced straight back from K League-2 last season.
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Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of South Korea, by NordNordWest at File:South Korea adm location map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Pohang Steelers 2021 home jersey segment, from fcphshop.com.
-2019 K League attendance, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_K_League_1#Attendance.
-2021 K League 1 (en.wikipedia.org).

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July 9, 2021

2021 Copa Libertadores: map of Final Stages (16 teams)./+ All of the Round-of-16 stadiums, with club info.

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 9:16 pm

2021 Copa Libertadores: map of Final Stages (16 teams)

By Bill Turianski on the 9th of July 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2021 Copa Libertadores/Final Stages (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary – CONMEBOL Libertadores – Final Stages [2021] (soccerway.com).

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The Round of 16
The first legs of the 2021 Copa Libertadores Round of 16 will be played from 13 to 15 July {click on the links at the top of this post for the fixtures}.

The breakdown of qualified clubs-by-country…
•Brazil: 6 clubs (Atlético Mineiro, Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Internacional, São Paulo). This includes reigning champions Palmeiras.
•Argentina: 6 clubs (Racing, Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Vélez Sarsfield, Defensa y Justicia, River Plate).
•Paraguay: 2 clubs (Cerro Porteño, Olimpia).
•Chile: 1 club (Universidad Católica).
•Ecuador: 1 club (SC Barcelona).

This is the most clubs – 12 clubs – that the Big 2 (Brazil & Argentina) have ever placed into the Round of 16. Last year, Brazil had 6 clubs in the Round of 16, while Argentina had ‘only’ 3 clubs. The previous most-ever-clubs placed by the Big 2 into the Round of 16 was in 2018, with 11 clubs (Brazil 5/Argentina 6).

Paraguay have 2 clubs in the Round of 16 this year: Cerro Porteño, and 3-time-Libertadores champions Club Olimpia.

Ecuador, coming off an impressive 3-clubs-in-the-Round-of-16 last year {2020}, have one club in this year, SC Barcelona of Guayaquil.

Chile have a club into the Round of 16 for the first time since 2018 (Universidad Católica).

For the third straight year, Colombia has underachieved and have placed zero clubs in the Round of 16. Also notable by their absence are any Uruguayan clubs.

There is one club making its Round of 16 debut – Defensa y Justicia, of Florencio Varela, a city of 79,000, located in the far southern suburbs of Greater Buenos Aires.

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2020 Libertadores Round of 16 venues – all 16 clubs’ stadiums…

#1 seed, Atlético Mineiro – Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Photo credit above – photo by Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte at flickr.com.

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#2 seed, Palmeiras – Allianz Parque (aka Palestra Itália), in São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Image credit above – screenshot from video uploaded by One Man Wolfpack at youtube.com.

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#3 seed, Racing Club – Estadio Juan Domingo Perón (aka El Cilindro de Avellaneda), in Avellaneda, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Photo credit above – twitter.com/[@mdkro] via twitter.com/[@RacingManiacos].

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#4 seed, Barcelona SC -

Image credit above – screenshot of video uploaded by Christian Merchán at youtube.com.

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#5 seed, Flamengo – Maracanã (Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Photo credit above – Johnson Barros at flickr.com.

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#6 seed, Argentinos Juniors – Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, in Villa General Mitre, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Image credit above – unattributed at codigopatron.com.

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#7 seed, Fluminense – Maracanã (Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Photo credit above – Getty Images via eurosport.com.

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#8 seed, Internacional – Estádio Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.

Photo credit above – unattributed at br.pinterest.com.

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#9 seed, São Paulo FC – Estádio do Morumbi (Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo), in the Morumbi district of São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Photo credit above – Morumbi Tour/ Divulgação via revistamineracao.com.br.

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#10 seed, Boca Juniors – – La Bombonera (‘the Chocolate Box’), in La Boca district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Photo credit above – unattributed at twitter.com/[@ftblsm].

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#11 seed, Vélez Sarsfield – Estadio José Amalfitani, in Liniers district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Photo credit above – velez.com.ar/club/estadio.

#12 seed, Cerro Porteño -

Photo credit above – unattributed at twitter.com/[@sc_espn].

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#13 seed, Defensa y Justicia – Estadio Norberto “Tito” Tomaghello, in Florencio Varela [in Greater Buenos Aires], Buenos Aires province, Argentina.

Image credit above – screenshot from video uploaded by Tirando DATA con Walter Queijeiro at youtube.com.

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#14 seed, River Plate – El Monumental (Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti), in the Belgrano district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Photo credit above – dronestagr.am/estadio-monumental-buenos-aires-argentina.

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#15 seed, Universidad Católica – Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo

Photo credit above – unattributed at opinion.cooperativa.cl.

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#16 seed, Club Olimpia – Estadio Manuel Ferreira, in barrio Mariscal López in Asunción, Paraguay.

Image credit above – unattributed at facebook.com/fotociclo.

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___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Blank map of South America by Anbans 585 at File:CONMEBOL laea location map without rivers.svg (en.wikipedia.org/[2018 Copa Libertadores]).
-2020 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Copa Libertadores 1960-2019 Club Histories (rsssf.com).
-Libertadores titles list {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Libertadores#Performances_by_club}.

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June 29, 2021

The 2 clubs promoted to the Football League in 2021…Sutton United: promoted to the League after 123 years; Hartlepool United: promoted back to the League after 4 years.

Filed under: Eng-4th Level/League Two,Eng-5th level — admin @ 6:35 pm

By Bill Turianski on the 29th of June 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2021-22 National League (en.wikipedia.org).
-2021-22 EFL League Two (en.wikipedia.org).
-Isaac Olaofe seals Sutton United’s historic promotion to Football League (by PA Media on 23 May 2021, at theguardian.com/football).
-Hartlepool United 1-1 Torquay United, Hartlepool wins 5-4 on penalties (by Brent Pilnick on 20 June 2021, at bbc.com/sport).
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Sutton United: winners of the 2020-21 National League, and promoted to the Football League after 123 years…

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above -
2020-22 Sutton Utd jersey, from suttonunited.net. Sutton High Street, photo by Padmak/Shutterstock via thecrazytourist.com. Gander Green Lane, photo by Steve Parsons/PA via theguardian.com/football. Matt Gray (manager), photo from suttonunited.net. Isaac Olaofe (FW) (top scorer), photo by Paul Loughlin via bbc.com/sport. Craig Eastmond (CMF) (Captain), photo by thegrassrootstourist.com/2021/05/09/sutton-united. Ben Goodliffe (CB), photo from suttonunited.net. David Ajiboye (RW), photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. Harry Beautyman (LMF), photo by grassrootstourist.com via at twitter.com/[@16beautyman]. 23 May 2021 at Gander Green Lane: Sutton 3-0 Hartlepool – Captain Craig Eastmond lifts the trophy and the squad and staff celebrate, photo by Paul Loughlin via suttonunited.net.

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Hartlepool United: winners of the 2021 National League Play-off Final, and promoted back to the Football League after 4 years…

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above -
2020-21 Hartlepool Utd jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Headland, Hartlepool, photo unattributed at boutiquehotelier.com. Aerial shot of Victoria Park, by PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo via footballtripper.com. Dave Challinor (manager), photo unattributed at sportsbeezer.com. Rhys Oates (LW/FW/RW) (top scorer), photo unattributed at bbc.co.uk/programmes. David Ferguson (LB/LMF), photo by Christopher Booth/MI News/Nurphoto via gettyimages.fi. Luke Armstrong (CF) scoring 1st goal in National League play-off final 23 May 2021 at Ashton Gate, photo by Rex Features via bbc.com/sport. Torquay GK Lucas Covolan equalises at 90+5′, photo by PA via minutegoal.com. Hartlepool keeper Brad James makes the winning save in penalties, photo unattributed at minutegoal.com. Hartlepool supporters’ pitch invasion, screenshot of image from video uploaded by Hartlepool United at youtube.com.
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___
Thanks to all at the following links…
-2021 National League team of the year, twitter.com/[@TheVanaramaNL].
-Historical attendance figures, european-football-statistics.co.uk.
-Seasons: Football Club History Database, fchd.info.

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June 14, 2021

France national team, 2020 UEFA Euro [June 2021]: Squad, with projected starting lineup and 15 substitutions (26 player-profiles).

Filed under: France — admin @ 7:38 am

By Bill Turianski on the 14th of June 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-France National Football team/Current squad (en.wikipedia.org).
-France Euro 2020 squad: Full 26-man squad revealed – and includes shock inclusion of Karim Benzema (fourfourtwo.com, from 18 May 20201).
-Tensions between Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappé at France on the eve of Euro 2020 (weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com, from 11 June 2021).
-France vs Germany: Benzema and Griezmann get green light (en.as.com, from 13 June 2021).
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Below: France national team, 2020 UEFA Euro (June 2021) – Squad, with projected starting lineup and 15 substitutions (all 26 players)

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above -
France 2021 jersey, from uksoccershop.com. France 2021 away jersey badge, from fanatics-intl.com. Blank map of France, from demis.nl at File:France with Corsica2 (demis).png (commons.wikimedia.org).
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Photo credits for players & coach…
France players celebrating the winning goal by Antoine Griezmann versus Bosnia (FIFA WC qualifiers on 31 March 2021 in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina). From left: Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Raphaël Varane, Kylian Mbappé, Adrien Rabiot, Lucas Hernández – photo by Franck Fife/Getty Images via sportskeeda.com.
Coach…Didier Deschamps, photo by Frank Fife via lexpress.fr/actualite/sport. France jersey badge, photo from soccer.com/shop.
Goalkeeper… Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), photo by NurPhoto via Getty Images via hitc.com.
Defenders…
-Benjamin Pavard (RB/CB/LB) (Bayern Munich), photo by A. Hassenstein/Getty Images for FC Bayern via bavarianfootballworks.com.
-Raphaël Varane (CB) (Real Madrid), photo by Getty Images via uk.newschant.com.
-Presnel Kimpembe (CB/LB) (PSG), photo unattributed at archyde.com.
-Lucas Hernández (LB/CB) (Bayern Munich), photo by A. Hassenstein/Getty Images for FC Bayern via bavarianfootballworks.com.
Midfielders…
-Paul Pogba (CMF/AMF/DMF) (Manchester United), photo unattributed at sportskeeda.com.
-N’Golo Kanté (CMF/DMF) (Chelsea), photo by Getty Images via thes*n.co.uk/sport.
-Adrien Rabiot (CMF/DMF) (Juventus), photo by Icon Sport via dailymercato.com.
Forwards…
-Karim Benzema (CF/LW/RW) (Real Madrid), photo unattributed at m.imdb.com.
-Antoine Griezmann (CF/LW/RW) (Barcelona), photo by David Ramos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Kylian Mbappé (CF/LW/RW(PSG), photo by Getty Images via independent.co.uk/sport.
Other player-options (Goalkeepers & Central Defenders)…
-Steve Mandanda (GK) (Marseille), photo by Icon Sport via butfootballclub.fr.
-Mike Maignan (GK) (Lille), photo unattributed at 90min.com.
-Jules Koundé (CB) (Sevilla), photo unattributed at football-espana.net.
-Clément Lenglet (CB) (Barcelona), photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images via everythingbarca.com.
Other player-options (Defenders)…
-Léo Dubois (RB/RMF/LB) (Lyon), photo unattributed at madeingones.com
-Kurt Zouma (CB/RB) (Chelsea), photo unattributed at acehfootball.net.
-Moussa Sissoko (CMF/DMF/RMF) (Tottenham), photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images via tbrfootball.com.
-Lucas Digne (LB) (Everton), photo by Emma Simpson/Everton FC via Getty Images via tbrfootball.com.
Other player-options (Midfielders & Wingers)…
-Corentin Tolisso (CMF/DMF/AMF) (Bayern Munich), photo by fcbayern.com.
-Marcus Thuram (LW/CF/RW) (Borussia Mönchengladbach), photo by Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images via cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com.
-Thomas Lemar (AMF/ LW/RW) (Atlético Madrid), photo unattributed at futballnews.com.
Other player-options (Forwards & Wingers)…
-Ousmane Dembélé (RW/LW/CF) (Barcelona), photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images via rousingthekop.com.
-Olivier Giroud (CF) (Chelsea), photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images via theguardian.com/football.
-Wissam Ben Yedder (CF) (Monaco), photo from ligue1.com.
-Kingsley Coman (LW/RW/CF) (Bayern Munich), photo unattributed at strettynews.com.

-Thanks to transfermkt.com, for player-position info.
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June 4, 2021

England national team, UEFA Euro 2020 (June 2021) – Squad, with projected starting lineup and 15 substitutions (all 26 players).

Filed under: England National Team — admin @ 8:49 am

By Bill Turianski on the 4th of June 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-England Euro-2020 squad (complete lineup), England names final squad for EURO 2020 (by Joe Prince-Wright on 1 June 2021, at soccer.nbcsports.com).
-England National Football team/Current squad (en.wikipedia.org).
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When Gareth Southgate selects a replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, I will update the chart accordingly. Here is an article on that: {England Euro 2020 squad profile: Trent Alexander ruled out (fourfourtwo.com).}

Update, 7 June…Ben White (CB/RB/DMF) (Brighton) has been selected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. {Ben White called into England’s Euro 2020 squad in place of Alexander-Arnold, by Jacob Steinberg on 7 June 2021, at theguardian.com/football).}

Here is a link for England’s Group, with fixtures UEFA Euro 2020 Group D (from en.wikipedia.org).
England’s matches: v Croatia (13 June); v Scotland (18 June); v Czech Republic (22 June).

I have also made a full-squad chart for Belgium {from May 2021, here}. And previously, I made a 15-man squad chart for Scotland, after they secured Euro qualification {from Dec 2020, here}. I will post a full-squad chart for France on the 14th of June (which is one day before France’s first match in the tournament, v Germany).

Below: England national team, 2020 UEFA Euro (June 2021) – Squad, with projected starting lineup and 15 substitutions (all 26 players)

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above -
England 2021 home jersey, from footdealer.com. Illustration of 2021 England kits, from en.wikipedia.org. Blank map of United Kingdom, by Daniel Dalet at d-maps.com. Blank map of England by Nilfanion at File:England relief location map.jpg. England 2021 away badge [3-lions-in-red-on-royal-blue-dark-blue], photo from mysoccerstore.com.
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Photo credits for players & coach…
England players celebrate Harry Maguire’s winning goal versus Poland in World Cup Qualification game on 31 March at Wembley in London; from left: Kyle Walker, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell, Declan Rice; photo by Getty Images via bbc.com/sport/football. Gareth Southgate, photo from thes*n.co.uk via totalfootballanalysis.com.
Goalkeeper… Jordan Pickford (GK) (Everton), photo by Reuters via inews.co.uk/sport.
Defenders…
-Kyle Walker (RB/RMF/CB) (Manchester City), photo by Reuters via sportsmole.co.uk/football.
-John Stones (CB/RB) (Manchester City), photo from premierleague.com/news.
-Harry Maguire (CB) (Manchester United), photo by Chloe Knott/Danehouse/Getty Images via forbes.com.
-Ben Chilwell (CB/RB/LB) (Chelsea), photo unattributed at caughtoffside.com.
Midfielders…
-Kalvin Phillips (DMF/CMF, RMF) (Leeds United), photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images via leeds-live.co.uk/sport.
-Declan Rice (DMF/CB) (West Ham United), photo unattributed at football.london.
-Mason Mount (AMF/CMF/LMF) (Chelsea), photo by Getty Images via thes*n.ie/sport.
Forwards & Wingers…
-Raheem Sterling (LW/RW/CF) (Manchester City), photo unattributed at goal.com.
-Harry Kane (CF) (Tottenham), photo by Daniel Leal Olivas – Pool/Getty Images via football.london.
-Phil Foden (AMF/CMF/LMF) (Manchester City), photo unattributed at technotrenz.com.
Other player-options (Defensive)…
-Reece James (RB/RMF/CB) (Chelsea), unattributed at football.london.
-Conor Coady (CB/RB) (Wolverhampton), photo by AMA via shropshirestar.com/sport.
-Tyrone Mings (CB/LB) (Aston Villa), photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@OfficialTM_3].
-Luke Shaw (LB) (Manchester United), photo by Getty Images via acefootball.com.
Other player-options (Defensive & Midfield)…
-Kieran Trippier (RMF/RB) (Atlético Madrid), photo unattributed at lancs.live/sport.
-Ben White (CB/RB/DMF) (Brighton), photo unattributed at sportslens.com.
-Jordan Henderson (CMF/CB/DMF) (Liverpool), photo by Sean Botterill/Getty Images via lfcglobe.co.uk.
Other player-options (Attacking)…
-Jadon Sancho (RW/LW/AMF) (Borussia Dortmund), photo by AFP via malaymail.com.
-Dominic Calvert-Lewin (CF/LW) (Everton), photo unattributed at vbetnews.com.
-Marcus Rashford (LW/CF/RW) (Manchester United), photo by Getty Images via football.london.
-Jack Grealish (LW/AMF/RW) (Aston Villa), photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images via hitc.com.
Other player-options (backup Goalkeepers & youngest in squad)…
-Aaron Ramsdale (GK) (Sheffield United), photo by Mike Egerton via fourfourtwo.com.
-Sam Johnstone (GK) (West Bromwich Albion), photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images via tbrfootball.com.
-Jude Bellingham (CMF/DMF) (Borussia Dortmund), photo by Getty Images via birminghammail.co.uk/sport.
-Bukayo Saka (RW/LW/LB) (Arsenal), photo by Adam Davy/PA via 247newsaroundtheworld.com/sports.
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May 25, 2021

Belgium national team, UEFA Euro 2020 (June 2021) – Squad, with projected starting lineup and 15 substitutions (all 26 players).

Filed under: Belgium — admin @ 9:58 am

By Bill Turianski on the 25th of May 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Belgium Euro-2020 squad (complete lineup) (fourfourtwo.com [18 May 2021]).
-Belgium National Football team/Current squad (en.wikipedia.org).

-Euro 2020: Guardian Experts’ Network – Euro 2020 team guides part 5: Belgium (by Kristof Terreur at theguardian.com/football [1 June 2021]).

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Below: Belgium national team, 2020 UEFA Euro (June 2021) – Squad, with projected starting lineup and 15 substitutions (all 26 players)

[Note: you can click on the image below to view in a separate, scrollable screen.]

Photo and Image credits above -
Belgium 2021 kits, illustration from en.wikipedia.org. Belgium 2021 jersey, photo from adidas.com. Map of Belgium with linguistic composition, base map by ft.com; caption by billsportsmaps.com.
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Photo credits for players & coach…
Belgium players during 2-0 defeat of England (15 Nov 2020 UEFA Nations League match at Den Dreef Stadion in Heverlee, Belgium), photo by Reuters via malaymail.com.
Coach… Roberto Martínez, photo by Virginia LeFour/Belgium AFP via Getty Images via cnn.com.
Goalkeeper…Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), photo by Real Madrid CF at realmadrid.com.
Defenders…
-Toby Alderweireld (CB/RB) (Tottenham), photo unattributed at lastwordonsports.com.
-Jason Denayer (CB/RB/DMF) (Lyon), photo by Eurasia Sport Images via gettyimages.no.
-Jan Vertonghen (CB/LB) (Benfica), photo by slbenfica.pt.
Midfielders…
-Thomas Meunier (RB/RMF) (Borussia Dortmund), photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@thommills].
-Youri Tielemans (CMF/AMF/DMF) (Leicester City), photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City via Getty Images via leicestermercury.co.uk/sport.
-Leander Dendoncker (DMF/CMF/CB) (Wolverhampton), photo unattributed at footballfancast.com.
-Thorgan Hazard (LW/RW/AMF) (Borussia Dortmund), photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images via fearthewall.com.
Attacking Midfielders & Forwards…
-Kevin De Bruyne (AMF/CMF/RW) (Manchester City), photo unattributed at lastwordonsports.com.
-Romalu Lukaku (CF) (Internazionale), photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images via manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport.
-Dries Mertens (CF/LW) (Napoli), photo by Getty Images via calciomercato.it.
Other player-options…
-Timothy Castagne (RB/RMF/LMF) ( (Leicester City), photo by Tim Keeton/Pool/AFI via Getty Images via leicestermercury.co.uk/sport.
-Dedryck Boyata (CB/LB) (Hertha BSC), photo by Soeren Stache via sportbuzzer.de.
-Thomas Vermaelen (CB/LB) (Vissel Kobe), photo by J-League via Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
-Nacer Chadli (LW/RW/AMF) (İstanbul Başakşehir), photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
-Axel Witsel (CMF/DMF) (Borussia Dortmund), photo unattributed at voetbal24.be.
-Dennis Praet (CMF/AMF/LMF) (Leicester City), photo by Visionhaus via foxesofleicester.com.
-Yannick Carrasco (LMF/LW/RW) (Atlético Madrid), photo by Nur Photo via Getty Images via forbes.com.
-Eden Hazard (LW/AMF/RW) (Real Madrid), photo by Javier Soriano/AFP via france24.com.
-Christian Benteke (CF) (Crystal Palace), photo unattributed at sportslens.com.
-Michy Batshuayi (CF) (Chelsea, on loan to Crystal Palace), photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
-Leandro Trossard (LMF/AMF/FW) (Brighton & Hove Albion), photo by Premier League at premierleague.com.
Other player-options (backup ‘keepers & 3rd stringers)…
-Simon Mignolet (GK) (Club Brugge), photo by Sebastien Smets / Photo News via Getty Images via tbrfootball.com.
-Matz Sels (GK) (RC Strasbourg), photo unattributed at madeinfoot.ouest-france.fr/photos-foot.
-Jérémy Doku (RW/LW) (Rennes), photo by Photo News via hln.be.
-Hans Vanaken (AMF/CMF/LMF) (Club Brugge), photo by Photo News via hln.be.
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May 16, 2021

Norway: 2021 Eliteserien – Location-maps, with 2 charts: Seasons-in-1st-division (current clubs) & All-time Norwegian titles list./+Bodø/Glimt: the northern-most team on the planet to have won a top-flight national football title.

Filed under: Norway — admin @ 12:33 pm

Norway: 2021 Eliteserien – Location-maps, with 2 charts: Seasons-in-1st-division (current clubs) & All-time Norwegian titles list
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By Bill Turianski on the 16th of May 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Norway – Summary (table, fixtures, results, stats, etc) (soccerway.com).
-Eliteserien (en.wikipedia.org).

-Norwegian Eliteserien 2021 club-by-club preview, from reddit.com/soccer by ZxentixZ (from 9 May 2021, at us.reddit.com/r/soccer).

The map shows the 16 teams in the 2021 Eliteserien, the top-flight football league of Norway, which plays from May to November. On the map-page there is also an inset-map of the Greater Oslo/Oslofjord region, which shows the 8 Eliteserien teams from that area. There is also a bit of demographic info on Norway, found at the upper-left of the map page, and below that is a list showing all 7 metro-areas in Norway that have a population above 100,000.

On the map, for each the 16 Eliteserien clubs of 2021, there are shown the following:
Location, club crest, full club name and year of origin, stadium (and its capacity), 2019 average attendance [which was the most recent season before the COVID-19 pandemic affected attendance figures], and Norwegian titles.

At the upper-right of the map-page there is a brief history of Norwegian top-flight football [fotball].

And there are 2 charts. One chart shows Seasons-in-Top-flight for the current clubs (2021 is the 77th season of top-flight football in Norway). And another chart shows the All-time Norwegian titles list (1938-’39; 1947-2020).

A couple other notes…The inset-map of Greater Oslo/Oslofjord region shows the populated areas there in a pale-red colour. The main map shows all the cities in the Scandinavian and Baltic Sea regions which have metro-area populations above 400,000. Those 15 cities are…St Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Minsk (Belarus), Oslo (Norway), Helsinki (Finland), Gothenburg (Sweden), Gdansk (Poland), Kiel (Germany), Riga (Latvia), Malmo (Sweden), Kaliningrad (Russia), Vilnius (Lithuania), Bergen (Norway), Tallinn (Estonia).

And the Arctic Circle is shown (see below for the reason for that).

Last season an unlikely champion was crowned in Norway: Bodø/Glimt
Bodø/Glimt are located just north of the Arctic Circle, in the small town of Bodø, Nordland, population, 52,000. (The town of Bodø is further north than Fairbanks, Alaska.) At the foot of this post, in the illustration for Bodø/Glimt, there is a synopsis of their history, which I will expand on a bit more below…

Before 1963, clubs from the north of Norway were not allowed to compete in the Norwegian Cup. That is, clubs from the two northern-most Norwegian counties of Nordland, and Troms og Finnmark, were barred by the Norwegian football authorities (the NFF, or Norges Fotballforbund. They also were barred from the Norwegian top flight.

It took until 1972 for the NFF to finally allow northern teams the right to compete for promotion to the top division. The first club from Northern Norway to gain promotion to the top flight was FK Mjølner, of Narvik, in 1972 (but they were relegated the following season). (I put Narvik on the map in case you were wondering where it is located.)

Why this long standing policy of exclusion? Well, by the 1970s, there were teams up north that were good enough – it was simply that the southern-biased NFF smugly felt otherwise. In 1975, Bodø/Glimt showed how good teams from the north were by becoming the first club from Northern Norway to win the Norwegian Football Cup.

But meanwhile, the NFF had stacked the deck against northern clubs trying to win promotion from the second tier. They did this right after the aforementioned FK Mjølner got promoted in 1972. So staring in 1973, the NFF put all the northern teams in a separate division – one of three divisions within the second tier – then made it much more difficult for the winner of that northern-subdivision. Because the other two subdivisions in the 2nd tier were comprised entirely of southern Norwegian teams, and the winners in both those subdivisions got instant promotion to the top flight. But the northern subdivision winner had to also win an extra playoff round (versus both the 2nd-place-finishers from the two southern subdivision) to gain promotion. This stilted system lasted until 1978.

This exclusionary state of affairs kept Bodø/Glimt out of the top flight for 3 years, until 1976, when they beat Odd BK 4-0 and drew 1-1 with FK Lyn. That made Bodø/Glimt the second club from Northern Norway to play in the top flight. (The only other club from Northern Norway to have gained promotion to the top flight is Tromsø IL.) In 1977, in Bodø/Glimt’s first season in the top tier, they finished in 2nd place, 8 points behind the champions, Lillestrøm.

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Since then, Bodø/Glimt have won one more Norwegian Cup (in 1993), and have had a 13-year spell stuck back in the 2nd tier and 3rd tier (from 1980 to ’92), as well as a 13-year spell back in the top tier (from 1993 to 2005, including a 2nd-place-finish in 2003). Then, in the early 2000s they basically turned into a yo-yo club (3 relegations and 3 promotions since 2005). That all changed in 2019, when Bodø/Glimt turned into a competitor for the title once more, finishing in 2nd place. Then in 2020, Bodø/Glimt ran away with the title.

By winning the Eliteserien by 19-points last November, Bodø/Glimt became the northern-most team on the planet to have won a top-flight national football title. And so three years after their most recent promotion, Bodø/Glimt transformed themselves from a yo-yo club that inevitably sold off their best players in order to make ends meet, into the national champions.

In 2020, Bodø/Glimt scored an astounding 3.4 goals per game, and had a +71 goal difference. And Bodø/Glimt lost only twice all season – losing once to then-reigning champions Molde, and losing in the Europa League qualifiers to Italian giants AC Milan. Bodø/Glimt’s unusual title run has led many to call them the Leicester City of Scandinavia.

-Norway Has a Must-See Team. Barely Anyone Can Watch It. Bodo/Glimt is on the cusp of its first championship, a soccer success story built on style and innovation… (by Rory Smith on 8 Nov 2020 at nytimes.com/sport).

-Bodo/Glimt make history with Norwegian Eliteserien title win (from 22 Nov 2020, at bbc.com/football).

Bodø/Glimt – 2020 Norwegian champions

Photo and Image credits above – Aspmyra Stadion, by Stig-André Lippert at twitter.com/[@paabortebane]. Aerial shot of Bodø harbor and airstrip, photo from nordlandssykehuset.no. Aerial shot of Bodø, by Getty Images via forbes.com. Bodø air station with fighter plane aloft, photo from wikimapia.org/[Bodø airbase]. Bjørn Mannsverk beside fighter plane, photo by an.no via origo.hu/futball. Bodø/Glimt mental coach Bjørn Mannsverk, in a session with team-coach Håvard Sakariassen and captain Ulrik Saltnes, photo by Markus André Jensen via bodonu.no. Kjetil Knutsen, photo by Marius Simensen/Bildbyrån Norway via . Kjetil Knutsen with Bodø players, photo from time24.news. Kasper Junker, screenshot from video uploaded by Furkan Buğra Yolcu at youtube.com. Phillip Zinckernagel, screenshot from video uploaded by CSN Football Videos at youtube.com. Jens Peter Hauge, photo by @imagoimages via rossoneriblog.com. Ulrik Saltnes, photo by Mats Torbergsen (NTB scanpix) via nettavisen.no/sport. Bodø players celebrate after a goal, photo from glimt.no/om-klubben.
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Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of Scandinavia, by NordNordWest at File:Scandinavia location map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Globe-map of Norway, by Rob984 at File:Europe-Norway (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Inset map of Oslofjord region – which I drew, tracing the following maps…blank map of Oslofjord region, by Demis.nl via File:La2-demis-oslofjorden.png (commons.wikimedia.org); Demis Map Server; Map of Oslofjord, by Finnrind at File:Oslofjord.svg; + Open Street Map [Oslofjord].
-Counties map of Norway, by Furfur at File:Nye fylker – regjeringen.no.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Rankings: Norway club co-efficient: kassiesa.net; Norway national team: fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking.
-Norwegian football history: Det norske seriesystemet i fotball for menn (no.wikipedia.org).

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May 7, 2021

Sweden: 2021 Allsvenskan – Location-maps, with 2 charts: Seasons-in-1st-division (current clubs) & All-time Swedish titles list.

Filed under: Sweden — admin @ 9:18 am

Sweden: 2021 Allsvenskan – Location-maps, with 2 charts: Seasons-in-1st-division (current clubs) & All-time Swedish titles list
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By Bill Turianski on the 7th of May 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Sweden – Summary (table, fixtures, results, stats, etc) (soccerway.com)
-2021 Allsvenskan (en.wikipedia.org).

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The map shows the 16 teams in the 2021 Allsvenskan, the top-flight football league of Sweden, which plays from April to November. On the map-page there are also two inset-maps: of Gothenburg (showing the 2 Allsvenskan clubs located there), and of Stockholm (showing the 3 Allsvenskan clubs located there). There is also a bit of demographic info on Sweden, found at the upper-left of the map-page. And below that is a list showing all 10 urban areas in Sweden that have a population above 100,000 {using data from this list: List of urban areas in Sweden by population}. And over at the top-right of the map-page are Sweden’s current football rankings… {As of May 2021: FIFA worldwide rank [national team]: #18; UEFA European rank [national team]: #13; National league-rank (UEFA): #23; Allsvenskan overall league average attendance [pre-COVID-19 pandemic]: 9,116 per game (2019).}

On the map…For each of the 16 Allsvenskan clubs of 2021, there is shown the following…
Location. Club crest. Full club name, and year of origin. Stadium (and its capacity). 2019 average attendance [which was the most recent season before the COVID-19 pandemic affected attendance figures]. Swedish titles.

And there are 2 charts. One chart shows Seasons-in-Top-flight for the current clubs (2021 is the 97th season of top-flight football in Sweden). And another chart shows the All-time Swedish titles list (1896-1925; 1931-2020).

The map shows all the cities in the Scandinavian and Baltic Sea regions which have metro-area populations above 400,000. Those 15 cities are…St Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Minsk (Belarus), Oslo (Norway), Helsinki (Finland), Gothenburg (Sweden), Gdansk (Poland), Kiel (Germany), Riga (Latvia), Malmo (Sweden), Kaliningrad (Russia), Vilnius (Lithuania), Bergen (Norway), Tallinn (Estonia).
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The most successful clubs, and the best-drawing clubs, in Sweden…
The club with the most seasons played in the Swedish top flight is AIK of Solna, in Stockholm. The black-and-gold-clad AIK have played 92 of the 97 Swedish top-flight seasons, and 2021 is their 16th consecutive season in the 1st tier. (AIK’s dark-blue-and-gold castle-motif crest is pretty distinctive, and looks even better on their black home jerseys.) Second-most seasons in the top flight belongs to IFK Göteborg, of Gothenburg (the second city of Sweden). The blue-and-white-striped IFK Göteborg have played 85 top flight seasons – and 45 consecutive. Those 45 straight top flight seasons for IFK Göteborg is the current best in Sweden. As for the most Swedish titles, that honor goes to the light-blue-and-white-clad Malmö FF, of Malmö, who are reigning champions and have won the title 21 times. Malmö FF is where Zlatan Ibrahimović got his start. (Malmö, which is connected to Copenhagen, Denmark, via the Øresund bridge/tunnel, is the 3rd-largest city in Sweden.)

And there you have what many refer to as the Big 3 of Sweden…AIK, IFK Göteborg, and Malmö FF. The three entered into an informal alliance in the 1970s under the partnership name ‘The Three Traditional Teams of Sweden’. And the three have produced the most players who ended up playing for the Swedish national team (although these days over 75% of the Swedish national team plays abroad). {Big Three (Sweden) (en.wikipedia.org).}

However, calling those three clubs (AIK, Göteborg, and Malmö) the Big 3 ignores a couple of significant aspects of Swedish football. Because there is one club that draws as well as, and wins as many titles as, members of this Big 3. That club is Djurgården {see next paragraph}. And also because, these days, there is one club which draws better than the Big 3 in Sweden, and that is Stockholm’s green-and-white-clad Hammarby IF. Although they draw over 20-thousand-per-game, Hammarby have only won one title, in 2001. Hammarby is a club that is traditionally comprised of more left-wing supporters than the other two big Stockholm clubs. Despite its large following, Hammarby has very often been either relegation-threatened or stuck in the second division. Hammarby used to play at the 12,000-capacity Söderstadion, in Söderort (the southern suburban part of the Stockholm Municipality). And circa 1998 to 2007, Hammarby were often playing to nearly-full-capacity there, drawing in the 10.9-K to 16.0-K range, which was still not enough to lead the country in football attendance (attendance leader in Sweden in that 10-year time-frame was either AIK or Malmö). That changed when Hammarby (along with Djurgården) moved into the new 30,000-capacity Tele2 Arena in September 2013. For Hammarby, it was a move of a only a ½ kilometer to the new stadium. In 2014, in their first full season at the new and much larger venue, second-division Hammarby won promotion, and led all of Sweden in attendance, at 20-K per game. In the following season of 2015, Hammarby, now back in the top flight, drew a record-setting 25.5-K-per game. And so now Hammarby are the best-drawing Swedish club, and drew in the 22-K to 25-K-range in the five seasons between 2015 and ’19. {2019 Allsvenskan attendances from E-F-S site}. So in that sense, Hammarby are sort of like the Newcastle United of Sweden – a club that has a huge fan base yet have an almost barren trophy cabinet and are often relegation-threatened.

And meanwhile, there is a Swedish club outside the Big 3 that draws better than one of the Big 3, and is just as successful as another of the Big 3. That club is the navy-blue-and-light-blue-clad Djurgårdens IF, of Stockholm, who were the 2019 title-winners. Djurgården have won just as many titles as local rivals AIK (12 titles each). Djurgården draws only slightly less than AIK (Djurgården drew 15.9-K in 2019, compared to AIK’s 18.9-K), but Djurgården draws better than IFK Göteborg (who drew 12.8-K in 2019). Djurgården are popularly known as the posh club of Stockholm. Djurgården played at the 30-K-capacity stadium-with-running-track Stockholms Stadion, in Stockholm’s north-eastern side, for 68 years (1936-1993). In 2013 they moved to southern Stockholm into the new Tele2 Arena (along with Hammarby). But Djurgården have not had the huge attendance-increase, like Hammarby, at the new stadium, but are drawing well nonetheless, drawing between 12.3-K and 16.2-K in the five seasons from 2015 to ’19. I think one would have to discount Hammarby for lack of titles, but Djurgården belongs in the conversation about the biggest clubs in Sweden: it really should be the Big 4.

But even that would be inaccurate, because there is another successful Swedish club with a decent sized fanbase that deserves a mention here. And that is the white-and-blue-clad IFK Norrköping, from the small city of Norrköping (population 95,000). IFK Norrköping have won the third-most Swedish titles – 13 (most recently in 2015). Norrköping have played the fourth-most seasons in the Allsvenskan – 80. From 2015 to ’19, Norrköping have drawn in the 8.4-K to 10.4-K-range, which is not bad at all for a club from a city with slightly less than 100,000 inhabitants.

At the time of this posting [Friday 7 May 2021], after 4 games, Djurgården leads the Allsvenskan, with 4 wins (including beating Malmö 3-1 last weekend).

{Here is a link to a post I made on the highest-drawing football clubs from the Nordic countries [from July 2016]. It features illustrations for the 5 Swedish clubs which had drawn above 10,000-per-game in 2015 (Hammarby, AIK, Malmö FF, Djurgården, IFK Göteborg, Norrköping).}.

{flashscore.co.uk/football/sweden/allsvenskan.}
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Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of Scandinavia, by NordNordWest at File:Scandinavia location map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Globe-map of Sweden, by Rob984 at File:EU-Sweden_(orthographic_projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Map of Gothenburg area, segment of map by NordNordWest at File:Sweden location map, 40south.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Map of Greater Stockholm, segment of map by Eric Frohne at File:Sweden Stockholm location map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Attendance figures, european-football-statistics.co.uk.
-Football rankings, football-ranking.com.
-Goteborgs IF crest, from klubbmarken.com/goteborg.htm.

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April 18, 2021

2021 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 32-team Group Stage, with Club Histories (Libertadores appearances & titles listed); plus 2 charts: Libertadores titles by club & by country.

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 4:44 pm

2021 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 32-team Group Stage, with Club Histories (Libertadores appearances & titles listed); plus 2 charts: Libertadores titles by club & by country
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By Bill Turianski on the 18th of April 2021; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-2021 Copa Libertadores/Group Stage (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary – CONMEBOL Libertadores [2021] (soccerway.com).

The Group Stage (of 32) begins on 20-22 April (1st game-week).
The Group Stage, consisting of 6 match-weeks, will last six weeks – no break weeks this season. This is of course because the tournament was delayed in starting, due to the COVID pandemic.

The preliminary stages finished 13-15 April, and of the 19 preliminary-stage teams, the four teams to survive were:
Atlético Nacional (COL), Independiente del Valle (ECU), Junior (COL), Santos (BRA).

So that makes the breakdown for the 2021 Libertadores Group Stage the following…
• Brazil, 7 teams (6 teams [including 1 team from the preliminaries] + the Cup Holder: Palmeiras).
• Argentina, 6 teams (5 teams + the Copa Sudamericana winner: Defensa y Justicia).
• Colombia, 4 teams [including 2 teams from the preliminaries].
• Ecuador, 3 teams [including 1 team from the preliminaries].
• Uruguay, 2 teams.
• Paraguay, 2 teams.
• Chile, 2 teams.
• Peru, 2 teams.
• Bolivia, 2 teams.
• Venezuela, 2 teams.

There are two clubs making their Libertadores Group Stage debuts…
•Rentistas. From Montevideo, Uruguay, located in the Cerrito neighborhood in the northern part of the city (about 13 km/8 miles north of central Montevideo). Club Atlético Rentistas have played 28 seasons of top flight fútbol. Rentistas are somewhat of a yo-yo club, with 7 separate spells in the Uruguayan Primera División since 1971. Rentistas won promotion from the second tier in 2019. Then, back in the top flight after a four-year absence, they finished tied for first, with Club Nacional, in the 2020 Uruguayan Primera División Apertura (15-game mini-season which ended in October). That alone gave them qualification for the 2021 Libertadores Group Stage. Rentistas went on to win the Apertura tie-breaker match with Nacional in mid-October 2020. But in April 2021, Rentistas lost to Nacional in the 3-team 2020 Uruguayan Primera División Championship Play-offs, losing 3-1 aggregate. Rentistas play in the 10,600-capacity Estadio Complejo Rentistas (opened 1998), which is owned by the club. Here is a recent aerial photo (from August 2020) of Estadio Complejo Rentistas {twitter.com/[@nahuelzn}. Rentistas wear red jerseys and white pants.
•Unión La Calera. From La Calera, in an interior valley within the Valparaiso region of Chile, located (by road) 114 km (71 mi) north-west of Santiago. La Calera is rather small to have a top-flight club: it has a population of around 50,000 {2017 figure}. Unión La Calera have played 24 seasons of top flight fútbol (including 8 of the last 10 seasons). In the 2020 Chilean Primera División, Unión La Calera were runners-up to Universidad Católica, thus qualifying for the group stage of the 2021 Libertadores. Unión La Calera play at Estadio Municipal Nicolás Chahuán Nazar, which has a 9,200 capacity. Here is a photo of the futuristic municipal stadium that Unión La Calera play in {plataformaarquitectura.cl/estadio-municipal-nicolas-chahuan-nazar}. The venue-site dates back to 1950, but the original stadium was demolished, and an entrirely new stadium was constructed in 2017-19. Unión La Calera wear all-red kits and have a simple yet smart-looking crest which is a disk in two shades of red, with a U-L-C sans-serif wordmark in navy blue and green.

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Thanks to all at the links below...
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Blank map of South America by Anbans 585 at File:CONMEBOL laea location map without rivers.svg (en.wikipedia.org/[2018 Copa Libertadores]).
-Blank map of Greater Buenos Aires, by NordNordWest at File:Argentina Greater Buenos Aires location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-2021 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Copa Libertadores 1960-2019 Club Histories (rsssf.com).
-Libertadores titles list {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Libertadores#Performances_by_club}.

Thanks to James Nalton at World Football Index.com for tweets & re-tweets {World Football Index.com}.

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