billsportsmaps.com

May 20, 2024

CHL 2024 Memorial Cup [Canadian major junior hockey tournament]: the 4 teams…Saginaw Spirit (host team), Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champs), London Knights (OHL champs), Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champs)./+ CHL Map (60 teams) w/ Memorial Cup titles & appearances.

chl_map_60-teams_w-chl-memorial-cup_titles-appearances_post_c_.gif
CHL Map (60 teams) w/ Memorial Cup titles & appearances.




By Bill Turianski on the 20th of May 2024; @billsportsmaps.

2024 CHL Memorial Cup. May 24 to June 2, 2024 at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.
-2024 Memorial Cup (en.wikipedia.org).

    2024 CHL Memorial Cup:
    The 4 teams (Saginaw Spirit, Drummondville Voltigeurs, London Knights, Moose Jaw Warriors).

Saginaw Spirit (host team)
Below: Saginaw, Michigan. Part of the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area.
saginaw-spirit_ohl_dow-event-center_2024_chl_memorial-cup_tournament_c_.gif
Photo credits above – Saginaw Spirit away jersey, from shop.saginawspirit.com. Relief map of Michigan, by Nzeeman at File:Relief map of USA Michigan.png (wikipedia.org). Aerial drone shot of Saginaw, unattributed at lwsupply.com/blog-news. Dow Event Center (Saginaw, MI), photo from linkedin.com. -Zayne Parekh (D), photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images at Zayne Parekh is one of the 2024 NHL Draft’s most exciting players. -Andrew Oke (G), photo by Steven Frank Imagery via eliteprospects.com/[Andrew Oke].

Drummondville Voltigeurs – 2024 QMJHL champions (their 2nd QMJHL title)
drummondville-voltigeurs_centre-marcel-dionne_2024_chl_memorial-cup_tournament_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Drummondville jersey, from boutiquevoltigeurs.ca. Aerial shot of Drummondville, by Ghyslain Bergeron via journalexpress.ca. Centre Marcel-Dionne, photo by Eric Beaupré via vingt55.ca. -Riley Mercer (G), photo by Ghyslain Bergeron via journalexpress.ca. -Ethan Gauthier (RW), photo unattributed at rds.ca/hockey.




London Knights – 2024 OHL champions (their 5th OHL title)
london-knights_budweiser-gardens_2024_chl_memorial-cup_tournament_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – London Knights 2023-24 jersey, from londonknights.ca/collections/jerseys. London, Ontario, photo unattributed at goodtimes.ca/finding-a-home-in-london. Budweiser Gardens, photo from ellisdon.com/projects/budweiser-gardens.
-Denver Barkey (C), photo unattributed at dailyfaceoff.com. -Easton Cowan (RW), photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images via dobberprospects.com.
-Michael Simpson (G), photo unattributed at mercadillodelpuertodeibiza.com.
-Kasper Halttunen (RW), photo from london.ctvnews.ca.

Moose Jaw Warriors – 2024 WHL champions (their 1st WHL title)
moose-jaw-warriors_moose-jaw-events-centre_2024_chl_memorial-cup_tournament_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – 2023-24 Moose Jaw Warriors black jersey, from thecrushedcan.com/products. Aerial photo of Moose Jaw, unattributed at mjindependent.com. Mosaic Place, photo from WHL Arena Guide via google search. –Jagger Firkus (RW), photo by Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images via nhl.com/news. -Denton Mateychuk, photo by Randy Palmer at moosejawtoday.com/local-news. -Brayden Yager, photo unattributed at nytimes.com/athletic. -Matthew Savoie, photo by Nick Pettigrew via sasktoday.ca.



___
Thanks to all at the following…
-Canadian Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Photo of Memorial Cup (CHL), unattributed at hhof.com.
-Hockey ice photo from dreamstime.com.
-Attendance figures from Hockey DB.com.

May 1, 2024

UEFA: Top 20 Clubs by Kit Revenue – 2023 calendar year – Kit Manufacturer Sponsorship Revenue, plus Total Merchandising Revenue [combined figures].

Filed under: UEFA top clubs by kit revenue — admin @ 6:31 pm

uefa_top-20-clubs_by_kit-revenue_2023-chart_map_list_post_d_.gif
UEFA: Top 20 Clubs by Kit Revenue – 2023 calendar year



By Bill Turianski on the 1st of May 2024; @billsportsmaps.

UEFA: Top 20 Clubs by Kit Revenue – 2023 calendar year. Kit Manufacturer Sponsorship Revenue, plus Total Merchandising Revenue [combined figures]. Figures from UEFA’s annual financial report {see link to pdf, below}.

Source: UEFA annual report 2023, p. 61 [pdf].
-Also see, Top 20 UEFA Clubs by Kit Revenue (reddit.com/r/soccer, w/259 comments [1 March 2024]).
-Also see, Barca, Man United among top-earning clubs from 2023 kit sales (by Chris Wright at espn.com/soccer [1 March 2024]).

There are 7 countries represented (England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, France, Netherlands, Scotland).
Six English clubs are in the top 20 (#4 Liverpool, #5 Manchester United, #7 Arsenal, #8 Chelsea, #10 Tottenham, #11 Manchester City, #16 Leeds United). Three German clubs are in the top 20 (#3 Bayern Munich, #12 Dortmund, #19 Eintracht Frankfurt). Three Italian clubs are in the top 20 (#9 Juventus, #13 Milan, #20 Internazionale). Two Spanish clubs are in the top 20 (#1 Barcelona, #2 Real Madrid). Two Turkish clubs are in the top 20 (#15 Galatasaray, #18 Fenerbahçe). One club from France is in the top 20 (#6 Paris Saint Germain). One club from Netherlands is in the top 20 (#14 Ajax). One club from Scotland is in the top 20 (#17 Celtic).

There are just 3 brands that manufacture the kits and merchandise of the top 20 current revenue-earning clubs in Europe.
-Nike has 8 teams (Barça, Liverpool, PSG, Chelsea, Spurs, Galatasaray, Eintracht, Inter).
-Adidas also has 8 teams (Real Madrid, Bayern, Man U, Arsenal, Juve, Ajax, Leeds, Celtic).
-Puma has 4 teams (Man City, Dortmund, Milan, Fenerbahçe).

-Blank map, by Alexrk2 at File:Europe laea location map.svg (commons.wikinedia.org).



___

April 7, 2024

MLB: Paid-Attendance Map for 2023 (home/regular season average tickets-sold), including change from 2022 and percent-capacity figures.

Filed under: Baseball,Baseball >paid-attendance — admin @ 6:50 pm

http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/mlb_2023_map_attendance_tickets-sold_with-percent-capacity-figures_post_b_.gif
MLB: Paid-Attendance Map for 2023



By Bill Turianski on the 7th of April 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Official site…mlb.com.
-Teams, etc…Major League Baseball (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance figures (2023 home regular season tickets sold), baseball-reference.com/2023-misc.

The map…
The circular-cap-logos on the map page are all each MLB teams’ 2023 home cap logo. That is, except with respect to Baltimore’s circular-cap-logo, which is of their all-black road cap, because the Orioles wear their white-paneled cap at home, and I wanted to maintain a uniformity to all 30 of the circular-cap-logos on the map. The circular-cap-logos were then sized to reflect crowd size, utilizing a constant gradient (the larger the team’s average paid-attendance, the larger their circular-cap-logo is on the map). If you are unsure about the term “paid-attendance”, my post on MLB paid-attendance from 2015 can clear that up for you {here, 2014 MLB paid-attendance map}. The chart at the right-hand-side of the map page shows 5 things: Attendance-Rank, Average Paid-Attendance, Numerical Change in Average Paid-Attendance from Previous Season [2022], Venue Capacity, Percent-Capacity.

-From MLB.com, Attendance up, game time down in record-setting ’23 season (by David Adler at mlb.com on Oct. 2 2023).

Attendance was up 9.1% in 2023. In 2023, Major League Baseball saw average attendance increase of 2,452 per game – an increase of 9.1% over 2022. No less than 26 of the 30 MLB teams increased their attendance {see the top 5 teams in this category, further below}. And 17 teams drew above 30,000 per game. That was the highest percentage of teams drawing above 30-thousand-per-game, ever. Total attendance numbers would have been even higher, had not the Oakland A’s become a lame-duck franchise with negligible home-fan-support (due to the A’s ownership’s intention of moving the team to Las Vegas).

Quicker games drew more fans to the ballpark in 2023… Almost certainly, the biggest influence on the attendance increase was the shortening of game times, following rule changes designed to speed up games (most notably, a 15-second pitch clock). In 2023, games finished 24 minutes faster, compared to 2022! MLB games have not ended that quickly since 1985. See list below…
MLB average time of game by season
9-inning games only

2015 — 2:56:14
2016 — 3:00:42
2017 — 3:05:11
2018 — 3:00:44
2019 — 3:05:35
2020 — 3:07:46
2021 — 3:10:07
2022 — 3:03:44
2023 — 2:39:49

There were other factors in the attendance increase. Runs per game were up 0.6 per game, from 8.6 runs-per-game in 2022, to 9.2 runs-per-game in 2023. There was a more balanced schedule, which saw all teams play each other at least once. And there were a whole lot of teams that were in contention for playoff spots, right up until the last day. In fact, some of the teams with the biggest attendance increases did not even make the postseason – like Cincinnati, Cleveland, and San Diego.




Top 10 teams with the highest average attendance in 2023…
1. Los Angeles Dodgers: 47,371 per game (at 84.5-%-capacity). The Dodgers have had the highest attendance in MLB for 10 straight seasons (2013 to 2023, w/ the COVID-affected 2020 season excluded).
los-angeles-dodgers_highest-drawing-team_2023_b_.gif
Photo: unattributed at rugoodet.live.

2. San Diego Padres: 40,390 per game (at 95.1-%-capacity [best percent-capacity in MLB/see further below]).
3. New York Yankees: 40,358 per game (at 86.7-%-capacity).
4. St. Louis Cardinals: 40,013 per game (at 90.1-%-capacity).
5. Atlanta Braves: 39,401 per game (at 94.9-%-capacity [2nd-best percent-capacity in MLB]).
6. Philadelphia Phillies: 37,686 per game (at 87.8-%-capacity).
7. Houston Astros: 37,683 per game (at 91.5-%-capacity [3rd-best percent-capacity in MLB]).
8. Toronto Blue Jays: 37,307 per game (at 89.8-%-capacity).
9. Chicago Cubs: 34,261 per game (at 82.2-%-capacity).
10.Seattle Mariners: 33,215 per game (at 69.3-%-capacity).




Top 5 teams with the highest average attendance increase in 2023…
1. Philadelphia Phillies, up 9,579 per game (PHI drew 37.6 K per game [6th best].)
philadelphia-phillies_up_9579-per-game_in-2023_d_.gif
Photo: Getty Images via sportsbusinessjournal.com.

2. Cincinnati Reds, up 7,932 per game (CIN drew 25.1 K per game [18th best].)
cincinnati-reds_up-7932-per-game_in-2023_b_.gif
Photo: Aaron Doster/AP Photo via local12.com/sports/reds.

3. Baltimore Orioles, up 7,018 per game (BAL drew 23.9 K per game [21st best].)
baltimore-orioles_up-7018-per-game_in-2023_b_.gif
Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images via sportico.com.

4. Cleveland Guardians, up 6,644 per game (CLE drew 22.6 K per game [23rd best].)
cleveland-guardians_up-6644-per-game_in-2023_c_.gif
Photo: unattributed at sportskeeda.com/baseball.

5. Texas Rangers, up 6,441 per game (TEX drew 31.2 K per game [16th best].)
texas-rangers_up-6641-per-game_in-2023_b_.gif
Photo: unattributed at cbsnews.com/texas.




The team that filled their ballpark the best in 2023 (highest Percent-Capacity figure)…
1. San Diego Padres. Drew 40,930 per-game [which was 2nd-best in MLB], at their 42,445-capacity Petco Park. That is an impressive 95.1 percent-capacity. And this included 59 sellout games. The Padres increased their crowds by 3,507-per-game in 2023. The Padres drew better despite losing 7 more games than in 2022. Although in 2023, the Padres were coming off a 2022 postseason which saw them defeat their SoCal rivals the LA Dodgers (in the NLDS), which certainly increased local fan interest in 2023. And the Padres are the only MLB team that plays in a city without any other major-league representation in either the NFL, the NBA, or the NHL.
san-diego-padres_best-at-filling-their-ballpark_in-2023_d_.gif
Photo: unattributed at espn.com/mlb/[san-diego-padres].
___
Thanks to NuclearVacuum for the blank map, File:BlankMap-North America-Subdivisions.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for attendances, baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2023-misc.
Thanks to Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos.net, for several (~17) of the cap logos, sportslogos.net.
Thanks to the contributors at en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball#Current_teams.

March 17, 2024

2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2022-23 average attendances by school (68 teams).

Filed under: NCAA Men's Basketball — admin @ 9:48 pm

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2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2022-23 average attendances by school (68 teams)



By Bill Turianski on the 17th of March 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-Teams, etc…2024 NCAA Men’s Division I men’s Basketball Tournament (en.wikipedia.org).
-Scores…Div I college bk scores (espn.go.com).

The 68 Teams which qualified for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament [aka March Madness]
Listed by: Name. Conference. Location of arena(s)…
-Akron Zips. Mid-American. Akron, OH.
-Alabama Crimson Tide. SEC. Tuscaloosa, AL.
-Arizona Wildcats. Pac-12. Tucson, AZ.
-Auburn Tigers. SEC. Auburn, AL.
-Baylor Bears. Big 12. Waco, TX.
-Boise State Broncos. Mountain West. Boise, ID.
-BYU [Brigham Young Univ.] Cougars. Big 12. Provo, UT.
-Clemson Tigers. ACC. Clemson, SC.
-Colgate Raiders. Patriot. Hamilton, NY.
-College of Charleston Cougars. Coastal (CAA). Charleston, SC.
-Colorado State Rams. Mountain West. Fort Collins, CO.
-Creighton Bluejays. Big East. Omaha, NE.
-Dayton Flyers. Atlantic-10. Dayton, OH.
-Drake Bulldogs. Missouri Valley. Des Moines, IA.
-Duke Blue Devils. ACC. Durham, NC.
-Duquesne Dukes. Atlantic 10. Pittsburgh, PA.
-Florida Gators. SEC. Gainesville, FL.
-Florida Atlantic Owls. Conference USA. Boca Raton, FL.
-Gonzaga Bulldogs. West Coast (WCC). Spokane, WA.
-Grambling State Tigers. Southwestern (SWAC). Grambling, LA.
-Grand Canyon Antelopes. WAC. Phoenix, AZ.
-Houston Cougars. American (AAC). Houston, TX.
-Howard Bison. MEAC. Washington, DC.
-Illinois Fighting Illini. Big Ten. Champaign, IL.
-Iowa State Cyclones. Big 12. Ames, IA.
-James Madison Dukes. Sun Belt. Harrisonburg, VA.
-Kansas Jayhawks. Big 12. Lawrence, KS.
-Kentucky Wildcats. SEC. Lexington, KY.
-Long Beach State Beach. Big West. Long Beach, CA.
-Longwood Lancers. Big South. Farmville, VA.
-Marquette Golden Eagles. Big East. Milwaukee, WI.
-McNeese State Cowboys. Southland. Lake Charles, LA.
-Michigan State Spartans. Big Ten. East Lansing, MI.
-Mississippi State Bulldogs. SEC. Starkville, MS.
-Montana State Bobcats. Big Sky. Bozeman, MT.
-Morehead State Eagles. Ohio Valley. Morehead, KY.
-Nebraska Cornhuskers. Big Ten. Lincoln, NE
-Nevada Wolfpack. Mountain West. Reno, NV.
-New Mexico Lobos. Mountain West. Albuquerque, NM.
-North Carolina Tar Heels. ACC. Chapel Hill, NC.
-North Carolina State Wolfpack. ACC. Raleigh, NC.
-Northwestern Wildcats. Big Ten. Evanston, IL.
-Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Horizon. Auburn Hills, MI.
-Oregon Ducks. Pac-12. Eugene, OR.
-Purdue Boilermakers. Big Ten. West Lafayette, IN.
-Saint Mary’s Gaels. West Coast (WCC). Moraga, CA.
-Saint Peter’s Peacocks. Metro Atlantic (MAAC). Jersey City, NJ.
-Samford Bulldogs. Southern (SoCon). Homewood (Greater Birmingham), AL.
-San Diego State Aztecs. Mountain West. San Diego, CA.
-South Carolina Gamecocks. SEC. Columbia, SC.
-South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Summit. Brookings, SD.
-Stetson Hatters. Atlantic Sun. DeLand, FL.
-TCU [Texas Christian Univ.] Horned Frogs. Big 12. Fort Worth, TX.
-Tennessee Volunteers. SEC. Knoxville, TN.
-Texas Longhorns. Big 12. Austin, TX.
-Texas A&M Aggies. SEC. College Station, TX.
-Texas Tech Red Raiders. Big 12. Lubbock, TX.
-UAB Blazers. The American. Birmingham, AL.
-UConn [Univ. Connecticut] Huskies. Big East. Storrs, CT/Hartford, CT.
-Utah State Aggies. Mountain West. Logan, UT.
-Vermont Catamounts. America East. Burlington, VT.
-Virginia Cavaliers. ACC. Charlottesville, VA.
-Wagner Seahawks. Northeast. Staten Island, NYC, NY.
-Wake Forest Demon Deacons. ACC. Winston-Salem, NC.
-Wisconsin Badgers. Big Ten. Madison, WI.
-Washington State Cougars. Pac-12. Pullman, WA.
-Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Conference USA. Bowling Green, KY.
-Yale Bulldogs. Ivy League. New Haven, CT.




___
-Thanks to AMK1211 for blank map of USA, ‘File:Blank US Map with borders.svg”>File:Blank US Map with borders.svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament’.
-Thanks to NCAA for attendance figures, from 2023 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE (For All NCAA Men’s Varsity Teams) [pdf].
-Thanks to the Bracket Matrix site for bracket forecasting, bracketmatrix.com; twitter.com/@bracketproject.

February 26, 2024

CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2023-24 location-map of the 60 teams (22 WHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 18 QMJHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023)./+New team in the WHL for 2023-24…the Wenatchee Wild (of Wenatchee, Washington, USA).

chl_canadian-hockey-league_2023-24_location-map_60-teams_whl_ohl_qmjhl_w-2023-attendances_post_c_.gif
CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2023-24 location-map of the 60 teams, plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023)



By Bill Turianski on the 26th of February 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-chl.ca.
-ontariohockeyleague.com.
-theqmjhl.ca. lhjmq.qc.ca (Fr).
-whl.ca.

Canadian Hockey League (CHL): the umbrella-organization for the 3 leagues of Major Junior Hockey in Canada. The 3 leagues are: the Western Hockey League (WHL, est. 1966), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL, est. 1933), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL/ LMJHQ in French, est. 1969). 60 teams: in the CHL-system, there are 51 teams from Canada (from 9 Canadian provinces), and there are 9 teams from the USA (from 4 American states). The CHL as the umbrella-organization was established in 1975, but as mentioned, the three individual leagues were established earlier; see league side-bars on the upper-part of the map for more info. Also, see this…Quebec Major Junior Hockey League changes name to better represent its 6 Maritime teams (cbc.ca/sports, from 14 Dec. 2023).

CHL teams are for players aged 16-20. Two non-North-American-born players are allowed per team; overage, and underage player-waivers are sometimes allowed. Players receive stipend & board, and believe it or not, this actually qualifies as pay in the NCAA’s monopolistic view, so players who commit to an OHL or QMJHL or WHL team in the CHL-system become ineligible to play later on in the USA in the NCAA-system. Whereas around 30% of NHL players have had a US-collegiate career prior to signing in the NHL, a larger percentage – of around 47-to-48% – of all NHL players originally played in Canadian Major Junior hockey {see this, from the Washington Post}.

The winners of the 3 leagues each season contest the Memorial Cup Tournament (est. 1919), which is usually played in the month of May. The Memorial Cup is a 4-team round-robin competition, which comprises the WHL champion, the OHL champion, the QMJHL champion, plus the host team.

The map is a location-map with the three league’s areas tinted.
The chart on the far-left-hand-side shows: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023), and lists 2 things for each team…
-Number of Memorial Cup titles (host-team status noted by italics).
-Number of Memorial Cup tournament appearances (host-team status noted by italics).

26 of the 60 current CHL teams have won a Memorial Cup title.
The reigning champions are the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, who won their third Memorial Cup title on the 4th of June 2023 in Kamloops, British Columbia, beating the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL 5-0. {See this, Quebec Remparts win 2023 Memorial Cup (globalnews.ca/news).} It was the Quebec Remparts’ 3rd Memorial Cup title. The most titles won by a current CHL team is the 5 titles won by the OHL’s Oshawa Generals (who last won it in 2015). The most Memorial Cup tournament appearances is 16 appearances, by the oldest Major Junior hockey team, the WHL’s Regina St. Pats (established in 1917, in Regina, Saskatchewan).

The 2023-24 CHL season, with about 80-to-85% of the season played [as of the 27th of February 2024]…
- QMJHL. chl.ca/lhjmq/en. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[QMJHL].
(Reigning champions: Quebec Remparts.)
The top 3 teams in the QMJHL currently are: Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Drummondville Voltigeurs, and Victoriaville Tigres.
Top attendance draws in QMJHL currently are: Quebec Remparts (at 9.5-K-per-game), Halifax Mooseheads (at 8.2-K-per-game), and Moncton Wildcats (at 4.5-K-per-game).

-OHL. chl.ca/ohl. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[OHL].
(Reigning champions: Peterborough Petes.)
The top 3 teams in the OHL currently are: London Knights, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds.
Top attendance draws in OHL currently are: London Knights (at 9.0-K-per-game), Kitchener Rangers (at 6.4-K-per-game), and Oshawa Generals (4.9-K-per-game).

-WHL. chl.ca/whl. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[WHL].
(Reigning champions: Seattle Thunderbirds.)
The top 3 teams in the WHL currently are: Saskatoon Blades, Prince George Cougars, and Portland Winterhawks.
Top attendance draws in WHL currently are: Edmonton Oil Kings (at 6.6-K-per-game), Everett Silvertips (at 5.8-K-per-game), and Saskatoon Blades (at 4.9-K-per-game).




The 2024 Memorial Cup tournament will be hosted by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, at the 5,500-capacity Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, USA in late May/early June. This will be the 5th time that an American-based team will host the Memorial Cup tournament, and the first time in 26 years. (Years that American-based teams that have previously hosted the Memorial Cup tournament…1983 and 1986: Portland Winterhawks [WHL] of Portland, Oregon; 1992: Seattle Thunderbirds [WHL] of Seattle, Washington; 1998: Spokane Chiefs [WHL] of Spokane, Washington. Of those four tournaments, the host-team, Portland, won it their first time in 1983. The other 3 times the host-team didn’t win. Although in 1998, Spokane hosted it, but Portland, that season’s WHL champion, won it. The Portland Winterhawks have won 2 Memorial Cup titles (1983, 1998); the Spokane Chiefs also have won 2 Memorial Cup titles (1991, 2008). Those 4 titles are the only Memorial Cup titles won by American-based teams, although there have been 4 other times an American-based team was a finalist… the Detroit Junior Red Wings [ex-OHL] in 1985, the Portland Winterhawks again in 2013, the Erie Otters [OHL] in 2017, and the Seattle Thunderbirds [WHL] last season in 2023.

    2 new teams in the CHL for 2023-24: Brantford Bulldogs [OHL]; Wenatchee Wild [WHL]

Temporary new team in the OHL for 2023-24…the Brantford Bulldogs (of Brantford, Ontario).
From 2023-24 to 2025-26 for 3 seasons, due to renovations to the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, the Hamilton Bulldogs will be playing in Brantford, ON as the Brantford Bulldogs. They will play at the Brantford Civic Centre. Brantford, ON is located, by road, 38 km (24 mi) WSW of Hamilton, ON. I have shown both locations on the map. The team has moved from an 17.3-K-capacity venue to a 2.9-K-capacity venue. But the Bulldogs only drew 3.7-K-per-game in Hamilton last season anyway, despite recent success (as 2022 Memorial Cup finalist).

New team in the WHL for 2023-24…the Wenatchee Wild (of Wenatchee, Washington, USA).
WHL Franchise shift…The Winnipeg Ice franchise moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Wenatchee, Washington, USA…becoming the Wenatchee Wild. Wenatchee, WA is located, by road, 238 km (148 mi) E of Seattle, WA. After 57 games [up to the 27th of February], Wenatchee have 64 points and are in 3rd in the WHL American division. The Wild are drawing 2.9-K-per-game at their 4.3-K-capacity venue. In the captions below you can see the team’s franchise history, which includes a 2002 Memorial Cup title, when the franchise was located in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and were called the Kootenay Ice.

wenatchee-wild_new_whl-team-2023-24_town-toyota-center_wenatchee-washington_f_.gif"
Photo credits above – Wenatchee, WA (taken from East Wenatchee), photo by Jakekoner at reddit.com/r/Washington. Aerial shot of Town Toyota Center, unattributed at in.daotaonec.edu.vn. Street-side shot of venue, unattributed at wenatcheevalleysports.com.

___
Thanks to all at the following…
-Canadian Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Photo of Memorial Cup (CHL), unattributed at hhof.com.
-Hockey ice photo from dreamstime.com.

February 1, 2024

2024 Copa Libertadores Map (47 teams) with Club Histories (Libertadores appearances & titles listed) + Population-chart of Cities with Teams in the 2024 Libertadores.

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 2:01 pm

conmebol_copa-libertadores_2024_location-map_47-teams_post_f_.gif
2024 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 47-team tournament, with Club Histories (total Libertadores appearances & titles listed)




By Bill Turianski on 1 February 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2024 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary: results, fixtures, standings (flashscore.co.uk).
-espn.com/[Libertadores].

This is the 65th edition of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious football tournament in South America. The 2024 tournament is the 8th since it was expanded in 2017, from 38 to 47 teams. Since then, no team from a country other than Brazil or Argentina has won the title (Brazilian teams have won it 6 times since the tournament-expansion, and an Argentinian team has won it once since then). And Brazilian sides have won the last five titles. (Copa Libertadores winner in 2023 was Fluminense, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; it was the club’s first Libertadores title. Copa Sudamericana winner in 2023 was LDU Quito, of Quito, Ecuador.)

This map includes the Preliminary-Stage teams:
There are 19 preliminary-stage teams…and only four of those 19 teams advance to the Group Stage. (Note: on the map-page, on the teams-by-country lists that flank the map, the 19 preliminary clubs are shown in italics, accented by a light tan-color.)

Schedule
-The first of three Preliminary stages starts on 6-to-8 February {2024 Copa Libertadores Qualifying stages}.
-The Group Stage starts on 2-to-4 April. The draw for the Group Stage is on the 22nd of March.

Qualified teams by country:
•Brazil has 8 teams (7 + Copa Libertadores holder).
•Argentina has 6 teams.
•Ecuador has 5 teams (4 + Copa Sudamericana holder).
•The seven other countries all have 4 teams each (Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela).



Cities with teams in the 2024 Copa Libertadores
On the map, next to each team’s name, is the name of the city the team is located in. The text-size for the city-names gradually gets smaller for the smaller cities. Populations can be seen in the chart at the top-centre of the map-page. {Or see the chart below.} The chart includes the ten largest metropolitan areas in South America (nine of which have teams in the 2023 Copa Libertadores). Then the list shows all the other top-50-largest metro-areas in South America with Libertadores teams this year. And then the list shows the other metro-areas with Libertadores teams this year. Smallest city to be hosting a Copa Libertadores team this year is El Salvador, Atacama, Chile, the copper mining town in the Atacama Desert, where CD Cobresal are from. Cobresal were the 2023 Chilean Primera División second-place-finishers. El Salvador has a population of around 7,000.

conmebol_copa-libertadores_2024_chart_cities-in-tournament_w-populations_b_.gif
{Populations…Cities with teams in 2022 Copa Libertadores: Metropolitan-area figures for 50 largest South American cities from, 2015 at: List of South American metropolitan areas by population (en.wikipedia.org); & Population figures for other cities with teams in tournament at: each city’s en.wikipedia page.}




___
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]).
-2023 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}.

January 18, 2024

2023-24 FA Cup, 4th Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances./+ Biggest upset in the 3rd Round: Maidstone United (6) beat Stevenage (3).

Filed under: 2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 10:38 pm

http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023-24_fa-cup_4th-round_map_w-league-attendances_w-fixtures_post_d_.gif
2023-24 FA Cup, 4th Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on 18 January 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

    Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 3rd Round…Maidstone United (6) beat Stevenage (3): A league-placement difference of 3 levels and 69 league-places.

-Maidstone United 1-0 Stevenage [6 Jan 2024] (bbc.com/sport).
-Maidstone MAKE HISTORY! | Maidstone 1-0 Stevenage | Emirates FA Cup 2023-24 (uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com).

Maidstone United are from Maidstone, in Kent, in the southeast of England. Maidstone is located about a dozen miles south of the Thames Estuary; and Maidstone is located, by road, 37 miles (60 km) SE of central London. Maidstone has a population of around 176,000 and is a bedroom community of Greater London. Maidstone United wear amber-and-black. The club was formed in 1992, replacing the original Maidstone United (1897-1992), which was a fourth division Football League club when it was liquidated in August 1992. The original Maidstone United’s demise was the result of overspending to get into the League – where they lasted for three short years – coupled with a disastrous attempt to buy land for a new ground in the town.

The new Maidstone United (est. 1992) were formed as Maidstone Invicta, around the former Maidstone United’s youth squad. They were placed 7 steps below the Football League, in the 4th division of the Kent County League (where direct promotion was not possible). In the 2001-02 season, the club was accepted into the Kent League, and duly won the league in their first season there; however, they were denied promotion due to lack of a suitable ground. In their 5th season in the Kent League (2005-06) Maidstone won their second league title, and did gain promotion to the Isthmian League D1 South. Then they won that league in 2006-07, so were promoted for the second straight year, into the Isthmian Premier League, for 2007-08. But four years later, in 2011, Maidstone had a set-back, and were relegated back to the Isthmian D1 South. At this point in time, Maidstone were in the process of (finally) building their own stadium; see four paragraphs below.

Maidstone returned to the Isthmian Premier two years later, in 2013, and then two years after that, in 2015, they won promotion to the 6th tier, into the National League South. And then in 2016, Maidstone were promoted for the second straight year, via the play-offs, into the 5th-division National League. Maidstone finished in 14th place in the National League in 2016-17, and that is the club’s highest finish to date. Maidstone had a 3-season stint in the 5th division, then fell back to the 6th tier for two seasons (from 2019 to ’22). And then in 2021-22, Maidstone won the National League South, and won promotion back to the 5th division, only to finish rock-bottom in the 2022-23 National League.

And halfway through that futile season was when current Maidstone United manager George Elokobi was hired (in January 2023). George Elokobi is a Cameroon-born centre-back, who played in 311 matches from 2002 to 2022, most notably featuring 6 seasons with Wolverhampton, from 2008 to ’14 (which included his playing for Wolves in the Premier League from 2009-’12). Elokobi finished his on-field career with 3 seasons for Maidstone United from 2019 to 2022, as a player/academy coach. His final match saw him score a goal, as Maidstone were promoted to the 5th division.

In the 2023-24 season, Elokobi has turned the team around, as Maidstone are doing well in the National League South, and are currently in 4th place [as of 19 Jan 2024]. Also, they are drawing very good for a 6th-tier side, pulling in 1,972 per game, which is only a drop-off of 170 per game as compared to their crowd-size in the 5th division last season. So the fans have by and large continued to support Maidstone, following their 2023 relegation.




Maidstone play at Gallagher Stadium, which is owned by the club and opened in 2012 {see photos below}. Its capacity is 4,200 (792 seated), and it features a 3G (or third generation) pitch. Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium was, in fact, the first football venue in England to install a 3G pitch (in 2012). 3G pitch is characterized by long synthetic grass with a shock-absorbent rubber-crumb under-layer. Its usefulness is found in the fact that it can withstand a lot of wear, while being less dangerous than astroturf. So it is very economical for small clubs, because once installed, the club has far less upkeep costs, and they can actually rent the pitch out, to pull in much-needed revenue, and not risk a muddied and dangerous pitch. Many non-League clubs have adopted 3G pitches in the last decade. In the National League set-up alone (72 teams), there are twelve clubs which currently play on a 3G pitch, including Bromley in South London, Eastbourne Borough in East Sussex, Gloucester City, and Oxford City {see this, nonleaguematters.co.uk/[list-of-great-britain-artificial-pitches]}. Thanks to their 3G pitch, Maidstone pull in around £120,000 to £150,000 profit per year, renting out their pitch.

There is one major drawback, though…while 3G pitch is allowed in non-League football, and in the FA Cup, as of 2023-24, it is not allowed in the Football League. So if you have a 3G pitch and get promoted to the 4th division, you either have to tear up the pitch and replace it with grass, play somewhere else, or be denied promotion. This has happened twice: with Harrogate Town (of North Yorkshire) in 2021, and with Sutton United (of South London) in 2022. Both clubs tore out the 3G and put in grass. The cost to do this is around half-a-million pounds!

In the FA Cup qualifying rounds it took Maidstone three away wins to get to the 1st Round, where they beat 7th-tier side Chesham United away. In the 2nd Round, on 2 December 2023 at Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone upset a promotion-chasing 4th-division side: Barrow AFC. A total of 2 league-levels and 46 league-places separated Maidstone from League Two high-fliers Barrow. They beat Barrow 2-1, coming back from a one-nil deficit, with a goal by MF Sam Corne in the 35th minute. Then the winning goal was scored by Maidstone-born Nepalese MF Bivesh Gurung, in the 74th minute. There was a decent crowd of 2,903 there.

For the 3rd Round, Maidstone were drawn for another home tie, versus promotion-chasing 3rd-tier side Stevenage. This was a match that really should have been televised. At this point, Maidstone was one of four non-League clubs still alive in the tournament, and they were the lowest placed. There was a crowd of 4,024 there (95 percent-capacity) at Gallagher Stadium. In added time at the end of the 1st half, a penalty kick was called when Stevenage DF Louis Thompson brought down Maidstone FW Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong in the box {see screenshot below}. 27-year-old MF Sam Cone scored the penalty. Maidstone repelled Stevenage’s offensive forays the rest of the match, including a play late in the 2nd half, when Sam Corne provided more heroics…on the goal line at the left post, he saved a sure goal, blocking a header from a Stevenage corner kick that was on its way in the goal {see screenshot below}. At the final whistle, Maidstone United had qualified for the FA Cup 4th Round for the first time in their 32-year history.

For the 4th Round, Maidstone have been drawn to play 2nd-tier promotion-candidate Ipswich Town, away, at Portman Road in Suffolk. This time, the match will be televised.




maidstone-united-fc_gallagher-stadium_2023-24-fa-cup_3rd-round-upset-win_over_stevenage-fc_george-elokobi_sam-corne_h_.gif"
Photo and Image credits above – Coat of Arms of Maidstone (feat. an Iguanadon), from
heraldry-wiki.com. A view of Maidstone, with bridge over River Medway and the 14th-century All Saints Church in background, photo unattributed at hotels.com/[best-things-to-do-maidstone]. Fremiln Walk (outdoor shopping mall) in Maidstone, photo from fremlinwalk.co.uk/[pdf]. 1st aerial drone shot of Gallagher Stadium, from maidstoneunited.co.uk/stones-pitch-hire. 2nd aerial drone shot of Gallagher Stadium, unattributed at news.maidston. George Elokobi (Maidstone United manager,) photo from maidstoneunited.co.uk. Fans at match, photo by Zac Goodwin/PA via twitter.com/[@James_Dart]. 45+1′, Penalty…Stevenage DF Louis Thompson brings down Maidstone FW Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong in the box, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. 45+2′ MF Sam Corne nets the penalty, photo by Action Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport. Late in 2nd half, Sam Corne, on the goal line at the left post, saves a goal, blocking a header from a Stevenage corner kick, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. George Elokobi celebrates with fans after pitch invasion, photo by Zac Goodwin/PA via gazette-news.co.uk/news.

___
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.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands 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 1st, 2nd 3rd, and 4th divisions).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 6th level).

January 2, 2024

2023-24 FA Cup, 3rd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances.

Filed under: 2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 9:52 pm

2023-24_fa-cup_3rd-round_map_w-league-attendances_w-fixtures_post_e_.gif
2023-24 FA Cup, 3rd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on 2 January 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

The FA Cup is the oldest football tournament in the world. The 2023-24 FA Cup is the 143rd edition of the tournament. The FA Cup Third Round is when the teams from the top 2 divisions in England – the Premier League, and the EFL Championship – join the competition. The 20 Premier League teams and the 24 Championship teams join 20 other lower-leagues teams.

The 20 lower-leagues teams still in the competition are…
-Nine 3rd-division teams [who play in the EFL League One]: Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool, Bristol Rovers, Cambridge United, Oxford United, Peterborough United, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage, Wigan Athletic.
-Seven 4th-division teams [who play in the EFL League Two]: AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham, Newport County, Morecambe, Sutton United, Walsall, Wrexham.
-Three 5th-division teams [who play in the non-League National League]: Aldershot Town, Chesterfield, Eastleigh.
-One 6th-tier team [who plays in the non-League National League South]: Maidstone United.

___
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.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands 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 1st, 2nd 3rd, and 4th divisions).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th level).

December 7, 2023

Spain: 2023-24 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list./ +Promoted to La Liga in 2023 – Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés./ + In second place in La Liga after 15 weeks – Girona FC.

Filed under: Spain — admin @ 9:50 pm

spain-la-liga_2023-24_location-map-of-the-20-clubs_current-attendance-dec-11_titles-list_seasons-in-1st-div_post_b_1.gif
Spain: 2023-24 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list



By Bill Turianski on 7 December 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 La Liga (en.wikipedia.org).
-La Liga – Summary: matches, table, players, etc (soccerway.com).
-Sid Lowe at theguardian.com/football [Spanish football coverage] (theguardian.com/profile/sidlowe).

The map page shows a location-map for the 20 clubs in the 2023-24 La Liga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2023: Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés; relegated in 2023: Valladolid, Espanyol, Elche.) The map also shows the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain, and the 20 largest Spanish metropolitan areas. Those 20 largest Spanish metro-areas, with their 2018 population estimates, are listed at the top-centre of the map-page.

The 3 charts
A.) A chart showing Current Attendance (up to week 15; 7 Dec 2023) plus 2022-23 finish, with teams playing in Europe noted. There are also columns listing Venue-capacities and Percent-capacities. Note: For 2023-24 (and part of ’24-25), FC Barcelona are playing at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, due to Camp Nou redevelopments (which are expected to be done by 2025–26). Barcelona’s home capacity is thus reduced by around 49,800. (Camp Nou capacity: 99,354. Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys capacity: 49,472.)
B.) A chart showing Seasons-in-La Liga by club, with consecutive seasons listed. This is the 93rd La Liga season. Three La Liga founding members – Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Club [Bilbao] have never been relegated.
C.) A chart showing the All-time Spanish professional titles list (1929 to 2022-23). There are only 9 clubs which have won a La Liga title, which is a dismally small number, and is an example of how the Spanish game is unbalanced by the near duopoly of Real Madrid/Barcelona.

    Promoted to La Liga in 2023 – Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés

2023: Granada, promoted back to La Liga after 1 year…
Granada CF are from Granada, Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located, by road, 160 miles (258 km) E of Seville. Granada is located, by road, 262 miles (422 km) S of Madrid. The elevation of Granada is 2,421 ft (738 m), which makes Granada .45 miles above sea level. Granada’s metropolitan population is around 232,000 {2018 figure}.

Granada first played in La Liga in 1941-42. Granada’s previous spell in the 1st division was for 3 seasons, from 2019 to ’22. Counting 2023-24, Granada have played 27 seasons of 1st division football.
granada-cf_promoted-2023_nuevo-los-carmenes_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Granada ’23-24 home jersey, from jerseydor.com. Nuevo Los Cármenes, photo from taquilla.com.




2023: Las Palmas, promoted back to La Liga after 5 years…
UD Las Palmas are from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are an archipelago and an autonomous community of Spain, located in the Atlantic Ocean, 60 miles (100 km) west of southern Morocco. Las Palmas is located, by air, 1,079 miles (1,737 km) SW of Madrid. There are 7 main islands in the Canaries. The city of Las Palmas, on the central island of Gran Canaria, is the most populous city in the archipelago. The population of the whole Canary Islands is 2.1 million {2021 figure}, and Las Palmas’ metropolitan population is around 635,000 {2018 figure}.

Las Palmas first played in La Liga in 1951-52. Las Palmas’ previous spell in the 1st division was for 3 seasons, from 2015 to ’18. Counting 2023-24, Las Palmas have played 35 seasons of 1st division football.
las-palmas_canary-islands_promoted-2023_estadio-gran-canaria_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Las Palmas ’23-24 home jersey, from hummel.net. Estadio Gran Canaria, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@estadios_Spain].



Alavés, promoted back to La Liga after 1 year…
Alavés are from Vitoria in the southern part of the Basque Country, in northern Spain. The name for the city in the Basque language is Gastiez, so the official name of the city is Vitoria-Gasteiz. Vitoria-Gasteiz is located, by road, 41 miles (65 km) south of Bilbao, and is located, by road, 219 miles (352 km) north of Madrid. Vitoria-Gasteiz’s metropolitan population is around 249,000 {2018 figure}.

Alavés first played in La Liga in 1930-31 (which was the third season of the Spanish first division). Alavés’ previous spell in the 1st division was for 6 seasons, from 2016 to ’22. Counting 2023-24, Alavés have played 17 seasons of 1st division football.
alaves_basque-country_promoted-2023_mendizorrotza_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Alavés ’23-24 home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Mendizorrotza Stadium, aerial shot unattributed at blogespanol.se.com.



Girona FC: In second place in La Liga after 15 weeks.
Girona FC are from Girona, in northern Catalonia, located, by road, 64 miles (103 km) north of Barcelona. Girona have only played 4 seasons of top-flight football, and they play in a 14,000-capacity stadium. But they have the wealth of City Football Group behind them. Girona FC are 47%-majority-owned by City Football Group Ltd, whose flagship club is Manchester City. (CFG owns or partially-owns 12 football clubs worldwide. CFG is primarily (81%) funded by Sheikh Mansour of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates.)

In the 2023-24 season, Girona led La Liga all through October and up to late November. But Girona fell to second place after drawing with Athletic [Bilbao], and Real Madrid overtook them in week 14 {see this}. Girona have lost once, to Real Madrid (by a score of 0-3), and they have yet to play Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. So it looks like Girona probably won’t be able to regain first place. But a 2nd-, 3rd, or 4th-place finish, and thus a coveted 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Group Stage spot, is still very much a possibility for Girona.
-From 13 Nov 2023, How Girona shocked Spain to climb to the top of La Liga (by Karl Matchett at independent.co.uk/sport).

girona-fc_estadi-montilivi_girona-catalonia-spain_2023-24_2nd-place-after-15-weeks_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Illustration of Girona ’23-24 home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Aerial shot of Girona, unattributed at mudanzascano.com/mudanzas-en-girona. Aerial shot of Estadi Montilivi, unattributed at footballarroyo.co.uk. Exterior shot of Estadi Montilivi, photo by Jmsolerb via stadiumguide.com/montilivi. Artem Dovbyk celebrates goal w/ teammates, photo by Pere Punti via mundodeportivo.com/futbol. Míchel (manager of Girona), photo from mundodeportivo.com/futbol.
___
Thanks to all at the following links
-Blank map of Spain, by NordNordWest at File:Spain location map.svg;
-Globe-map of Spain, by Rob984 at File:EU-Spain (orthographic projection).svg;
-Map of the Community of Madrid, by Miguillen at File:Spain Madrid location map.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Map of Canary Islands, by Miguillen at File:Canarias-loc.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Largest metropolitan areas in Spain (2018 European Spatial Planning Observation Network figures) (en.wikipedia.org).
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga#Clubs.
-Autonomous communities of Spain;
-List of metropolitan areas in Spain (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance, worldfootball.net/attendance/esp-primera-division-2023-2024.

November 23, 2023

2023-24 FA Cup, 2nd Round Proper: Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances./+ Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round…Ramsgate (8) beat Woking (5).

Filed under: 2023-24 FA Cup — admin @ 11:15 pm

2023-24_fa-cup_2nd-round_map_w-league-attendances_w-fixtures_post_b_.gif
2023-24 FA Cup, 2nd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances



By Bill Turianski on the 23rd of November 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2023-24 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round…Ramsgate (8) beat Woking (5): A league-placement difference of 3 levels and 62 league-places.
-Ramsgate 2-1 Woking | First Round | Emirates FA Cup 2023-24 (2-minute video highlights, from youtube.com).
-Ramsgate manager Ben Smith in tears after 2-1 FA Cup First-Round upset victory over Woking | Boss pays tribute to goalscorers TJ Jadama and Lee Martin
Eighth-tier side Ramsgate (from the Isthmian League South East Division) beat 5th division/National League side Woking, 2-1, at Ramsgate’s ground, Southwood Stadium, in Ramsgate, on the northeast coast of Kent. There was a packed crowd of 3,000 there, which exceeded the ground’s capacity by 500. Woking took an early lead, with a goal in the 13th minute. But Ramsgate equalised in the 40th minute, when Canterbury, Kent-born GK Tom Hadler boomed a long 70-yard goal-kick that London-born MF Tijan Jadama deftly trapped, on the fly, then bundled in {see photos and captions below.} Ramsgate took the lead for good in the 72nd minute, when former Man Utd MF Lee Robert Martin scored, on a nicely played set piece from a corner kick.

The corner-kick was played out on the turf, to the top of the box, where MF Michael West (#11) dummied the ball, allowing Martin a clear shot. Here is a brilliant 22-second video that shows manager Ben Smith, pre-game in the Rams’ dressing room, talking about the set piece, then the video cuts to the actual corner-kick, right at the touchline, where the photographer pans to follow the path of the ball on the turf towards West and Martin… twitter.com/[@EmiratesFACup, on 4 Nov 2023: Ramsgate's winning goal].

In the dying moments, Tom Hadler made another fine diving save, the whistle blew, and Ramsgate had beaten a team 3 divisions and 62 places higher than them.

Ramsgate are the lowest-placed club still alive in the FA Cup. This is the first time that Ramsgate (established 1945) have qualified for the FA Cup 2nd Round (their previous best was two separate 1st round appearances, in 1955, and in 2005).

Ramsgate have drawn a plum tie in the Second Round – AFC Wimbledon (4) away. It is to be played on Monday the 4th of December, at Wimbledon’s Plough Lane in South London, and the match will be televised.

Ramsgate, who last season finished in second place in the Isthmian D1 SE, are currently in first place and, under manager Ben Smith, look to be a good bet to win promotion this season: after losing their first league match in August, Ramsgate have now won 9 straight games. And their attendance is pretty large for an 8th tier side: Ramsgate are currently drawing 745 per game, this in a league whose median attendance is currently 211 per game.
ramsgate-fc_2023_qualified-for_fa-cup-2nd-round_first-time-ever_southwood-stadium_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Ramsgate 2022-24 jersey, image from macronlondonsoutheast.com. Aerial shot of Ramsgate, and shot of Ramsgate’s marina, 2 photos unattributed at propertymarket-index.com. Aerial drone shot of Southwood Stadium from issuu.com/ramsgatefc. Welcome to Ramsgate F.C. sign, photo unattributed at isthmian.co.uk. Ramsgate manager Ben Smith, photo by Barry Goodwin at kentonline.co.uk/thanet/sport. Woking 2023-24 away jersey badge, from wokingfc.co.uk/news. Fans packed in tightly at the match, photo by Louis McLaren via twitter.com/[@RamsgateFC]. 13′, Woking FC wingback Dennon Lewis scores, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. 40′, from a long 70-yard goalkick by GK Tom Hadler, Ramsgate MF Tijan Jadama scores (assist by T Hadler), screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com. 72′ , off a corner-kick played out on the turf, Ramsgate FW Lee Robert Martin scores, screenshot from video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com.



___
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.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-Soccerway (current average attendances for the 3rd division and the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th, 7th and 8th levels).

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