billsportsmaps.com

June 5, 2024

England (including Wales) – Map of all clubs drawing above 1,000 per game (2023-24 attendance figures): 152 clubs, including 60 non-League clubs./+ Profiles of 7 clubs that had never drawn above one thousand per-game before (Chatham Town, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Horsham, Radcliffe, Ramsgate, Warrington Town, Weston-super-Mare).

Filed under: >Eng-156 highest draws — admin @ 8:06 pm

England (including Wales) – Map of all clubs drawing above 1,000 per game (2023-24 attendance figures): 152 clubs
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By Bill Turianski on the 5th of June 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Attendance figures…
-us.soccerway.com/national/england/premier-league/20232024/regular-season (Average attendances last season from the 1st division through the 6th level.)
-nonleaguematters.co.uk. (Average attendances last season from the 7th level and further down.)
-(Note: in English football, the last 4 seasons of full attendance have been: 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. The gap being the two seasons that were COVID-affected: 2019-20 and 2020-21. In non-League football, those 2 COVID-affected seasons break down to the following…2019-20 season: COVID-shortened [up to mid-March 2020] for levels 5 and 6, and fully COVID-abandoned for all non-League levels below the 6th; 2020-21 season: fully COVID-abandoned for all of non-League football [from the 5th level on down].)

The map

The map shows all clubs in the English football system which drew above 1,000 per-game in 2023-24 (home domestic league matches): 152 clubs, including 60 non-League clubs.
Also, there is an inset-map for all the clubs drawing above 1-K-per-game from Greater London-plus-the-immediate surrounding area (19 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 4 things:
A) 2023-24 League-level;
B) 2023-24 league-finish;
C) Champions League Group Stage qualification [for the top 4 teams in the Premier League (text in blue)];
D) promotion-or-relegation, if applicable (text in green for promotion / text in red for relegation).

On the right-hand side of the map-page are 2 charts showing the English football league system, aka the Pyramid. {See this, English football league system (en.wikipedia.org).}

I included Hampton & Richmond Borough (who drew 999 per-game), because there are almost always slight discrepancies in attendance figures from source to source, especially in non-League football, and 999 per-game is just too close to one thousand to leave them off the map.

When I first made this map, it was five years ago, for the 2018-19 season. Then, the map showed 133 clubs, including 41 non-League clubs. So in the space of half a decade, the amount of non-League clubs drawing over one thousand-per-game has increased by 19 (from 41 non-League clubs to 60 non-League clubs). That is but one indication of how non-League football attendance is on the rise.

This season [2023-24], eight of the 152 clubs are clubs which were not drawing above 1-K-per-game in the last four seasons of full attendance… (Chatham Town, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Horsham, Radcliffe, Ramsgate, Tamworth, Warrington Town, Weston-super-Mare AFC).

Of those 8 clubs, only 6th-tier-/-National League North champions Tamworth (of Staffordshire) has drawn above 1,000-per-game previously. (Tamworth, in two spells as a 5th-tier side, drew above 1-K-per-game for 8 seasons [from 2003-04 to 2006-07, and from 2009-10 to 2012-13].). Tamworth returns to the 5th division after an eleven-year absence.

Seven of those 8 clubs, to the best of my knowledge, had never drawn above one thousand per-game before last season. Below, those 7 clubs are profiled.

-Chatham Town FC.

Background pattern above, from: shop.chathamtownfc.co.uk/products/replica-home-shirt-23-24.
Chatham Town FC are from Chatham, in Medway, Kent [in SE England]. Chatham is part of the Medway unitary authority (along with the neighbouring towns of Gillingham, Rochester, Strood, and Rainham). Population of Medway is around 279,000 {2021 figure}. Chatham is located, by road, 34 miles (54 km) SSE of central London. Chatham is a couple miles south-west of Gillingham. Chatham Town wear red-and-white. Chatham Town are nicknamed the Chats, and are a 7th-tier side in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Chatham Town play at the Bauvill Stadium, on Maidstone Road, in Chatham. Seven years ago, in 2017-18, Chatham Town were a 9th-tier side in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division. They had just been relegated out of the Isthmian League (after an eleven-season spell in the 8th tier), and were drawing below 200 per game. In the 2018-19 season, the Chats improved from 16th place to 4th place, and drew 194 per game. In the COVID-abandoned season of 2019-20, Chatham Town ended up in 3rd place and doubled their crowd-size, drawing 405 per game. A year-and-a-half later, when COVID restrictions were cleared for 2021-22, Chatham Town kept drawing larger crowds, and averaged a league-best 658 per game, and they won automatic promotion as 2nd-place finishers. And in 2022-23, back up in the 8th tier, in the Isthmian South East D1, the Chats made it back-to-back promotions, as they won the league by 7 points, and drew a league-best 931 per game. Which is very good for an 8th-tier side. And in the 2023-24 season, Chatham Town, now in the 7th-tier Isthmian Premier League, finished in 2nd place. In the play-offs, Chatham beat Horsham {see Horsham FC, below} to advance to the final, but then lost to Enfield Town before 3,000 at the Bauvil Stadium. Chatham drew 1,541 in 2023-24, which was second-best in the league (South London’s Dulwich Hamlet drew best in the Isthmian Premier last year, at 2,604 per game). In three seasons [5 years], Chatham Town has increased their crowd size by an impressive 1,300 per-game.

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-Hampton & Richmond Borough FC.

Background pattern above, from: hamrichfc.com/[shop].
Hampton & Richmond Borough FC are from Hampton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames [situated on the north shore of the River Thames in SW Greater London]. Hampton is located, by road, 15 miles (28 km) SW of central London. H&RB FC are nicknamed the Beavers, and are a 6th-tier side playing in the National League South. Hampton and Richmond wear dark-blue-with-red-trim. They play at the Beveree Stadium in Hampton (capacity 3,500 with 640 seated). Hampton & Richmond Borough have now been in the 6th tier for an 8-year-spell (7 seasons including the COVID-shortened season of 2019-20, and the COVID-abandoned season of 2020-21). Previous to that, they had a 5-season-spell in the Conference South (from 2007-08 to 2011-12), where they drew in the 400-to-550-per-game range. In 2016-17, after 4 seasons in the 7th tier Isthmian Premier, Hampton & Richmond won promotion back to the 6th tier, and drew 636 per-game. It took them 5 years to draw (slightly) better, at 676 per-game in 2021-22. Then in 2022-23, they drew 626 per-game as a 17th place finisher. But in this last season [2023-24], Hampton got more competitive, and started drawing above 1-K…for some matches. In 2023-24, H&R Borough had a huge disparity in high and low crowd-sizes, going from a low-attendance of 399 (v Havant and Waterlooville on a Tuesday night in February), to a high-attendance of 2,031 (v Tonbridge Angels on Good Friday [March 29]). For 2023-24, Hampton & Richmond Borough finished in 9th place, missed out on the play-offs by 2 points, and drew 999 per-game.

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-Horsham FC.

Background pattern above, from: horshamfc.co.uk.
Horsham FC are from Horsham, West Sussex [in SE England]. Horsham has a population of around 50,900 {2018 estimate}. Horsham is located, by road, 40 miles (65 km) S of central London. Horsham wear amber-and-green. Horsham play at the 1,980-capacity Hop Oast Stadium, which opened in 2019, and is a 3G-turf set-up. 5 years ago, in the 2018-19 season, Horsham won promotion out the 8th-tier Isthmian D1 South East, finishing in 2nd and drawing 180 per-game. When the 2019-20 7th-tier Isthmian Premier season was COVID-abandoned in March 2020, Horsham were 3 points outside the play-off places, in 6th place, and, in their new facilities, their crowd-size had tripled, to 596 per-game. When COVID restrictions eased one-and-a-half years later [2021-22 season], Horsham dropped down 5 places to 11th, yet their crowd-size still increased, by about 150, to 758 per-game. Horsham improved in 2022-23, finishing in 7th, just 2 points shy of the play-offs; and their crowd-size continued to increase, again by about 150, to 923 per-game (best in their league). In 2023-24, Horsham qualified for the FA Cup 1st Round, by beating 5th tier side Dorking 2-0 at Hop Oast, in front of then-record crowd of 1,980. They were drawn away to Barnsley for the first round. Horsham battled Barnsley to a 3-3 draw at Oakwell (attendance: 4,463). The replay in Horsham was televised; Horsham lost 3-0 in front of a record home attendance of 3,000 (which was more than one thousand above-capacity). A few days later it was revealed that Barnsley had fielded an ineligible player, so Horsham were awarded the win. In the FA Cup 2nd round, Horsham then lost away to 4th-tier-side Sutton United. This season in the league [2023-24], 7th-tier Horsham finished in an all-time-best 5th place, and made it to the Isthmian Premier play-offs, where they lost to Chatham Town. Horsham made it over the 1,000-per-game mark for the first time, drawing 1,064 per-game.

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-Radcliffe FC.

Background pattern above, from: weareradcliffe.com/[2023-24-home-shirt].
Radcliffe FC are from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester [in NW England]. Radcliffe is located, by road, 8 miles (13 km) NNW of central Manchester. Radcliffe FC are nicknamed the Boro, and wear blue-and-white. Founded in 1949, the club was originally named Radcliffe Borough; they have played at Stainton Park since 1969. The club changed their name to Radcliffe FC in 2018. In 2018-19 (the last season before the two COVID-abandoned seasons), Radcliffe were an 8th-tier side in the Northern Premier League One West, and finished in 2nd place; they then won promotion via the play-offs. Radcliffe were drawing 247 per game at that point (2018-19). Two years later, in the next full season (2021-22), Radcliffe finished in 16th place in the 7th-tier Northern Premier League, and increased their average gate by 300, to 556 per game. Their crowds increased again the following season (2022-23), as the Boro drew 730 per-game, and improved 9 places to 7th place, just missing out on the play-offs by 2 points. Then this season [2023-24] Radcliffe improved again, and were in first place at Christmas, and never relinquished the top spot, finishing 10 points in front. And the crowds continued to swell, as Radcliffe topped 1-thousand per-game for the first time. The Boro drew 1,253 per-game. For 2024-25, Radcliffe will play in the 6th-tier for the first time, in the National League North. Radcliffe’s accomplishment as a 7th-tier side drawing above 1-thousand-per-game is noteworthy in itself. But they did this as a club from one of English football’s most concentrated areas – Greater Manchester. And that makes it even more impressive. Because Radcliffe have been able to carve out a significant fanbase stuck right next to two of the highest-drawing clubs in Britain: Manchester United, and Manchester City (125-K-per-game between those 2 huge clubs). Plus Radcliffe are within 16 miles of Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, Bury, Salford City, Rochdale, FC United of Manchester, and Oldham Athletic (49-K-per-game between those 7 clubs). Just look at the map – I could barely fit in all the logos there.

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-Ramsgate FC.

Background pattern above, from: macronlondonsoutheast.com.
Ramsgate FC are from Ramsgate, Kent [in SE England, on the coast of the English Channel]. Ramsgate is located, by road, 79 miles (127 km) ESE of central London. The population of Ramsgate is around 42,000 {2021 census}. Ramsgate FC wear red-and-white and are nicknamed the Rams. Ramsgate played in the 8th-tier Isthmian South East Division 1 in 2023-24. In 2022-23, Ramsgate had finished in 2nd place in the Isthmian SE D1, 7 points behind Chatham Town; Ramsgate drew a very credible 744 per-game. This season, they started out strong in both their league and in the FA Cup qualifying rounds. So much so that, in November 2023, Ramsgate qualified for the FA Cup 2nd Round for the first time ever, when they beat Woking 2-1 in front of a full-capacity crowd of 3,000 at their Southwoods Stadium.
-{See this illustrated article from Nov 2023, Biggest upset in the 2023-24 FA Cup 1st Round…Ramsgate (8) beat Woking (5) (billsportsmaps).}
By January 2024, Ramsgate was in a fight for first place with Cray Valley, and Ramsgate were regularly drawing above one thousand per-game at home. In April, in their second-to-last home match, when they hosted Cray Valley, the result was a 2-2 draw in front of 2,563. In their final home match, they lost to Three Bridges, in front of 1,464. Ramsgate finished in 2nd place, 6 points behind Cray Valley; in the play-offs they lost to Enfield Town at home, in front of 1,462. Ramsgate ended up drawing 1,075 per game. In 2024-25, Ramsgate will start the season as the highest-drawing 8th-level club in England (although there is one club in the 9th tier drawing higher: the Phoenix-club Bury FC, who drew 3,359 per game).

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-Warrington Town FC.

Background pattern above, from: warringtontownfc.co.uk/shop.
Warrington Town FC are from Warrington, Cheshire [in NW England, adjacent to both Merseyside and Greater Manchester and equidistant from both Liverpool and Manchester]. Warrington is located, by road, 20 miles (32 km) E of central Liverpool. And Warrington is located, by road, 20 miles (32 km) WSW of central Manchester. Warrington Town wear yellow-and-blue. Warrington are nicknamed the Wire, for the town’s history as a center of the wire-pulling industry. They are also known as the Yellows. Warrington Town’s home ground is Cantilever Park, capacity 3,500, which is adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal and the town’s cantilever bridge (which spans that waterway and looms over the ground, and which gives the ground its name). Warrington Town played in the Cheshire league system from 1962 to 1982; then they played in the North West Counties league system from 1982 to 2004; then they played in the Northern Premier League system from 2004 to 2022. In 2022-23, Warrington Town finished in 2nd in the Northern Premier, and won promotion via the play-offs (with a 1-0 win over Bamber Bridge at Cantilever Park); they drew 773 per game. In 2023-24, Warrington Town joined the 6th tier for the first time, in the National League North. They finished in 12th, increased their crowd-size by 400 per-game, and drew 1,183 per-game.

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-Weston-super-Mare AFC.

Background pattern above, from westonsmareafc.co.uk/news.
Weston-super-Mare AFC are from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset [in SW England aka the West Country]. Weston-super-Mare is located, by road, 24 miles (39 km) SW of Bristol. Weston-super-Mare is a seaside town on the coast of the Bristol Channel. The club is nicknamed the Seagulls, and are a 6th-tier side in the National League South. Weston wear white-with-black-and-metallic-gold-trim. Since 2004, Weston-super-Mare play their home games at the Woodspring Stadium (capacity 3,500, with 350 seated). Weston-super-Mare played 15 seasons in the 6th tier, from 2004-05, from when the National Leagues North-&-South set-up was created, until 2018-19, when Weston finished in last place in the National League South. In that 15-year-spell in the 6th tier, Weston’s best season was in 2012-13, when the Seagulls finished in 7th, 7 points off the play-offs, and drew 310 per-game. But their best season at the gate was when they were relegated: Weston started drawing in the 400-per-game range circa 2015 to 2017, and their average gate gradually increased, until they drew 698 per-game in the season they were relegated out of the National League South [in 2018-19]. They were placed in the Southern League Premier Division South. When the 2019-20 Southern League season was COVID-abandoned in March 2020, Weston were in 10th place, and were drawing 517 per-game. When COVID restrictions eased one-and-a-half years later, in the 2021-22 season, Weston finished in 3rd place, and drew 677 per-game; they then lost in the play-offs’ 1st round to Hayes & Yeading. The next season of 2022-23 saw Weston-super-Mare promoted as champions, winning the league by 3 points, and drawing 878 per-game – their best attendance to that point. And this season [2023-24], back in the National League South [6th-tier], the Seagulls finished in 13th place, and finally cracked the one-thousand-per-game barrier, drawing 1,090 per-game. (Their average attendance was aided by the visit of nearby Yeovil Town – a former Football League club. Yeovil Town bounced straight back to the 5th tier this season, and drew highest in the 6th tier (at 3.9-K-per-game), and attracted huge crowds when playing away. Weston-super-Mare had a crowd of 2,487 when Yeovil visited the Woodspring Stadium in September 2023.)

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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.
-English football league system (en.wikipedia.org).
-us.soccerway.com/national/england/premier-league/20232024/regular-season (Average attendances last season from the 1st division through the 6th level.)
-nonleaguematters.co.uk. (Average attendances last season from the 7th level and further down.)

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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.

Filed under: Canada,Canada>CHL (major junior),Canada>CHL Memorial Cup,Canada>CHL/60-team map — admin @ 8:36 pm

CHL Map (60 teams) w/ Memorial Cup titles & appearances.
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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).

Saginaw Spirit (host team)…
Below: Saginaw, Michigan. Part of the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area.

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].

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Drummondville Voltigeurs – 2024 QMJHL champions (their 2nd QMJHL title)…

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.

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London Knights – 2024 OHL champions (their 5th OHL title)…

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.
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Moose Jaw Warriors – 2024 WHL champions (their 1st WHL title)…

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.
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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.

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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 calendar year
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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).
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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

MLB: Paid-Attendance Map for 2023
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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.

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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 circle 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.
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-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 an average attendance increase of 2,452 per game – an increase of 9.1% from 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.

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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).

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).

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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].)

Photo: Getty Images via sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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2. Cincinnati Reds, up 7,932 per game (CIN drew 25.1 K per game [18th best].)

Photo: Aaron Doster/AP Photo via local12.com/sports/reds.

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3. Baltimore Orioles, up 7,018 per game (BAL drew 23.9 K per game [21st best].)

Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images via sportico.com.

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4. Cleveland Guardians, up 6,644 per game (CLE drew 22.6 K per game [23rd best].)

Photo: unattributed at sportskeeda.com/baseball.

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5. Texas Rangers, up 6,441 per game (TEX drew 31.2 K per game [16th best].)

Photo: unattributed at cbsnews.com/texas.

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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.

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.

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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

2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2022-23 average attendances by school (68 teams)
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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. Big 12. 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).
-Thanks to the Bracket Matrix site for bracket forecasting, bracketmatrix.com; twitter.com/@bracketproject.

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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).

Filed under: Canada,Canada>CHL (major junior),Canada>CHL Memorial Cup,Canada>CHL/60-team map — admin @ 10:29 pm

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)
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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).

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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).

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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

2024 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 47-team tournament, with Club Histories (total Libertadores appearances & titles listed)

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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).
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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 2024 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.

{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.}

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___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Blank map of South America by Anbans 585 at File:CONMEBOL laea location map without rivers.svg (en.wikipedia.org/[2018 Copa Libertadores]).
-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}.

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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

2023-24 FA Cup, 4th Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances
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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.
-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).

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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 Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances
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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.
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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.

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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: 2023-24 La Liga – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance [current], Seasons-in-1st-Division & Spanish titles list

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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.

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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.

Photo and Image credits above – Granada ’23-24 home jersey, from jerseydor.com. Nuevo Los Cármenes, photo from taquilla.com.

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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.

Photo and Image credits above – Las Palmas ’23-24 home jersey, from hummel.net. Estadio Gran Canaria, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@estadios_Spain].

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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.

Photo and Image credits above – Alavés ’23-24 home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Mendizorrotza Stadium, aerial shot unattributed at blogespanol.se.com.

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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).

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.
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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.

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