billsportsmaps.com

November 13, 2022

Billsportsmaps’ 15th anniversary throwback: Hockey of the North Atlantic, circa 1994 [hand-drawn map].

Filed under: 15th anniversary maps,Hand Drawn Maps,Hockey — admin @ 10:12 pm

By Bill Turianski ; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Billsportsmaps.com had its 15th year anniversary, on the 17th of August 2022. So I am posting a series of maps from the early days of this blog. This map was originally posted in October 2007.

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This is a map from my early days of sports maps, back in 1994. I was using a semi-transparent Bienfang watercolor-weight paper. First, I traced, onto that paper, the outlines from an enlarged photo-copied map (from an atlas). Then I used Swiss-made Caran d’Ache watercolor pencils, and plain graphite pencil. As you can see, back then, I was way more into the unbridled use of color and form, and less into accuracy. I can remember, halfway into the map, deciding to put in minor-league hockey clubs, only to realize (pre-Internet) that I had little chance of finding the logos for most of these small clubs. So I improvised: 1993 Ontario Hockey League trading cards I had helped (for logos of teams like the Sudbury Wolves, the Owen Sound Platers, and the Belleville Bulls); and for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams, I just used their names alone. This map has teams from the National Hockey League; the American Hockey League; the aforementioned OHL and QMJHL; and the East Coast Hockey League. Minor league affiliations of all 16 of the 1993-94 AHL clubs are noted by small logos of their parent NHL clubs. (1993-94 AHL/NHL affiliations: Adirondack Red Wings/Detroit Red Wings; Albany River Rats/New Jersey Devils; Binghamton Rangers/New York Rangers; Cape Breton Oilers/Edmonton Oilers; Cornwall Aces/Quebec Nordiques; Fredericton Canadiens/Montreal Canadiens; Hamilton Canucks/Vancouver Canucks; Hershey Bears/Philadelphia Flyers; Moncton Hawks/Winnipeg Jets (I); Portland Pirates/Washington Capitals; Prince Edward Island Senators/Ottawa Senators; Providence Bruins/Boston Bruins; Rochester Amerks/Buffalo Sabres; Springfield Indians/Hartford Whalers; Saint John Flames/Calgary Flames; St. John’s Maple Leafs/Toronto Maple Leafs). After I scanned the drawing in 2007, I cleaned it up slightly, added team names in Arial font, and tightened some of the circles on the map. The player in the map’s legend is New York Ranger goalie Mike Richter, with his Statue of Liberty mask, and in his 1994 NHL All-Star Game uniform. {1994-97 NHL All-Star uniforms (nhluniforms.com).}

Hockey of the North Atlantic, circa 1994 [hand-drawn map]

http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/hockey_of_the_north_atlantic2_2022_c_.gif



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November 1, 2022

2022-23 FA Cup, 1st Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances./+ A club making its first FA Cup 1st Round appearance: Needham Market FC.

Filed under: >2022-23 FA Cup — admin @ 9:24 am

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2022-23 FA Cup, 1st Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on the 1st of November 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2022-23 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup 2022-23 1st Round Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).

The FA Cup – the oldest football tournament in the world – begins its 142nd edition on Friday the 4th of November 2022. Of the 40 matches to be played in the First Round Proper, there are: 2 games on Friday the 4th, 33 games on Saturday the 5th, 4 games on Sunday the 6th, and 1 game on Monday the 7th. Televised matches are (with clubs’ league-levels noted)…Friday: Hereford (6) v Portsmouth (3); Saturday: South Shields (7) v Forest Green Rovers (3); Sunday [early]: Wrexham (5) v Oldham Athletic (5), and Sunday [late]: Torquay United (5) v Derby County (3); Monday: Bracknell Town (7) v Ipswich Town (3).

A club making its first FA Cup 1st Round appearance: Needham Market FC.
-Luke Ingram’s strike seals Needham Market a 1-0 victory over National League Maidstone United and a place in the FA Cup first round (by Alex Moss on 15 Oct 2022 at suffolknews.co.uk).

The town of Needham Market is located in Suffolk, 9 miles (14 km) (by road) NW of Ipswich. And Needham Market is located, by road, 89 miles (143 km) NE of central London. Needham Market serves somewhat as a bedroom community of Ipswich (Ipswich is the 38th-largest urban area in the UK). Needham Market FC are called the Marketmen, and wear red-with-black. Needham Market have been in the 7th tier since 2015, when they won the Isthmian North. After 3 seasons in the Isthmian Premier, the club migrated over in 2018 to the then-expanded Southern League, into the new Southern Premier Division Central. Needham Market finished in 11th place in 2018-19, and following the two abandoned seasons due to Covid, Needham Market finished in 12th place in 2021-22. Currently [1 Nov 2022], Needham Market are in 8th place in the Southern D1 Central (with a couple games in hand), and are averaging 240 per game at their ground, Bloomfields.

Needham Market are managed by Kevin Horlock (age 49), a former midfielder who made 491 appearances, including with Swindon Town and with Manchester City in the Premier League (in 1993-94 and in 2000-01, respectively). (See photo and caption below.) The latter part of Horlock’s playing career included stints with West Ham and with Ipswich Town, and he finished with then-9th-tier side Needham Market, in 2008. Joining the Needham Market coaching staff, Horlock became assistant manager in 2010; he also set up the club’s academy. Horlock was then hired as manager of Kent-based Chatham Town (2015-16). Horlock was then was hired as manager of Suffolk-based Maldon & Tiptree (2016-18), before being re-hired back at Needham Market, in February 2020, this time as their manager.

To make it to the 2022-23 FA Cup 1st Round, Needham Market beat 4 teams: 7th-tier Suffolk-based Leiston (2-0, at home in front of 271); 9th-tier Norfolk-based Sheringham (3-1, at home in front of 176); 7th-tier Essex-based Brightlingsea Regent (2-0, at home in front of 308); and 5th-tier, Kent-based Maidstone United (1-0, at home in front of 477). By beating Maidstone United, Needham Market qualified for the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s 103-year history. In Maidstone United, Needham Market beat a club two league-levels and 35 league-places above them. The only goal in that 4th qualifying round match was scored by the longest-serving Needham Market player, FW Luke Ingram, in the 9th minute. MF Jake Dye’s long left-wing cross found Luke Ingram near the right post, and after winning the ball from his marker, Ingram was able to side-foot-volley the ball past the Maidstone keeper and into the net (see screenshot and photos below). Here is the report from the Needham Market FC site, {Ingram Volleys Marketmen To FA Cup History}. Here is a youtube video of the match; the goal can be found at 1:07 on the 5-minute video {Needham Market 1-0 Maidstone United [4th QR FA Cup, 15 Oct 2022]}. In the FA Cup First Round Proper, Needham Market have been drawn to play away to Staffordshire-based Burton Albion, a 3rd-tier side currently in the relegation-zone – so Needham Market could have a chance for an upset.

needham-market-fc_2022_qualified-for-fa-cup-1st-round_first-time-ever_bloomfields_i_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – ’22-23 Needham Market jersey, photo from totalfootballdirect.com. Needham Market High Street, photo by Gregg Brown at eadt.co.uk/news. Aerial shot of Bloomfields complex, by John Fielding at flickr.com. -Needham Market manager Kevin Horlock, photo unattributed at dailyadvent.com/gb/news. Panoramic photo of Bloomfield ground, by The Wycombe Wanderer at footygrounds.blogspot.com. Luke Ingram scores winner, 1 screenshot from video uploaded by Stones TV at youtube.com; 2 photos by Ben Pooley via mobile.twitter.com/[@needhammktfc]. Screenshot of Needham Market players celebrating after final whistle, from twitter.com/[@needhammktfc].



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Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-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.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-Soccerway (current average attendances for the 3rd division, the 4th division, the 5th division, and the 6th level).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 7th level).

October 19, 2022

France: 2022-23 Ligue 1 – Location-map with 3 Charts (Attendance/finish; Seasons-in-1st-Division; French Titles list)./+ the 3 promoted clubs (Toulouse, Ajaccio, Auxerre).

Filed under: France — admin @ 12:31 pm

france_ligue-1_2022-23_location-map_w-3-charts_attendance_seasons-in-1st-div_french-titles-list_post_e_.gif
France: 2022-23 Ligue Un – Location-map with 3 Charts



By Bill Turianski on the 19th of October 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022-23 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org).
-Ligue 1 – Summary: matches, table, players, etc. (soccerway.com).
-Get French Football…your home of French football in English (getfootballnewsfrance.com).
-Football en France: Histoire, stats et classement sur la Ligue 1 (pari-et-gagne.com).

The map shows the twenty clubs in the current season of the French Ligue 1 [2022-23].
The map features the locations and crests of the 20 current Ligue Un clubs, plus the recently-promoted and -relegated teams are noted. (Promoted in 2022: Toulouse, Ajaccio, Auxerre; relegated in 2022: Saint-Étienne, Metz, Bordeaux.) Also shown on the map are the 10 largest French cities, and the 13 Regions of Metropolitan France (aka European France). {Largest French cities’ metropolitan area populations from 2016 census, here}. The major French rivers are also shown on the map, and at the foot of the map the 10 longest rivers in France are listed (with brief descriptions).

Also shown on the top chart are the consecutive seasons each club has currently spent in the top tier…
Paris Saint-Germain are the current longest-serving member of Ligue 1, with 49 straight seasons (PSG have also won 8 of the last 10 French titles, including 2021-22). Second-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Lyon, with 34 straight seasons (Lyon won 7 straight French titles from 2002 to ’08). Third-longest top-flight tenure had previously belonged to Bordeaux, with 30 straight seasons, but Bordeaux were relegated in May. So now, the 3rd-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Rennes [of Brittany], with 29 straight seasons (Rennes is the largest [ie, the best-supported] French club without a Ligue 1 title). Fourth-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Olympique Marseille, with 27 straight seasons (OM have won 9 titles; last in 2010). And the 5th-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Lille, with 23 straight seasons (Lille have won 4 French titles, their last title won two seasons ago in 2020-21).

The second chart is the All-time French professional titles list.
Two clubs share the most French titles, at 10: reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, and just-relegated Saint-Étienne. (Saint-Étienne’s last title came 42 seasons ago, in 1981.) Marseille have won the second-most French titles, with 9. (Marseille last won it in 2010). Paris Saint-Germain are by far the most wealthy club in the country, to the point of making a mockery of any notion of a balanced competition. (PSG are owned by a subsidiary of the slave-owning Gulf state Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.)

The third chart is on the left-hand side of the map page: it shows 2021-22 attendance for the 20 current Ligue 1 clubs [2022-23]. Olympique Marseille, perennial top-draw in France, were yet again the highest-drawing club, at 52,193 per game. OM played to 76%-capacity at their Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marseille. 2nd-best draw were PSG at 41.3-K per game, and they played to 87%-capacity at Parc des Princes in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. 3rd-best draw were Lille OSC, at 34.1-K per game, playing to 69%-capacity at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (Métropole Européenne de Lille). 4th-best drawing club were Olympique Lyon, who drew 32.3-K per game, playing to 53%-capacity at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu (in Métropole de Lyon). 5th-best draw in France were RC Lens, who drew 28.5-K per game, playing to 70%-capacity at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. RC Lens, like Lille OSC, are located in Métropole Européenne de Lille, up in the north near the border with Belgium, in the Pas-des-Calais department. 6th-best draw were RC Strasbourg, who drew 23.5-K per game at Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg. Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace filled their stadium best in France last season, at 90%-capacity. {Percent capacity figures can be found here: soccerway.com/[Ligue 1 2021-22].}

The attendance chart also lists each club’s 2021-22 finish. Also noted are the 6 European qualifiers from France for this season, and the 3 promoted clubs. The 6 European qualifiers from France for this season [2022-23] are:
-2 teams in the Champions League Group Stage (PSG, Marseille); and 1 team in CL 3rd QR (Monaco).
-2 teams in the Europa League Group Stage (Rennes, Nantes).
-1 team in the Europa Conference play-off round (Nice).




2022: Toulouse FC, promoted back to Ligue 1 after 2 years…
Toulouse were relegated in 2020, drawing 14.2 K per game. In their second year down in Ligue 2 (2021-22) Toulouse won the division, drawing a 2nd-tier-best 11.9 K per game. In 2022-23, back in Ligue 1, after 6 home matches, Toulouse were drawing significantly higher, at 23.4-K per game. {Attendance: worldfootball.net/attendance/[Ligue-1-2022-23].} Counting 2022-23, Toulouse have played 33 seasons of Ligue 1 football.
toulouse_promoted-in-2022_stadium-of-toulouse_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – 2021-22 Toulouse jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Aerial shot of Stadium de Toulouse, by Julien Lavigne [May 2022] at google.com/maps.




2022: AC Ajaccio – promoted back to Ligue 1 after 8 years.
AC Ajaccio were previously in Ligue 1 for a 3-year-spell from 2012 to ’14. Ajaccio’s first season in Ligue 1 was in 1967-68. AC Ajaccio were the first Corsican club to play in Ligue 1. Counting 2022-23, AC Ajaccio have played 14 seasons in Ligue 1.
ajaccio_promoted-in-2022_stade-francois-coty_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of arms of Ajaccio, from heraldry-wiki.com. 2021-22 Ajaccio jersey, from fifacm.com/22. Aerial photo of Stade François Coty, by OrsuAiaccinu at commons.wikimedia.org.




2022: AJ Auxerre – promoted back to Ligue 1 after 10 years.
AJ Auxerre were French champions in 1995-96. Counting 2022-23, AJ Auxerre have played 33 seasons in Ligue 1. The city of Auxerre is the fourth-largest in Burgandy, with a city population of around 34,000 and a metro-area population of around 113,000. With the possible exception of current-4th-division club FC Sète, AJ Auxerre are the club from the smallest city to have won a Ligue 1 title. (Sète [which is located near Montpellier], with a city-population of around 43,000, is a bit larger than Auxerre – by 9,000 or so, but Auxerre has a larger metro-area.)
auxerre_promoted-in-2022_stade-de-l-abbe-deschamps_e_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of Arms of Auxerre, from heraldry-wiki.com. 2021-22 Auxerre jersey, photo unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps aerial done photo by Michel Guibert at mobile.twitter.com/[@MikeGuib].




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Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of France by Superbenjamin at File:France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Globe-map of France by Rob984 at File:EU-France (orthographic projection).svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Seasons-in-1st-division data, from pari-et-gagne.com/[Bilan historique Ligue 1].
-Longest rivers in France, from worldatlas.com/[longest-rivers-in-france].
-Largest French cities (2016 census figures of metropolitan-areas), from insee.fr via en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area_(France)#List_of_France’s_aires_urbaines_(metropolitan_areas).
-2022-23 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org and fr.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance: worldfootball.net/attendance/[Ligue-1-2022-23].

October 5, 2022

Italy: Serie A, 2022-23 season – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance (2021-22), Seasons-in 1st-Division [current clubs] & All-time Italian Titles list./ + The 3 promoted clubs (Lecce, Cremonese, Monza).

Filed under: Italy — admin @ 4:12 pm

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Italy: Serie A, 2022-23 season – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance, Seasons-in 1st-Division [current clubs] & All-time Italian Titles list



By Bill Turianski on the 5th October 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-2022-23 Serie A (en.wikipedia.org).
-Serie A page at WorldFootball.net.
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, etc…Serie A/summary (soccerway.com).
-English-speaking coverage of Italian football…Forza Italian football.com.

The map page has a location-map of 2022-23 Serie A, along with 3 charts.
The location-map features each club’s home kit [2022-23]. The map also shows the 20 Regions of Italy. And the map also shows the 11 largest cities in Italy (2020 metropolitan-area figures) {Metropolitan cities of Italy}. The cities’ population figures can be seen at the top of the location-map. Also, the map shows the locations of both the 3 promoted clubs and the 3 relegated clubs from 2022…Promoted to Serie A for 2022-23: Lecce, Cremonese, Monza; relegated to Serie B for 2022-23: Cagliari, Genoa, Venezia.

The 3 Charts…
The Attendance chart shows 2021-22 home domestic league average attendance, and lists each club’s 2021-22 finish. Also noted are the 7 European qualifiers from Italy for this season, and the 3 promoted clubs. The 7 European qualifiers from Italy for this season [2022-23] are:
-4 teams in the Champions League Group Stage (Milan, Inter, Napoli, Juventus).
-2 teams in the Europa League Group Stage (Lazio, Roma).
-1 team in the Europa Conference play-off round (Fiorentina).

The chart on the upper-right-hand side of the map page shows Seasons-in-1st-Division [current clubs/2022-23]. Alongside that are shown each club’s consecutive seasons in Serie A. Or, with the case of the 3 promoted clubs, the chart shows when they were last in the top division: Lecce returns to Serie A after 2 seasons; Cremonese returns to Serie A after 26 seasons; Monza joins Serie A for the first time ever.

The chart at the lower-right-hand side of the map page shows the All-time Italian Titles list (1898-1915; 1920-43; 1946-2022).

After 8 match-rounds played (or 21 % of the season), Napoli and Atalanta are at the top of the table, even on 20 points and undefeated so far. (Napoli’s last title was in 1990, while Atalanta [of Bergamo, Lombardy) have never been champions). In third place, one point back, are Udinese. Reigning champions Milan are 3 points back, in 5th place. Some of the Italian giants have stumbled so far, with Juventus in 7th place on 13 points, and Inter in 9th place on 12 points. As for the promoted sides: Lecce have won once (v Salernitana) and sit 13th. Monza have overcome a poor start and have won twice straight now (including a win over Juventus), and sit 16th. Cremonese have yet to win, and sit 19th, ahead of only Sampdoria.
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    Below: the 3 promoted clubs of 2022 (Lecce, Cremonese, Monza)...

2022: US Lecce, promoted back to Serie A after 2 years...
lecce_promoted-in-2022_stadio-via-del-mare_e_.gif
Photo credits above - 2021-22 Lecce jersey, photo from leccestore.com. Stadio Via Del Mare, photo unattributed at leccezionale.it.

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2022: US Cremonese, promoted back to Serie A after 26 years...
cremonese_promoted-in-2022_stadio-giovanno-zini_c_.gif
Photo credits above - 2021-22 Cremonese jersey, photo unattributed at
passionemaglie.it. Stadio Giovanni Zito, photo by Stu Houghton at twitter.com/@houghtonhootwo. File:Coat of arms of Cremona.svg (by MostEpic at commons.wikimedia.org).

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AC Monza, promoted to Serie A for the first time (after 40 seasons in Serie B)...
monza_promoted-in-2022_stadio-brianteo_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits above - 2021-22 Monza jersey, from subsidesports.com. Stadio Brianteo, drone video shot from video uploaded by bookcook73 at youtube.com.

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Thanks to all at the links below...
Sources:
-Blank map of Italy by TUBS, at File:Italy provincial location map.svg.
-Globe-map of Italy by Rob984 at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EU-Italy_(orthographic_projection).svg.
-Populations of Italian cities' metro-areas from Metropolitan cities of Italy (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance figures, worldfootball.net/attendance/[Italy].
-Seasons in Italian 1st division, from English translation at Participating clubs since inception of Serie A [Teilnehmende Vereine seit Gründung der Serie A] (de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A).
-General info, crests, kit illustrations, from 2022-23 Serie A (en.wikipedia.org).

September 14, 2022

2022-23 Premier League – Location-map, with 3 charts (Attendance; Seasons-in-1st-Division; English titles list)./+ The 3 clubs promoted to the Premier League in 2022… Fulham, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest.

2022-23_premier-league_map_w-3-charts_post_c_.gif"
2022-23 Premier League – Location-map, with 3 charts (Attendance; Seasons-in-1st-Division; English titles list)



By Bill Turianski on the 14th of September 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022–23 Premier League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, attendances, etc…Summary – Premier League [2022-23] (soccerway.com).
-Premier League 2022-23 previews (theguardian.com/football).

Quick clicks to the 3 promoted teams illustrations…
-Fulham – promoted in 2022.
-Bournemouth – promoted in 2022.
-Nottingham Forest – promoted in 2022.

2022-23 Premier League – Location-map, with 3 charts (Attendance; Seasons-in-1st-Division; English titles list).
The map is a basic location-map, with an inset map of Greater London. Also shown are small labels which point out the three promoted clubs (Fulham, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest). And there are three charts.

The Attendance chart, at top-centre of the map page, shows 4 things for each of the 20 current Premier League clubs…A) 2021-22 finish (with promotions noted). B) 2021-22 average attendance [from home league matches]. C) Stadium capacity [2021-22]. D) Percent-capacity [2021-22].

At the right-hand side of the map page are two more charts. The chart at the top-right shows Seasons-in-1st-Division for the 20 current Premier League clubs. Also shown are consecutive top-flight-seasons, and first season of current spell. (Counting 2022-23, there have been 124 seasons of English 1st division football; the English 1st division was established in 1888-89, with seasons played from 1888-89 to 1914-15; from 1919-20 to 1938-39; and from 1946-47 to 2022-23.)

Everton have played the most seasons in the top flight – 120 – and Everton have been in the top tier without relegation since 1954-55 (69 straight seasons). There are three other clubs that have played over 100 seasons in the English top flight: Aston Villa (109 seasons), Liverpool (108 seasons), and Arsenal (106 seasons). Arsenal are the club with the longest spell in the top tier – 98 seasons (since 1919-20). Of the 3 newly-promoted sides, Fulham return back to the top flight after one year. Bournemouth return back after two years. And Nottingham Forest are playing top flight football for the first time in 22 years.

The final chart, at the right-hand foot of the map-page, shows the all-time English Title Winners list (1889 to 2022/ 123 titles). Manchester United has won the most English titles, with 20 (last in 2013); Liverpool has won the second-most titles, with 19 (last in 2020). Arsenal have won the third-most titles, with 13 (last in 2004). Everton have won the fourth-most titles, with 9 (last in 1987). Reigning champions Manchester City have won the fifth-most titles, with 8. Twenty four clubs have won the English title. The most recent club to win their first title was Leicester City, in 2016.

Below are illustrations for the 3 promoted clubs (Fulham, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest)…
[note: you can click on the images below to get an enlarged image on a separate page.]

2022:
Fulham: promoted to the Premier League, for the 3rd time in 5 years

-Fulham clinch Championship title with emphatic Luton victory (bbc.com/sport on 2 May 2022).
-Aleksandar Mitrovic claims highest-scoring season record with 43rd Fulham goal (by PA (Press Association) at fourfourtwo.com/news.
http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/fulham-fc_promoted-in-2022_craven-cottage_marco-silva_i_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of arms of Fulham, from heraldry-wiki.com. 2021-22 FFC jersey, illustration from football.fandom.com. -Aerial shot of Craven Cottage alongside the Thames, photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images via theguardian.com/football. -The Cottage Pavillion, photo from fulhamfc.com. -Old Fulham badges, from historicalkits.co.uk/Fulham. FFC Wembley 1975 badge, photo from oldfootballshirts.com. -Marco Silva, photo by Getty Images via noticiasaominuto.com/desporto. -Tosin Adarabioyo, photo unattributed at sportslens.com. -Antonee Robinson, photo by Imago/Pro Sports Images via si.com/soccer. -Harry Wilson, photo by Rex Features via bbc.com/sport. -Aleksandar Mitrović, photo unattributed at g3.football. Mitrović and Fulham teammates celebrate automatic promotion, photo unattributed at mirror.co.uk/sport.




2022:
Bournemouth: promoted back to the 1st division after 2 years.

-Tue 03 May 2022, Championship – AFC Bournemouth 1-0 Nottingham Forest (by Andrew Aloia at bbc.com/sport).
bournemouth_promoted-in-2022_dean-court_scott-parker_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits – Arms of the Bournemouth Borough Council, from heraldry-wiki.com. 2021-22 Bournemouth jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Boscombe beach from pier, photo by David Hawgood at geograph.org.uk. Aerial image of Dean Court with south coast in background, by eksekseksg3 at reddit.com/r/soccer. -Scott Parker, photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images via dorset.live/sport. Gary O’Neill, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@gazoneill]. -Lloyd Kelly, photo by Getty Images via thes*n.co.uk/sport. -Phillip Billing, photo by PA Photo via bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport. -Dominic Solanke, photo unattributed at goal.com. -Kieffer Moore scores, off a Philip Billing free kick; and pitch invasion: screenshots from video uploaded by AFC Bournemouth at youtube.com.




2022:
Nottingham Forest: promoted back to the 1st division after 22 years.

-When Nottingham Forest retained the European Cup 40 years ago (by Steven Pye on 28 May 2020 at theguardian.com/football/[That 1980s sports blog]).
-Sun 29 May 2022 Championship – Play-Off Final Huddersfield Town 0-1 Nottingham Forest (by Ian Woodcock at bbc.com/sport).
-16 Conclusions from the Championship play-off final: Huddersfield 0-1 Nottingham Forest (by Nathan Spafford at football365.com).
nottingham-forest_promoted-2022_city-ground_steve-cooper_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits – Coat of arms of Nottingham, vector drawing by Doc Taxon at File:Grand coat of arms of Nottingham.svg (commons.wikimedia.org). 2021-22 Nottingham Forest jersey, from shop.nottinghamforest.co.uk. 2021-22 NFFC jersey badge, screenshot from video uploaded by EFL at youtube.com. Aerial shot of Greater Nottingham with City Ground and Meadow Lane, photo by David Goddard/Getty Images via gettyimages.ie. Aerial shot of City Ground, photo by David Goddard/Getty Images via bbc.com/news. -Brian Clough & Peter Taylor, photo unattributed at pinterest.com. -Trevor Francis scores winner v Malmo in 1979 UEFA European Cup Final, photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport. -Trevor Francis, photo by John Herringshaw via sporting-heroes.net. -Nottingham Forest 1979 European Cup jersey badge, photo from dpretro.com/product/nottingham-forest-1979-european-cup-final-home-shirt. -Clough with European Cup trophy (1979), photo by Popperfoto via mirror.co.uk/sport. -Nottingham Forest squad pose with European Cup following victory over Hamburg in 1980 UEFA European Cup Final, photo by Empics/Sport via theguardian.com/football. -John Robertson, photo unattributed at football365.com. -Steve Cooper, photo by PA via nottinghampost.com/sport. -Djed Spence, photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images via bayernstrikes.com via arsedevils.com. -Joe Worrall, photo by Jon Hobley – MI News / NurPhoto / Getty Images via nottinghamforest.news. -Ryan Yates, photo by Dan Westwell at nottinghampost.com/sport. -Brennan Johnson, photo unattributed at premierleague.com/news. -2022 Championship play-offs final, Levi Colwill own-goal, screenshot from video uploaded by EFL at youtube.com. -Forest players celebrating at Wembley after the goal, photo unattributed at mirror.co.uk/sport.




___
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).
-Historical attendance figures, european-football-statistics.co.uk.
-2021-22 attendance figures from worldfootball.net/attendance/eng-league-two-2021-2022.
-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).
-PFA Championship Team of the Year [2022] (thepfa.com).
-Football Manager EFL Team of the Season [2022] (efl.com/news).

August 26, 2022

2022-23 EFL Championship [2nd division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance chart./+ The 3 clubs promoted to the Championship in 2022…Wigan Athletic, Rotherham United, Sunderland AFC.

Filed under: >2022-23 English football,Eng-2nd Level/Champ'ship — admin @ 12:44 pm

2022-23_efl_championship_map_w-attendance-chart_post_b_.gif
2022-23 EFL Championship [2nd division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance chart




By Bill Turianski on the 26th of August 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022-23 EFL Championship (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, attendances, etc…Summary – EFL Championship [2022-23] (soccerway.com).
-Championship 2022-23 preview: the contenders, hopefuls and strugglers (by Ben Fisher on 26 July 2022 at theguardian.com/football).

Quick clicks to the 3 promoted teams illustrations…
-Wigan Athletic – promoted in 2022.
-Rotherham United – promoted in 2022.
-Sunderland – promoted in 2022.

2022-23 EFL Championship [2nd division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance.
The map here is a new template, one which I will have for the top 4 divisions in England this year. The map is a basic location-map, with inset maps of both Greater London and the West Midlands (including Birmingham). I was considering also employing an inset-map for the four nearby clubs from Lancashire (Blackpool, Preston, Blackburn, Burnley), but I was able to fit them in the main map. Also shown are small labels which point out the three promoted clubs (Wigan Athletic, Rotherham United, Sunderland). And there is an attendance chart.

The attendance chart shows 4 things for each of the 24 current Championship clubs…A) 2021-22 finish (with relegations and promotions noted). B) 2021-22 average attendance [from home league matches]. C) Stadium capacity [2021-22]. D) Percent-capacity [2021-22]. Twelve current 2nd tier clubs filled their stadiums last season to 70%-capacity or higher: just-relegated Norwich City (99%-capacity), Luton Town (95%), just-relegated Watford (93%), just-relegated Burnley (87%), Blackpool (83%), Swansea City (82%), West Bromwich (80%), Queens Park Rangers (78%), just-promoted Rotherham (78%), Huddersfield Town (72%), Bristol City (71%), Stoke City (70%).

Below are illustrations for the 3 clubs which won promotion to the 3rd tier last season (Wigan Athletic, Rotherham United, Sunderland).

Wigan Athletic: promoted back to the 2nd division after 2 years.
-Sat 30 April 2022 League One: Shrewsbury Town 0-3 Wigan Athletic (bbc.com/sport).
wigan-athletic_promoted-2022_dw-stadium_leam-richardson_e_.gif"
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of arms of Wigan, from heraldry-wiki.com. 2021-22 WAFC jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Quotation about Wigan Pier, from penninewaterways.co.uk/[Wigan Pier]. Wigan Pier, photo by Jeffrey Patrick Webb at flickr.com. 2012-13 Wigan away jersey badge, photo from footunijapan.com. DW Stadium aerial drone image, from video uploaded by Neil Timothy at youtube.com. -Leam Richardson, photo from wigantoday.net/sport. -Will Keane, photo from wiganathletic.com/news. -Jack Whatmough, photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images via examinerlive.co.uk/sport. -James MCClean, photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images via sunderlandecho.com/sport. Goal tally from soccerway.com. 2021-22 Wigan Athletic away (red) jersey badge, photo from footballkitarchive.com. -Will Keane applauds traveling fans after scoring from the penalty spot, screenshot from video uploaded by Wigan Athletic at youtube.com. -Wigan players celebrate after the final whistle, screenshot from video uploaded by skysports.com.




Rotherham United – promoted straight back to the 2nd division after 1 year (for the third time in a row).
-Gillingham 0-2 Rotherham United [Sat 30 April 2022] (bbc.com/sport).
rotherham-united_promoted-2022_new-york-stadium_paul-warne_i_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of arms of Rotherham, from heraldry-wiki.com. 2021-22 RUFC jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Photo of Rotherham, by Getty Images/Anna Gowthorpe at t0.gstatic.com. New York Stadium in Rotherham, photo from aessealnewyorkstadium.com/gallery. -Paul Warne (Rotherham United manager), photo from themillers.co.uk/news. -Michael Ihiekwe, photo from themillers.co.uk/news. -Daniel Barlaser, photo by shutterstock.com. -Michael Smith, photo unattributed at footballleagueworld.co.uk. -Rotherham fans hold Daniel Barlaser aloft, photo by Daniel Bearham/Colorsport via thetimes.co.uk.




Sunderland AFC – promoted back to the 2nd division after 4 years.
-Sunderland soar back to Championship with playoff final win over Wycombe (by Ben Fisher on 21 May 2022 at theguardian.com/football).
-How Alex Neil has got Sunderland back on the up: ‘We’re having a real go, just differently’ (by Michael Walker on 29 July 2022 at theathletic.com).
sunderland-afc_promoted-2022_stadium-of-light_alex-neil_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – File:Arms of the Sunderland City Council.svg (by IndysNotHere at commons.wikimedia.org). 2021-22 Sunderland jersey, photo unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Sunderland 2021-22 jersey badge, photo from thenewkits.com. SAFC badges, from historicalkits.co.uk/Sunderland. Wearmouth Bridge, with Stadium of Light in the background, photo unattributed at news.com.au/lifestyle. Aerial shot of the Stadium of Light, from safc.com/history/stadiums. -Alex Neil, photo from twitter.com/[@SunderlandAFC] via sportslumo.com/football. -12′, Elliot Embleton scores off a partial deflection, photo by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport. -79′ Ross Stewart scores from the top of the box stroking a low shot into the left corner, photo by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport. -Sunderland fans at Wembley (over 46,000), photo by Sunderland AFC via Getty Images via chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/gallery.




___
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).
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Historical attendance figures, european-football-statistics.co.uk.
-2021-22 attendance figures from worldfootball.net/attendance/eng-league-two-2021-2022.
-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).
-PFA League One Team of the Year [2022] (thepfa.com).
-Football Manager EFL Team of the Season [2022] (efl.com/news).

August 9, 2022

2022-23 EFL League One [3rd division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance chart./+ The 4 clubs promoted to League One in 2022…Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City, Bristol Rovers, Port Vale.

Filed under: >2022-23 English football,Eng-3rd Level/League One — admin @ 8:19 pm

2022-23_efl-league-one_map_w-attendance-chart_post_c_.gif
2022-23 EFL League One [3rd division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance chart




By Bill Turianski on the 9th of August 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022-23 EFL League One (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, attendances, etc…Summary – EFL League One [2022-23] (soccerway.com).
-League One 2022-23 preview: the contenders, hopefuls and strugglers (by Ben Fisher at theguardian.com/football).

Quick clicks to the 4 promoted teams illustrations
-Forest Green Rovers – promoted in 2022.
-Exeter City- promoted in 2022.
-Bristol Rovers – promoted in 2022.
-Port Vale – promoted in 2022.


2022-23 EFL League One [3rd division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance.
The map here is a new template, one which I will have for the top 4 divisions in England this year. The map is a basic location-map, with inset maps of both Greater London and Greater Manchester. Also shown are small labels which point out the four promoted clubs (Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City, Bristol Rovers, Port Vale). And there is an attendance chart.

The attendance chart shows 5 things for each of the 24 current League One clubs…A) 2021-22 finish (with relegations and promotions noted). B) 2021-22 average attendance [from home league matches]. C) Stadium capacity [2021-22]. D) Percent-capacity [2021-22]. E) Last time club had higher attendance [than 2021-22]. I added that last column (last time club had higher attendance), because last season there were a lot of clubs in the lower Football League and in non-League football that saw notable attendance increases. You can see an example of how well lower League clubs were drawing last season by simply by glancing at the percent-capacity column in the attendance chart here: 21 of the 24 current 3rd tier clubs filled their stadium last season more than halfway. (Clubs in the third tier very often are drawing to only 40% of capacity, or lower.)

2 clubs saw all-time-best average attendances last season, both from Lancashire: Morecambe, and Accrington Stanley. Morecambe, a small club from the northern Lancashire coast, had been promoted to the 3rd tier in 2021, and then last season drew 4.4-K-per-game (an increase of 1.9-K-per-game) {Morecambe FC attendance history at european-football-statistics.co.uk}. Accrington Stanley are a small Lancashire club tightly wedged between two much-larger and titled clubs (Blackburn Rovers, and Burnley). Playing in their fourth-ever season in the 3rd tier last season, Accrington drew 2.9-K-per-game (an increase of around 60 per game).

And also last season, three other current League One sides saw their best attendance in three decades (or more): Peterborough United, and two clubs from the Oxbridge towns, Oxford United and Cambridge United. Last season Peterborough saw their best crowds in 58 years. The Posh drew 10.0-K-per-game despite being relegated from the 2nd tier (an increase of 2.7-K-per-game); it was Peterborough’s best attendance since 1963-64 {Peterborough United attendance history at european-football-statistics.co.uk}. Last season, Oxford United drew 8.4-K-per-game in their 6th-consecutive season in the 3rd tier (an increase of about 825 per game); it was the U’s best attendance since 1986-87, when they were a (short-lived) 1st-division side {Oxford United attendance history at european-football-statistics.co.uk}. And last season, Cambridge United drew 5.9-K-per-game in their first season back in the 3rd tier (an increase of around 1.6-K-per-game), which was Cambridge’s best attendance since 1991-92, when the club last played in the 2nd tier {Cambridge United attendance history at european-football-statistics.co.uk}.

Below are illustrations for the 4 clubs which won promotion to the 3rd tier last season (Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City, Bristol Rovers, Port Vale)…

Forest Green Rovers – promoted to the 3rd division for the first time ever.
-Rob Edwards: Forest Green manager hails team unity after promotion (bbc.com/sport on 23 April 2022).
-Forest Green furious after Watford appoint Rob Edwards as manager (by Ben Fisher on 11 May 2022 at theguardian.com/football).
forest-green-rovers_promoted-to-league-one-2022_the-new-lawn_rob-edwards_ian-burchnall_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits – Nailsworth coat of arms, from heraldry-wiki.com. ’21-22 FGR home jersey, photo from footballkitarchive.com. Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, photo from stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk. Aerial shot of the New Lawn by Forest Green Rovers FC via weforum.org. FGR’s old ground, the Lawn (1890-2006), photo by Matt Bigwood via stroudtimes.com/a-photographic-tour-of-gloucestershires-football-grounds. Segment of map of English clubs by Bill Turianski athttp://billsportsmaps.com/?p=52691 [2022 attendance map]. Blank map of England by Nilfanion at File:England relief location map.jpg. -Rob Edwards, photo by Rex Features via bbc.com/sport. -Ian Burchnall, photo by FGR at fgr.co.uk/news. -Matty Stevens, photo by Getty Images via gloucestershirelive.co.uk/sport. -Kane Wilson, photo by Rex Features via bbc.com/sport. -Ebrima Adams, photo unattributed at newschainonline.com/sport. -Nicky Cadden, photo by PA Images at alamy.com. -Jamille Matt, photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images via theguardian.com/football.




Exeter City – promoted back to the 3rd division after 11 years…
-Tue 26 Apr 2022 League Two – Exeter City 2-1 Barrow (by Brent Pilnick at bbc.com/sport).
-How Exeter City’s fan-owned model secured League Two promotion (by Brent Pilnick on 27 April 2022 at bbc.com/sport).
exeter-city_promoted-to-league-one-2022_st-james-park_matt-taylor_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits – ’21-22 Exeter City jersey, photo from shop.exetercityfc.com. Exeter coat of arms, from heraldry-wiki.com. Exeter on the River Exe, photo by Gavin Hellier at westend61.de. Aerial shot of St James Park (Exeter) from exetercityfc.co.uk/news. Drone-shot of St James Pak (Exeter) by Excel Aerials at youtube.com. -Matt Jay, photo from exetercityfc.co.uk/news. -Timothée Dieng, photo by shutterstock.com. -Jevani Brown, photo from devonlive.com/sport. -Captain Matt Jay after scoring the goal that got Exeter City promoted to the 3rd division, photo by Rex Features via bbc.com/sport. -Exeter City fans’ pitch invasion, screenshot from video uploaded by Exeter City Football Club at youtube.com.




Bristol Rovers – promoted back to the 3rd division after 1 year…
-Sat 07 May 2022 / League Two, Bristol Rovers 7-0 Scunthorpe United (bbc.com/sport).
-Bristol Rovers hit magnificent seven against Scunthorpe to clinch promotion (by Ben Fisher at theguardian.com/football on Sat 7 May 2022).
bristol-rovers_promoted-2022_memorial-stadium_joey-barton_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – 1982-88 Bristol Rovers crest from historicalkits.co.uk/Bristol_Rovers. 2021-22 Bristol Rovers home jersey, photo from subsidesports.com. -File:Bristol UK relief location map.jpg (by Nilfanion using Ordnance Survey Open Data at commons.wikipedia.org). -Memorial Stadium, photo unattributed at memorialgroundbristol.wordpress.com. -Eastville Stadium photo unattributed at bristolroversmemorabilia.weebly.com/[Eastville Stadium]. -Twerton Park (Bath), photo unattributed at twobluequarters.co.uk/grounds. -Joey Barton, photo by PA via dailymail.co.uk/sport. -Antony Evans scoring 6th goal of promotion-winning 7-0 victory over Scunthorpe (final day of season), photo unattributed at mirror.co.uk/sport. -Aaron Collins scoring 6th goal of promotion-winning 7-0 victory over Scunthorpe (final day of season), photo unattributed at bristolworld.com/sport. -Elliot Anderson scoring 7th goal of promotion-winning 7-0 victory over Scunthorpe (final day of season), photo by shutterstock.com. -2021-22 League Two final table, screenshot of image from soccerway.com/national/england/league-two/20212022. -Rovers boss Joey Barton asking fans to exit the pitch, photo unattributed at portsmouth.co.uk/sport. -Aerial view of Rovers fans’ pitch invasion, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@Official_BRFC].




Port Vale – promoted back to the 3rd division after 5 years…
-Port Vale: A club revitalised by maximising the finer details (by Nancy Frostick at theathletic.com on 10 April 2022).
-Sat 28 May 2022 / League Two Play-off Final, Mansfield Town 0-3 Port Vale (by Andrew Aloia at bbc.com/football).
port-vale_promoted-to-league-one-2022_vale-park_burslem_stoke-on-trent_darrell-clarke_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of Arms of Burslem, from thepotteries.org/arms/burslem. PVFC 2021-22 home jersey, from footballshirtculture.com. Conical bottle kilns at Furlong Lane, Middleport, Burslem – photo by Chris Oldham [2007] at thepotteries.org. Aerial shot of Vale Park, from alamay.com. -Darrell Clarke, photo by Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images via theathletic.com. -1st goal (Kian Harratt) and 3rd goal (Mal Benning) at Wembley, screenshots from video uploaded by Be In Sports Australia at youtube.com. -2nd goal at Wembley (James Wilson), photo by Getty Images via stokesentinel.co.uk/live. -As Port Vale fans cheer, teammates congratulate Mal Benning after scoring the goal that put Vale up 3-0, photo by John Walton/PA via theguardian.com/football/live.




___
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).
-Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England (en.wikipedia.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.
-2021-22 attendance figures from worldfootball.net.
-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).
-2022 PFA League Two team of the year (thepfa.com).

July 24, 2022

2022-23 EFL League Two [4th division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance./+The 2 clubs promoted to the Football League in 2022…Stockport County: promoted back to the League after 11 years; Grimsby Town: promoted back to the League after 1 year.

Filed under: >2022-23 English football,Eng-4th Level/League Two — admin @ 7:15 pm

2022-23_efl-league-two_map_w-attendance-chart_post_e.gif
2022-23 EFL League Two [4th division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance chart




By Bill Turianski on the 24th of July 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022-23 EFL League Two (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, attendances, etc…Summary – EFL League Two [2022-23] (soccerway.com).
-League Two 2022-23 preview: the contenders, hopefuls and strugglers (by Ben Fisher at theguardian.com/football).

Quick clicks to the 2 promoted teams illustrations
-Stockport County – promoted in 2022.
-Grimsby Town – promoted in 2022.

2022-23 EFL League Two [4th division] – Location-map, with 2021-22 attendance.
The map here is a new template, one which I will have for the top 4 divisions in England this year. The map is a basic location-map, with inset maps of both Greater London and Greater Manchester. Also shown are small labels which point out the two promoted clubs (Stockport County, and Grimsby Town). And here is the part that makes this a new template: there is an attendance chart.

The attendance chart shows 5 things for each of the 24 current League Two clubs…A) 2021-22 finish (with relegations and promotions noted). B) 2021-22 average attendance [from home league matches]. C) Stadium capacity [2021-22]. D) Percent-capacity [2021-22]. E) Last time club had higher attendance [than 2021-22]. I added that last column (last time club had higher attendance), because last season there were a lot of clubs in the lower Football League and in non-League football that saw notable attendance increases. As far as current League Two sides go, 3 clubs saw all-time-best average attendances last season: AFC Wimbledon (at 7.7-K-per-game, in their new ground, and despite being relegated); Harrogate Town (at 2.3-K-per-game, in their 3rd season in the Football League); and Sutton United (at 3.0-K-per-game, in their first-ever season in the Football League). And a few clubs saw their best crowds in many years: Barrow AFC had their best attendance since 1969-70 (at 3.2-K-per-game); Newport County had their best attendance since 1983-84 (at 3.9-K-per-game); Stockport County had their best attendance since 1999-2000 [when they were a 2nd-division club], at 7.0-K-per-game; and Grimsby Town had their best attendance since 2002-03 [when they were a 2nd-division club], at 5.7-K-per-game. The last two clubs, as mentioned, were the two clubs promoted to the 4th division last season, and illustrations for them both can be seen below.

Stockport County – promoted back to the Football League after 11 years…
-Stockport County 2-0 FC Halifax Town (bbc.com/sport/football on 15 May 2022).
-It’s a Stockport County thing (by Holly Hunt at efl.com on 15 June 2022).
-Stockport seal National League title and EFL return after 11 years (by PA Media at theguardian.com/football on 15 May 2022).
stockport-county_promoted-back-to-football-league_edgeley-park_dave-challinor_p-madden_w-collar_b-hinchliffe_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of arms of the Town of Stockport, image from heraldry-wiki.com. Stockport County 2021-22 home jersey, photo from clubfootballshirts.com. St Petersgate bridge over Little Underbank, in the Underbank aka Stockports’s Soho, photo unattributed at britainallover.com. Drone-photo of Edgeley Park, by Stockport County at twitter.com/[@StockportCounty]. -Dave Challinor, screenshot from video uploaded by Stockport County at youtube.com. -Paddy Madden, screenshot from video uploaded by Stockport County at youtube.com. -Will Collar, screenshot from video uploaded by Stockport County at youtube.com. -Ben Hinchliffe, photo by Stockport County at stockportcounty.com/hinchliffes-county-journey-continues. -Stockport fans pitch invasion 15th May 2020, screenshot from video uploaded by Stockport County at youtube.com.




Grimsby Town – promoted back to the Football League after 1 year…
-Solihull Moors 1-2 Grimsby Town (AET) – Jordan Maguire-Drew winner sends Mariners back to EFL (by Chris Peddy at bbc.com/sport on 5 June 2022).
-Relegation, promotion and unbelievable drama – welcome to the Grimsby way (by Jason Stockwood at theguardian.com/football/blog on 25 July 2022).
-From @Official GTFC – [Winning goal, by Jordan Maguire-Drew, that sent Grimsby Town back to the League: 1:00 video.] (twitter.com/[@officialgtfc] on 3 July 2022).
grimsby-town_promoted-straight-back-to-football-league-2022_blundell-park_cleethorpes_paul-hurst_j-mcatee_j-maguire-drew_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of arms of Great Grimsby, from heraldry-wiki.com. Grimsby Town 2021-22 home jersey, photo by Lee Blease via grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport. Drone-photo of Blundell Park in Cleethorpes, photo by Joshua Adam via grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news. Aerial shot of Blundell Park from gtfc.co.uk. -Paul Hurst, photo by Getty Images via lincolnshireworld.com/sport[Gallery]. -Kyle Hudlin, photo by Getty Images via bbc.com/sport/live. -John McAtee, and Jordan Maguire-Drew, photos by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport. -Grimsby Town fans at London Stadium, photo by Getty Images via lincolnshireworld.com/sport[Gallery].



___
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).
-Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England (en.wikipedia.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).
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-PFA League Two Team of the Year [2021].
-Historical attendance figures, european-football-statistics.co.uk.
-2021-22 attendance figures from worldfootball.net/attendance/eng-league-two-2021-2022
-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).
-2022 National League team of the year, twitter.com/[@TheVanaramaNL].

July 8, 2022

England (including Wales, and Isle of Man) – map of all football clubs drawing above 1,000 game (2021-22 attendance figures): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs.

Filed under: >Eng-144 highest draws,England — admin @ 5:00 pm

england_map-2021-22_football-clubs_drawing-above-1-thousand-per-game_143-clubs_post_d_gif.gif
England (including Wales, and Isle of Man) – map of all football clubs drawing above 1 K per game (2021-22 attendance figures): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs.




By Bill Turianski on the 8th of July 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Sources…
-Article on defining the largest cities in the UK.. Where are the largest cities in Britain? (citymetric.com).
-List of metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom (en.wikipedia.org).
-Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-worldfootball.net. (Average attendances last season from the 1st division through 4th division.)
-nonleaguematters.co.uk. (Average attendances last season of all non-League clubs, ie from 5th division down.)

The map shows all clubs in the English football system which drew above 1,000 per game in 2021-22 (home domestic league matches): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs.
Also, there is an inset-map for all the clubs from Greater London-plus-the-immediate surrounding area (18 clubs from Greater London + 4 clubs from surrounding areas of the Home Counties). On the left-hand side of the map-page, the clubs are listed by average attendance, along with a column showing 3 things: league-level; 2021-22 league-finish; and promotion-or-relegation (green for promotion/red for relegation. On the right-hand side of the map-page are 2 charts showing the English football league system, aka the Pyramid. 2021-22 league details are from myfootballfacts.com.

(Note: in bold-17-to-36-point-type, on the map, are listed the 9 largest cities within England {all English cities with more than .6 million inhabitants/see first link above}…Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Bristol. Also, in 12-to-15-point-type, on the map, are listed the 83 Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. Also, in 14-point-all-cap-bold-type, are listed prominent British regional names such as: the East Midlands, the West Midlands, East Anglia, the West Country, and the Lake District; as well as North Wales and South Wales.)




There were 143 clubs which drew above 1,000 per game in 2021-22, plus I added one club that came 2-per-game shy of that mark (Ilkeston Town, of Derbyshire). I included Ilkeston Town because there are almost always slight discrepancies in attendance figures from source to source, especially in non-League football, and 998 per game is just too close to one thousand to leave them off the map.

Of the 143 clubs that drew above 1-K-per-game last season, 11 are clubs which were not drawing above 1-K-per-game in the last two seasons of full attendance (which were 2018-19 and 2019-20, while 2020-21 was the season that COVID prevented full attendance). To the best of my knowledge, 9 of the 11 clubs listed below had never averaged above 1,000 per game, the two exceptions being Gateshead, and St Albans City. Below are those 11 clubs (with league-levels and locations listed)…
-Boreham Wood. 5th tier club. From Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, located about one mile north of the Greater London border and 12 miles north of central London. The Wood made it to the 5th Round of the FA Cup in March 2022. 4 years ago they made it to the National League play-off final (in 2018, losing to Tranmere). For 4 of their first 5 seasons in the 5th division (2015-20), Boreham Wood were the lowest-drawing 5th tier club; Boreham Wood finally drew above one thousand per game in 2021-22.
-Bury AFC. A new Phoenix-club. 10th tier, promoted to 9th tier. Are not playing at Gigg Lane (like the defunct Bury FC did), but at the at 3.5-K-capacity Stainton Park, in Radcliffe, 2.5 miles SW of Bury in Greater Manchester. Bury AFC drew 1.3-K per game in their first season, compared to the 4.0-K per game that Bury FC drew in their last season (2018-19) {BFC/BAFC attendance history at european-football-statistics.co.uk}.
-Dorking Wanderers. Est. 1999. 6th tier, promoted to 5th tier. From Surrey. Dorking Wanderers have won 4 promotions in the last 6 seasons. In 2015-16, Dorking were a newly-promoted 8th tier club drawing 124 per game. In 2018-19, Dorking were a 7th tier club drawing 570 per game, and were promoted. In 2019-20, in their first season in the 6th tier, Dorking drew 703 per game, finishing in 7th. Then in ’21-22, Dorking drew 1,300 per game, won the play-offs, and now are a 5th division club.
-FC Isle of Man. A new club. 10th tier, promoted to 9th tier. From Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea. (The Isle of Man is a British Crown Dependency of the UK.) FC Isle of Man play at the Bowl (3.5-K-capacity), and the club pays travelling teams’ expenses. {Photos of the Bowl, here (twitter.com/[@christopher7590]).} In their first season in 2021-22, FC Isle of Man drew 1.6-K per game and won promotion via the play-offs. In ’22-23, they will play in the 9th tier NWCL Premier.
-Gateshead. 6th tier, promoted to 5th tier. From Tyne and Wear, just south of Newcastle. ‘The Heed’ drew above 1-K-per-game once before, in the 5th tier in 2014-15. 8 years ago, Gateshead made it to the 2014 Conference [National League] play-off final (losing to Cambridge United). Gateshead return to the National League in 2022-23, after they were demoted into the National League North in 2019 due to financial irregularities.
-Gloucester City AFC. 6th tier. From Gloucestershire. In 2021-22 they returned to Meadow Park in Gloucester after an exile of 13 years (in 4 different locations), and their average attendance increased over 700-per-game, to 1.1 K. Gloucester City have a sharp new badge.
-Hastings United. 8th tier, promoted to 7th tier. From the coast of East Sussex, 40 miles (by road) east of Brighton. Hastings made it to the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in 2012-13. They were drawing 400 per game last time they were in the 7th division (2012-13). Hastings got to 607 per game in 2019-20, and were in first place by 3 pts, when the season was abandoned due to COVID in March 2020. Hastings then doubled their crowd-size last season, drawing 1.2-K per game, and won the Isthmian South East by 13 pts.
-Macclesfield FC. A new Phoenix-club. 9th tier, promoted to 8th tier. Are playing at Moss Rose (the former home of the defunct Macclesfield Town, wound up in September 2020). They drew 3.3-K-per-game in their debut season, winning the 9th-tier North West Counties Football League by 15 points. Macclesfield FC’s average attendance in their first year was higher than the original Macclesfield ever drew {MTFC/MFC attendance history at european-football-statistics.co.uk}.
-Marine AFC. 8th tier, promoted to 7th tier. From Crosby in Merseyside, just north of Liverpool. Marine had reached the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in 2020-21, playing at home v Spurs (Marine were 7 league-levels and 161 league-places below Tottenham, the largest gap between teams in FA Cup history).
-St Albans City. 6th tier. From St Albans in Hertfordshire, located about 10 miles north of the Greater London border, and about 24 miles by road north of central London. St Albans drew above 1-K-per-game once before, in the 5th tier in 2006-07 (which was their only season in the 5th division). St Albans City beat Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup 1st Round in November 2021. They finished in 9th place in the ’21-22 National League North, but St Albans still drew their best-ever at 1,290 per game.
-Worthing. 7th tier, promoted to 6th tier. From the coast of West Sussex, 14 miles (by road) west of Brighton. Worthing drew 600 a game when they first joined the Isthmian Premier in 2015-16. They got to 892 per game in 2019-20 and were in first by 7 pts, when the season was abandoned due to COVID in March 2020. Last season, Worthing won the league by 10 pts, and averaged 1.3-K (an increase of over 400), and are now a National League South club for the first time.

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-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/wiki/English_football_league_system#Promotion_and_relegation_rules_for_the_top_eight_levels.
Attendance…
-worldfootball.net (1st division through 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (all non-League from 5th division down).
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_league_system.
myfootballfacts.com/england_footy/football-league/english-football-pyramid-system.

June 27, 2022

2022 Copa Libertadores: map of Final Stages (16 teams, with match-ups)./+ All of the Round-of-16 stadiums, with club info.

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 11:47 am

conmebol_copa-libertadores_2022_location-map_round-of-16_post_c_.gif
2022 Copa Libertadores: map of Final Stages (16 teams, with match-ups)



By Bill Turianski on the 27th of June 2022 ; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022 Copa Libertadores/Final Stages (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary – CONMEBOL Libertadores – Final Stages [2022] (soccerway.com).

The Round of 16
The first legs of the 2022 Copa Libertadores Round of 16 will be played from 28 to 30 June {click on the links at the top of this post for the fixtures}.

The breakdown of qualified clubs-by-country…
•Brazil: 6 clubs (Palmeiras, Flamengo, Atlético Mineiro, Fortaleza, Athletico Paranaense, Corinthians). This includes back-to-back reigning champions Palmeiras.
•Argentina: 6 clubs (River Plate, Estudiantes, Colón, Boca Juniors, Talleres, Vélez Sarsfield),
•Paraguay: 2 clubs (Libertad, Cerro Porteño).
•Colombia: 1 club (Deportes Tolima).
•Ecuador: 1 club (Emelec).

The Big 2 of Argentina and Brazil have placed 12 clubs into the Round of 16, just as the two did last year [2021]. This is the largest total Round-of-16 spots from the combined Brazil and Argentina, amounting to 75% of the teams that advanced.

This is the 5th-straight year that Paraguay have placed two clubs into the Round of 16. This is the 4th-straight year that Ecuador have placed at least one club into the Round of 16.

After 3 years without any of their clubs advancing past the Group stage, Colombia finally has a club back in the Round of 16. And this is now the second-straight year that Uruguay are without a club in the Round of 16. Chile has placed a club into the Round of 16 only once since 2018.

There are two clubs that have advanced from the Libertadores Group Stage for the first time…
fortaleza_jersey-badge_b_.gif
Fortaleza, from Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará, up in the northeast of Brazil. Fortaleza is the 11th-largest city in South America, with a metro-area population of around 3.9 million. Fortaleza made it to the Round of 16 thanks to a big away win (4-3) in their final group-stage game, versus Colo-Colo in Santiago, Chile (25 May). Fortaleza Esporte Clube, est. 1918, have played 24 seasons in the Brazilian top-flight, starting in 1959, but had never played in the Copa Libertadores. Five years ago, in 2017, stuck in the third division, Fortaleza won promotion from Série C. Four years ago, in 2018, Fortaleza won their second-straight promotion, finishing in 1st in Série B and drawing a 2nd-tier-best 29,400 per league match. Then three years ago, in 2019, Fortaleza were finally back in Série A, and were one of the highest-drawing Brazilian clubs, drawing 33,800 per league match. They finished in a decent 9th place in 2019. But in their second season back in the top tier, in 2020, Fortaleza almost got relegated, finishing in 16th and only avoiding the drop on goal-difference. However, last year, in 2021, Fortaleza had an amazing turnaround and finished in 4th place in the 2021 Brasileiro. That was good enough for Fortaleza to win their first-ever Copa Libertadores spot: an automatic qualification for the 2022 Libertadores group stage. Fortaleza wear blue-and-red-horizontally-striped jerseys. They play at the 63-K-capacity Castelão, which they share with local rivals Ceará Sporting Club (who are also currently a top-flight club).

talleres_jersey-badge_b_.gif
Talleres, of Córdoba, Argentina’s 2nd-largest city [metro-population: 1.5 million]. Talleres made it through the group stage rather easily, with only one loss (versus Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro), and they beat Chile’s Universidad Católica home and away. 2022 is the third time Talleres have qualified for the Libertadores, and only the second time they have made it to the Group Stage (previously in 2002). Talleres play at a little jewel of a stadium, the 13-K-capacity Estadio Francisco Cabasés, nicknamed ‘La Boutique‘, for its small and elegant design {1:20 video of the venue}. Talleres means ‘workshops’ in Spanish. CA Talleres were founded in 1913 by workers from the Córdoba Central Railway. Talleres have played 26 seasons of Argentine top-flight football, 7 consecutive since promotion back to the Primera División in 2016. Talleres wear dark-blue vertically-striped jerseys. They finished in 3rd place in the 2021 Primera División. Talleres are the only club from Córdoba to ever have qualified for the Copa Libertadores.



    Below: 2021 Libertadores Round of 16 venues – all 16 clubs’ stadiums…

#1 seed, back-to-back reigning champions Palmeiras – Allianz Parque (aka Palestra Itália), in São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
palmeiras_allianz-parque_-aka-palestra-italia-arena_sao-paulo-brazil_c_.gif
Photo credit above – twitter.com/[@AllianzParque].

#2 seed, River Plate – El Monumental (Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti), in the Belgrano district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
river-plate_-el-monumental_buenos-aires-argentina_c_.gif
Photo credit above – Toni Lamberttuchi Fettuchini at google.com/maps/[photos].

#3 seed, Flamengo – Maracanã (Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
flamengo_maracana_-rio-de-janeiro_brazil_c_.gif
Photo credit above – Getty Images via eurosport.com.

#4 seed, Estudiantes de La Plata – Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina.
estudiantes_estadio-jorge-luis-hirschi_la-plata_argentina_e_.gif
Photo and image credits above – E de L P jersey badge, photo unattributed at footballshirtculture.com. Stadium drone image, unattributed at weekend.perfil.com/noticias/videos.



#5 seed, Atlético Mineiro – Mineirão (Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto), in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
atletico-mineiro_mineirao_belo-horizonte_minas-gerais_brazil_n_.gif
Photo and image credits above – original badge from campeoesdofutebol.com.br/hist_atleticomg; photo by Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte at flickr.com.

# 6 seed, Libertad – Estadio Tigo La Huerta (aka Tuyukuá), in the Las Mercedes barrio of Asunción, Paraguay.
libertad_estadio-tigo-la-huerta_aka-tuyukua_asuncion-paraguay_e_.gif
Photo credit above – Francisco Caceres Sanchez [2019], at google.com/maps/[photos].

#7 seed, Colón – Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao Lopez (aka ‘El Cementerio de Los Elefantes’), in Santa Fe, Argentina.
colon_estadio-b-g-estanislao-lopez_santa-fe_argentina_f_.gif
Photo credit above – unattributed at tripadvisor.com.

#8 seed, Boca Juniors – La Bombonera (‘the Chocolate Box’), in La Boca district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
boca-juniors_la-bombonera_-la-boca_buenos-aires_argentina_b_.gif
Photo credit above – unattributed at twitter.com/[@brfootball].



#9 seed, Deportes Tolima – Estadio Manuel Murillo Toro, in Ibagué, capital of the department of Tolima, central Colombia.
deportes-tolima_estadio-manuel-morillo-toro_ibague-colombia_c_.gif
Photo credit above – DobleJJO at google.com/maps/[photos].

#10 seed, Talleres – Francisco Cabasés Stadium, aka La Boutique de Barrio Jardín, in the Jardín Espinoza neighborhood of the city of Córdoba, Argentina.
talleres_la-boutique_cordoba-argentina_c_.gif
Photo credit above – unattributed at twitter.com/[@pavlito98t].

#11 seed, Fortaleza – Castelão (Estádio Governador Plácido Castelo), in Fortaleza, Ceará, northeastern Brazil.
fortaleza-ec_castelao_fortaleza-ceara-brazil_c_.gif
Photo credit above – Fábio Lima at File:Fortaleza Arena.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).

#12 seed, Athletico Paranaense – Arena da Baixada (aka Estádio Joaquim Américo), in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
athletico-paranaense_arena-da-baixada_-curitiba-parana-brazil_c_.gif
Image credit above – screenshot from video uploaded by Wassmansdorff at youtube.com.



#13 seed, Corinthians – Arena Corinthians (aka Neo Química Arena), in the eastern part of São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
corinthians_neo-quimica-arena_sao-paulo-brazil_c_.gif
Image credit above – screenshot from video uploaded by One Man Wolf Pack at youtube.com.

#14 seed, Emelec – Estadio George Capwell, in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
emelec_estadio-george-capwell_guayaquil-ecuador_d_.gif
Photo credit above – unattributed at emelexista.com.

#15 seed, Vélez Sarsfield – Estadio José Amalfitani, in Liniers district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
velez-sarsfield_-estadio-jose-amalfitani_liniers_buenos-aires_b_.gif
Photo credit above – velez.com.ar/club/estadio.

#16 seed, Cerro Porteño – Estadio General Pablo Rojas (aka La Olla; aka La Nueva Olla), in Asunción, Paraguay.
cerro-porteno_la-olla_-estadio-general-pablo-rojas_asuncion-paraguay_c_.gif
Photo credit above – Miryan O. Rodríguez at google.com/maps/[photos].



___
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]).
-2022 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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