billsportsmaps.com

July 5, 2010

Norway: 2010 Norwegian Premier League (aka Tippeligaen), the 16 clubs, with 2009 attendance figures, and all-time list of Norwegian football league champions.

Filed under: Norway — admin @ 4:37 am

Norway 2010 first division location-map with titles & crowds sizes listed
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The official name of the Norwegian Premier League is Tippeligaen, for sponsorship reasons. The 66th season of top flight football in Norway began the weekend of 14th March 2010. After 14 rounds, the season went on hiatus in early June (for the 2010 World Cup), and the league was re-started the weekend of 3-4 July. So at the exact half-way point in the season, Norwegian giants Rosenborg (of Trondheim in north-central Norway) sit at the top of the table, 3 points above Tromso (a club that is located north of the Arctic Circle) and 5 points above Valerenga (of Oslo).
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On the main map and chart page there are 2 lists…at the lower left, I have listed all the clubs in Norway that drew over 1,000 per game last season…this ended up being all 16 clubs in the 2009 Norwegian Premier League and 9 clubs in the 2009 second tier, which is the Norwegian First Division.
And at the top left, there is the all-time list of Norwegian league champions. An unusual feature of football in Norway is that the Norwegian champion is, officially, the national cup-winner, not the national-league winner, the way it is most everywhere else. [It might be that way officially, but the winner of the Norwegian Cup does not get a chance to play in the UEFA Champions League, like the Norwegian league winner does, so who's kidding who...]. [The Norwegian Football Cup is not being covered here.]

The Norwegian Premier League (aka Tippeligaen) is currently the 22nd-highest-ranked by UEFA for European competitions {see this, from Bert Kassiesa’s site}. [Update: in 2015 Norway had dropped 4 places to #26 rank in Europe, see this.]

Nprway’s 1st division average attendance was the 15th highest in Europe (even higher than the Portuguese Liga), and was the 22nd-highest drawing association football league in the entire world, but it has probably dropped a couple notches, because that list was for around a year or so ago, and the Norwegian Premier League has seen a dip in cumulative average attendance from 10,485 per game in 2007, to 8,956 per game in 2009. [source: The Best Eleven.com...'World Soccer Average Attendance List'].
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In 1937-38, the Norgesserien , or League of Norway, began play. Two seasons later, the league was forced to shut down for what turned out to be 8 seasons, due to the German invasion and onset of World War II and then its aftermath.

One season after resuming play, the league was renamed the Hovedserien , or Main League, from 1948 to 1962. Then the Norwegian top flight used the name 1.divisjon from 1963 to 1990. The current name of Tippeligaen was instituted in 1991. [The word Tippe refers to the league's sponsor, Norsk Tipping, which is the national lottery of Norway.]
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Below, the Lerkendal Stadion, home of Rosenborg BK, of Trondheim, Norway…

The most successful club in Norway are current reigning league champions Rosenborg BK, who have won 21 Norwegian league titles, including 18 of the last 22 titles (and were champions 13 straight seasons from 1992 to 2004). One could call them the Bayern Munich of Norway, seeing as how Rosenborg, like Germany’s Bayern Munich, has the lion’s share of league titles in their country, but both clubs did not become the dominant club in their nation until recent times. Rosenborg are from the north-central city of Trondheim, which has a population of around 171,000 {2010 estimate}), making it the fourth-largest urban area in Norway. Trondheim is a center of education and of technical and medical research. Rosenborg Ballklub has the nickname of Troillongan, or “the Troll Kids”.

Rosenborg BK have had the best average attendance for 11 of the past 12 seasons, and drew 17,652 per game last season to their ground, the Lerkendal Stadion, which has a capacity of 21,620. This stadium was bought from the city and completely rebuilt circa 2000-02, using funds earned from the club’s then-annual UEFA Champions League appearances. Rosenborg made it to the promised land of the Champions League Group Stage 11 times in 12 seasons from 1995 to 2006 [in case you are wondering...yes Rosenborg actually progressed out of the CL Group Stage, twice, in fact, in 1996-97 and in 1999-2000]. Rosenborg has recently seen the return of Nils Arne Eggen, the most successful club manager in Norwegian history. Eggen returns for his 7th stint as manager of Rosenborg, which included the golden age of Rosenborg (circa 1988-2002).
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The Lerkendal is the second biggest football stadium in Norway, only smaller than the 25,572-capacity Ullevaal Stadion, which is the national football stadium, in Norway’s largest and capital city, Oslo (city population of around 590,000, and a metropolitan area population of around 1.4 million {2010 estimate}). The Ulevaal Stadion is also home to the only Oslo-based club currently in the Norwegian top flight, Valerenga Fotball. Valerenga were the club that broke the 13-year stranglehold that Rosenborg had on the championship, when they took the crown in 2004. This was Valerenga’s 5th title. Valerenga draw around 10,000 per game. The club has plans to build their own stadiium in Oslo. A notable ex-player is Aston Villa FW John Carew, who began his pro career with Valerenga.
Ullevaal Stadion, home of Valerenga and also home of the Norway national team…

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SK Brann are the second-best drawing club in Norway. Brann drew 15,931 per game in 2009. Brann come from the western Norway port city of Bergen, which is the second largest city in Norway (with a city population of around 255,00, and a metro-area population of around 382,000 {2010 estimate}), and is Norway’s main port and the center of the country’s maritime industry as well as the hub of Norway’s sizable oil and natural gas industries. Like Valerenga, Brann also have won a recent Norwegian premier League title, in 2007. This was Brann’s 3rd Norwegian league title. Brann Stadion holds a little over 17,000, and these days it’s usually close to being filled. Incidentally, though the structure looks pretty new and up-to-date (as you can see in the photo below), Brann Stadion was opened in 1919.

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The other club to have won a recent league title are the Greater Oslo-based Stabaek Fotball, who are from the suburban municipality of Fornebu, which borders the western edge of Oslo. Although the club has been around since 1912, Stabaek finally won their first league title in 2008. Stabaek play in an unusual ground…a 15,600 indoor arena (with, ugh, artificial turf) called the Telenor Arena.

Speaking of the dreaded artificial turf, this season in Norway, 7 of the 16 first division clubs play on artificial turf…Aalesunds FK, Honefoss BK, Kongsvinger, Odd Grenland, Stabaek Fotbal, Stromgodset IF, and Tromso IL. Tromso IL are the northernmost first-division football club in the world, and are from Tromso (population, 64,000), which is located within the Arctic Circle. I don’t think grass really grows too well up there, and playing on a bed of moss and lichen is not really practical, so one cannot really fault Tromso for playing on a plastic-turfed pitch.
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One other club in the Norwegian first division that needs mentioning because of their past success and consistent ability to draw crowds, and that’s Viking FK,of Stavanger, which is part of the third largest urban area in Norway (Stavanger/Sandnes metro area population, 297,000 {2010 estimate}). Viking was founded way back in 1889 but did not become a force in Norwegian football until the late 1950s, winning their first league title in 1958. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Viking were the dominant club in the country, winning 6 league titles in 11 years. Their last league title was won in 1991, and in the last decade Viking have not finished higher than 3rd (on three occasions). But Viking continue to draw well, and have been the third-highest drawing club in Norway for three years running. Viking averaged 13,071 per game in 2009, and the last time they threatened for the title, in 2007, they drew just over 17,000.
Viking Stadion…

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One other point about the Norwegian Premier League. All three of the clubs relegated last year are venerable clubs…Fredrikstad FK, FK Bodo/Glimt, and FK Lyn Oslo. Fredrikstad were the original dominant club in the Norwegian top tier, winning 6 of the first 9 league titles. Fredrikstad’s 9 league titles makes them the second-most successful club in Norway, but their last league title was in 1960-61. Fredrikstad FK are from Fredrikstad, which is on the south-east side of the Ostdjord (it’s shown on the Greater Oslo/Oslofjord map segment on the main map page). Fredrikstad averaged 10,289 per game last season, so their relegation will put a dent in the 2010 Norwegian Premier League average attendance. This is especially true because the three just-promoted clubs…FK Haugesund, Honefoss BK, and Kongsvinger IL Topfotball, are all low-drawing minnows who averaged below 3,000 per game in the second tier last season.
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Thanks to World Soccer magazine, for news of the Norwegian football scene, World Soccer.
Thanks to the E-F-S site, for attendance figures, E-F-S attendances.
Thanks to Football Derbies.com, and contributor Tromsoe, for Valeranga v. Lyn info,
Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org ’2010 Norwegian Premier League’.
Thanks to Tom Dunmore at Pitch Invasion site, for posting this map earlier this year, PitchInvasion.net.

Comments (9)

June 30, 2010

Canadian Football League: with stadium photos, 2009 attendances, and 2009 uniforms.

Filed under: Canada,Canadian Football League — admin @ 12:06 pm

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Note: click on the following link for my most recent [2015] map & post on the CFL,
Canadian Football League: CFL location-map for 2015, with 2014 attendances, percent-capacities, and titles-listed-by-team./ Plus illustrations for the 3 new stadiums in the CFL (Ottawa, Hamilton, Winnipeg).

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Official CFL site (www.cfl.ca).
2010 CFL season, including images of 2010 CFL retro uniforms (en.wikipedia.org).
For 2010, the CFL season will once again start on the national holiday of Canada Day, on July 1st.
The 2009 Grey Cup finalists…reigning champions the Montreal Alouettes, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, will play in Regina, Saskatchewan; and the Calgary Stampeders will host the Toronto Argonauts. {CFL schedule, here}.
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The 2009 CFL season saw a nail-biting finish. In the 2009 Grey Cup, the Montreal Alouettes snatched a last second, 14-point come-from-behind-victory, from the out-coached Saskatchewan Roughriders. I can see why Montreal head coach Marc Trestman’s name has been mentioned as a possible NFL head coaching hire…the Alouettes methodically pared down the Roughriders’ lead, and positioned themselves for a field goal as the clock ran down. Right before that, Saskatchewan couldn’t run the clock down, with 2 lame up the middle runs that failed to get that crucial final first down. Montreal got the ball back and moved right down the field. Their first field goal attempt was actually missed, but Saskatchewan was penalized for having too many men on the field, and Montreal got a second shot and won it wih a 32-yard FG. Montreal running back Avon Cobourne was named MVP.
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The map and chart shows all the 2009 uniforms of the 8 CFL teams (including 1960s-themed throwback uniforms), as well as average attendances, plus 3 or 4 photos of each team’s stadium.
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Here is an article from Sports Business daily.com, from last November
Turnstile Tracker: CFL Attendance Down Slightly From ’08.
The fact that attendance was down slightly should not distract one from the fact that there are real success stories in the CFL. Three of the eight teams played to capacity last season…the Calgary Stampeders, the Montreal Alouettes, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. True, Montreal was playing in a 20,000-seat stadium, but the team has just expanded the facility by 4,800. [You can see the new stand in the middle photo in Montreal's section on the map page (the photo is from the July 27th game v. Toronto). And the photo on the right is a Bing.com Bird's Eye satellite view that shows the stand from earlier in 2010 when construction was still ongoing.]

Calgary and Edmonton also upgraded their stadia, and the BC Lions are putting a retractable roof on BC Place (for a 2011 re-opening). Also, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be moving into a new stadium at the University of Manitoba in 2012. Hamilton and Saskatchewan are considering new stadiums as well, and there is the new Ottawa franchise slated for 2013. And the September 25, 2010 CFL game to be played in Moncton, New Brunswick’s new stadium sold out in less than 48 hours {‘CFL game in Moncton a sell out‘ {CBC.ca)}.

Frankly, the dead weight in the CFL is the team from Canada’s largest city…the Toronto Argonauts. It seems that the Canadian Football League is just too, well, provincial, for the refined tastes of the people of Toronto. Toronto is a city with a metro area population of around 5.1 million {2006 figure}. Many people from Toronto believe they live in a world-class city and thus deserve things like a Major League Baseball team (which has been poorly supported for over a decade, now, with the fifth-worst average attendance as of June 30th, 2010 {see this}, as well as an NFL franchise (which would mean they would steal the Buffalo Bills from the fans that make up the Bills’ very solid fan base in western New York). I think there are very many sports fans in Toronto who feel the Canadian Football League is beneath them. The Toronto Argonauts drew 26,374 per game last season, which is horrible when you take into account the fact that Toronto is over 9 times the size of cities like Hamilton and Winnipeg, and more than 25 times the size of Regina. [List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada, from en.wikipedia.org.]
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My mom was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, so I can’t resist linking up to this article by Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive lineman Kelly Bates, from the CFL.ca website, ‘Have to love that Rider pride‘ (June 30,2010).
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org Canadian Football League.
Thanks to Geology.com Canada Physical Map.
Thanks to the brilliant MG’s Helmets.com… MG’s Helmets. Last year, this site was the only place I could find images of the circa-1960s-throwback helmets that all the CFL teams sported in week 3. PS, this season, the CFL teams will have throwback uniforms from the 1970s, during weeks 6 and 7…see this, from the official CFL site, ‘Kicking off 2010 schedule with momentum’.

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June 29, 2010

2010 World Cup: Uruguay, 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Uruguay — admin @ 2:09 pm

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Uruguay World Cup squad.

The map shows the Uruguay national football team which competed in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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At the bottom, left on the map page are photos of all the players on the Uruguay team that have seen action in Uruguay’s first 6 matches in the 2010 World Cup (21 player photos, all in the gear of their professional clubs). International appearances (aka caps) and international goals are listed and are up to date as of 6th July, 2010.
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13 players in the squad were born in Montevideo. Montevideo is Uruguay’s sole city of over 100,000 inhabitants. Montevideo’s population is around 1.3 million {2004 figure}. Two of the three players who have scored for Uruguay in their first 4 games in this World Cup come from Montevideo…FW Diego Forlán and MF Alváro Pereira. Forlán, who scored the winning goal for Atlético Madrid in their Europa League finals win over Fulham in May, scored two goals in the 16th June match v. South Africa (which ended 3-0). Attacking midfielder Alváro Pereira, who plays for FC Porto in Portugal, also scored in the match versus South Africa, in extra time, heading in a cross from Luis Suarez (see below).
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Salto and Paysandú which produced 2 and 3 players in the squad, respectively, both have populations in the upper 90,000s (Salto is slightly larger). Both these cities are in the west of the country, on the east bank of the Uruguay River, which borders Argentina’s Entre Rios Province. Prolific goal scoring striker Luis Suárez, who plays professionally for Ajax of the Netherlands, is from Salto. In this World Cup, Suárez has maintained his amazing production rate (he has scored 89 goals in 131 games in the Dutch Eredivisie). Suárez scored the winner in Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat of Mexico, then scored both goals in Uruguay’s victory over South Korea.
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Uruguay itself has a population of only around 3.4 million (2009 estimate}.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Uruguay national football team. Thanks to UK Soccer Shop, for the photos of the Uruguay jerseys.

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June 26, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Paraguay, 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Paraguay — admin @ 7:57 pm

Paraguay World Cup squad.

The map shows the birthplaces of the players on the Paraguay national football team which competed in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
At the bottom, left of the map page are all the players on the Paraguay team who saw action in Paraguay’s 5 matches in the 2010 World Cup (20 player photos, all in the gear of the players’ professional clubs). International appearances (aka caps) and international goals are up to date as of 3rd July, 2010 (that is, after Paraguay exited the 2010 World Cup in the Quarterfinals).
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Asunción is the capital and only large city in Paraguay, with a city population of around 680,000, and a metro-area population of around 1.87 million {2009 figures}. Paraguay itself has a population of around 6.3 million. Paraguay is one of only two land-locked nations in South America (the other being Bolivia).
The most important geographic characteristic of Paraguay is the contrast between the two major regions in the country, Oriental Paraguay and Occidental Paraguay (ie, East and West Paraguay). The two regions are divided by the Rio Paraguay, which is a tributary of the mighty Rio Paraná (which empties into the Atlantic between Argentina and Uruguay). Western Paraguay is a dry and barren region that is part of the Gran Chaco, which stretches from north-central Argentina, through western Paraguay and into Bolivia and a small section of Brazil. Over 90% of Paraguayans live in the eastern half of the country, which is also called the Paraneña region. The eastern half of Paraguay boasts fertile land and agriculture dominates the economy and it’s total exports (soybearn production and exports have skyrocketed in recent years). Yet to this day, thousands of Paraguayans still rely on subsistence farming to survive. Urban unemployment has always been a problem in Paraguay.

But what the country has going for it is vast hydroelectric power reserves. Paraguay relies almost entirely on hydroelectric power, and exports large quantities. Paraguay is the world’s second-largest exporter of electricity {France is first, see this list}. The Itaipú Dam, just upstream from the spectacular Iguazu Falls, is jointly run with Brazil, and has the world’s second-largest generating capacity. Another dam in the south of Paraguay (the Yacyretá) is jointly run with Argentina. These two dams’ and the Iguazu Falls’ locations are shown on the map.
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Paraguay is a bilingual country…it’s two official languages are Spanish and Guaraní. [The Guaraní were the indigenous peoples that lived in the regions now known as Paraguay and also parts of southern Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina.] Around 95% of Paraguayans are of mestizo (or mixed) race, the majority being a mix between European and Guaraní. An interesting fact is that the Paraguay national football team takes advantage of this, when playing other Spanish-speaking teams…during matches they speak to each other in Guaraní so their opponents don’t pick up their strategy.
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20 players in the Paraguay squad were born in Eastern Paraguay, and zero players were born in the Chaco. 3 players were born in Argentina, including two who have seen action in the 2010 World Cup…FW Jonathan Santana (who plays professionally for Wolfsburg, the 2009 German champion), and FW Lucas Barrios (who scored 19 goals for German club Borussia Dortmund in 2009-10). [The Paraguay coach, Gerado Martino, is also an Argentine.]
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9 players were born in the city of Asunción, including talismanic striker Roque Santa Cruz (of Manchester City), with 2 more players coming from Greater Asunción (Gran Asunción), including midfieder and playmaker Christian Riveros (who was signed by Sunderland in May, 2010).
Other Asunción-born players who have started, or seen action, in the 2010 World Cup are… DF Paulo da Silva (also of Sunderland), DF Claudio Morel (of Argentine giants Boca Juniors), DF Aureliano Torres (who also plays in Argentina, for San Lorenzo), MF Édgar Barreto (of Italian top-flight minnows Atalanta), MF Enrique Vera (of Club Atlas of Guadalajara, Mexico), MF Victor Cáceres (who plays for Paraguayan giants Libertad), and another player who plays professionally in Paraguay: DF Carlos Bonet, who plys his trade with the most sucessful Paragauyan football club, Olimpia (who have won the most Paraguayan titles, 38, as well as 3 Copa Libertadores titles, the last in 2002).
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4 players were born in Caaguazú Department (I highlighted Caaguazú Department in pale white on the map). All four of these Caaguazú-born players have either started or seen action in the 2010 World Cup…FW Nelson Haedo Valdez (who also plays for Borussia Dortmund), FW Óscar Cardozo (who plays in Portugal for Benfica), FW Édgar Benitez (who plays for the internationally successful Mexican club Pachuca), and DF Júlio César Cacerés (who is signed with Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro).
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2 players were born in Amambay Department, which is in north-central Paraguay and borders Brazil, including DF Denis Caniza, who is the most-capped player and team captain. Caniza now plays for Club Léon, a second division Mexican club.
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3 players come from departments south of Asunción. One of these players is a starter, GK Justo Villar (of just-relegated Spanish club Valladolid). Villar was born in Cerrito, Ñeembucú Department, which is on the Rio Paraña, just downstream from the Yacyretá Dam, and on the border with Argentina. DF Antolín Alcaraz, born in San Roque Gonzalez, Paraguarí Department, saw action in 3 matches; in May, 2010, Alcaraz was sold by the Belgian Club Brugge to England’s Wigan Athletic. DF Dario Verón, born in San Ignacío, Misiones Department, saw action in Paraguay’s final match, versus Spain. Verón plays for Mexoico’s Pumas de UNAM.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Paraguay national football team.
Thanks to Big Soccer.com, for the photos of the Paraguay jerseys.
Thanks to Demis.nl, for the Paraguay base map, Demis Web Map Server.

Comments (1)

June 23, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Mexico, 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Mexico: Fútbol — admin @ 1:23 pm

Mexico World Cup squad.

The map shows the Mexico national football team which is competing in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

At the bottom of the map page are photos of starters and key subs (18 player photos). International appearances (aka caps) and goals are listed, and are up to date as of 27 June, 2010.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Mexico national football team.
Thanks to USA-Soccer Jersey.com, for the photos of the Mexico jerseys.
Thanks to Demis.nl, for the base map of Mexico, Demis Web Map Server.

Comments (1)

June 20, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Germany, 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Germany — admin @ 9:07 am

Germany 2010 World Cup squad.

The map shows the birthplaces and hometowns of the players on the Germany national team that is competing in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the bottom, left of the map page are photos of all the players in the German squad who have seen action in the first 5 matches in the competition (19 player photos). International appearances (aka caps) and international goals as of 3rd July, 2020 are listed.
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From The Telegraph.co.uk, by Duncan White, Mesut Ozil at head of the vanguard for new generation (12 June, 2010).
These days, Germany fields an ethnically diverse squad. There are 5 players on the Germany squad who were born abroad. Three players were born in Soviet bloc-era Poland: starters Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (both of Silesian heritage), and sub Piotr Trochowski. One player, midfielder Marko Marin, is a Bosnian Serb whose family fled war-torn Bosnia for Germany in 1991. One player, Cacau, is Brazilian-born and raised. He became a German citizen in 2009. While on the subject of players from abroad, it is worth mentioning that midfield wizard Mesut Özil is a third generation Turkish German. DF Serdar Tasci is also of Turkish origin. Starting midfielder Sami Khedira is a Tunisian-German. DF Jérôme Boateng is of Ghanian-German descent. And DF Dennis Aogo is of partly Nigerian descent.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Germany national football team. Thanks to UK Soccer Shop.com, for the photos of the Germany jerseys.

Comments (2)

June 17, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Brazil, 23-man roster.

Filed under: Brazil,FIFA World Cup, 2010 — admin @ 3:43 pm

Brazil 2010 World Cup squad.

The map shows the birthplaces of the 23-man Brazil team competing in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the lower left of the map page are photos of likely starters and key subs (18 player photos). Because of the Brazilian custom of giving players nicknames (which often bear little or no resemblance to their given names), I have listed the player’s full given name on the far left, with the common currency nickname in darker letters.
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Brazil is a federation comprised of 26 States and one Federal District. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, both in geographical terms and by population. Brazil’s population is around 193 million {see this, ‘List of countries by population’ (en.wikipedia.org)}. Here is a list of largest cities in Brazil, {‘List of largset cities in Brazil‘}.
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Seven States, and the Federal District, produced players in Brazil’s 2010 World Cup squad…
7 players were born in São Paulo State.
6 players were born in Rio de Janeiro State.
2 players were born in Minas Gerais State.
2 players were born in Brasilia, in the Federal District.
2 players were born in Minas Gerais State.
2 players were born in Paraná State.
1 player was born in Bahia State.
1 player was born in Pernambuco State.
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20 of the 23 players in the squad play professionally in Europe (which, in football terms, includes Turkey). The other 3 play in Brazil…FW Robinho, who is actually still owned by an English club, Manchester City, but is on loan back to his original club, Santos FC (who are from the port city of Santos, which is about 54 km. (33 mi.) south of São Paulo); MF Kléberson, who plays for the most-supported Brazilian club, reigning champions Flamengo, of Rio de Janeiro; and DF Gilberto, who plays for Cruzeiro of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.
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Here is the breakdown of the 20 foreign-based players on the Brazil team…
8 players play in Italy, in Serie A.
4 players play in Spain, in La Liga.
2 players play in Germany, in Budesliga-1.
2 players play in Portugal, in Liga Sagres.
1 player plays in England, in the Premier League.
1 player plays in France, in Ligue Un.
1 player plays in Turkey, in Süper Lig.
1 player plays in Greece, in Super League.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Brazil national football team.
Thanks to UK Soccer Shop.co.uk, for the photos of the Brazil jerseys.

Comments (2)

June 15, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Spain, 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Spain — admin @ 11:44 am

Note: if you want to see my latest post on Spanish 1st division football (aka La Liga), click on the following…http://billsportsmaps.com/?category_name=spain.
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Spain 2010 World Cup squad.

The map shows the birthplaces of the players on the Spain national football team which played in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain went on to win their first World Cup title, defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final, with the winning goal scored by MF Andrés Iniesta in the 116th minute of AET.
At the bottom left of the map page are photos of all the Spain national team players who made appearances in the 2010 World Cup (20 player photos, all in the gear of each player’s professional club). International appearances (aka caps) and international goals are up to date as of 11th July, 2010 (that is, the close of the 2010 World Cup).
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Professional clubs of the Spain squad…
In Spain:
FC Barcelona – 8 players.
Real Madrid CF – 5 players.
Valencia CF – 3 players.
Athletic Club [Bilbao] – 2 players.
Sevilla FC – 1 player.
Villarreal CF – 1 player.

In England:
Liverpool FC – 2 players.
Arsenal FC – 1 player.
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From the Guardian.co.uk/The Knowledge, from 7 July, 2010, by John Ashdown, ‘ Are Spain the most one-club reliant team in World Cup history?‘.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Spain national football team.
Thanks to Demis.nl, for the base map of Spain. Thanks to UK Soccer Shop.com, for the Spain jerseys.
Thanks to DirtyTackle site, for the star-above-the-crest idea.

Comments (1)

June 14, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Côte d’Ivoire (aka Ivory Coast), 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) — admin @ 10:40 am

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Côte d’Ivoire 2010 World Cup squad.

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The map shows the birthplaces of the 23-man squad of Côte d’Ivoire, which competed in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the bottom of the map page are photos of projected starters and key subs (16 player photos). International appearances (aka caps) and international goals are listed and are up to date as of 25th June, 2010 (ie, when Ivory Coast exited the 2010 World Cup).
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IvoryCoast.WorldCupBlog.org/.
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2 players on the Ivory Coast roster were born in Europe, defender Sol Bamba, who was born in Paris, France (and plays professionally for Hibernian of Scotland); and defender Guy Demel, who was also born in Paris (and who plays for Hamburg of Germany).

I have shown the youth clubs of the players in two rectangles on the far right of the map page. 4 players attended youth acadamies in Europe (including Didier Drogba), and that is shown in the upper rectangle, with club logos (of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, the Parisian fourth division amateur club Levallois SC, and the Belgian third division club KSK Beveren). Below that are listed the players who attended youth clubs/academies in the Ivory Coast, including the 13 players who were in the youth set-up of the Ivorian giants, ASEC Mimosas of Abidjan. [I showed all the logos I could find. I couldn't find logos of two tiny clubs, FC Bibo and CF d'Inter.]

13 players on the squad come from the largest city in the Ivory Coast, Abidjan. Abidjan has a population of around 3.8 million in the city and around 5.1 million in the metropolitan area {2006 figure}. Abidjan is the fourth-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, France; Kinshasa, DR Congo; and Montreal, Canada. As a whole, Ivory Coast has a population of around 15.4 million {see populations of 2010 World Cup nations here, from The Best Eleven site}.
Two more players come from Greater Abidjan, from Anyama, which is 10 km. NE of Abidjan. Anyama-born players in the squad are DF Benjamin Angoura (of Valenciennes in France) and FW Gervinho (of Lille in France).

The north of the country is predominantly Muslim. The recently ended Civil War in the Ivory Coast was drawn largely along Christian versus Muslim lines, with the Republic stronghold in the south, and the rebel-held north {see this map}. Two players on the Ivory Coast squad came from the northern region, both born in the second-largest city in the country, Bouaké (population of around 770,000 {2002 census figure})…the Touré brothers, Kolo (of Manchester Cty) and Yaya (of FC Barcelona).

The capital of Côte d’Ivoire is the centrally-located Yamoussoukro, which has a population of around 200,000 {2005 figure}. Two players on the squad were born in Yamoussoukro, defender Cheik Tioté (of FC Twente in the Netherlands), and Seydou Doumbia, a young striker (who plays in Russia for CSKA Moscow).

Two players, FW Salomon Kalou (of Chelsea) and back-up GK Daniel Yeboah (of ASEC Mimosas) were born SW of Yamoussoukro.
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Ivorian players in the 2010 Côte d’Ivoire World Cup squad, by locations of their current professional clubs…
In England, in the Premier League – 5 players.
In France, in Ligue Un – 4 players.
In Spain, in La Liga – 3 players.
In Germany, in Bundesliga-1 – 2 players.
In the Netherlansd, in the Eredivisie – 1 player.
In Russia, in the Russian Premier League – 1 player.
In Turkey, in Süper Lig – 1 player.
In Scotland, in the Scottish Premier League – 1 player.
In Romania, in Liga 1 – 1 player.
In Belgium, in the Belgian First Division – 1 player.
In Israel, in the Israeli Premier League – 1 player.
In Qatar, in the Qatar Stars League – 1 player.
In Côte d’Ivoire, in the Côte d’Ivoire Premier Division – 1 player.
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, Côte d’Ivoire national football team.

Thanks to official FIFA site, for caps and goals info, Côte dÍvoire Squad List.

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June 13, 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup: Netherlands, 23-man roster.

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, 2010,Netherlands — admin @ 9:59 am

Netherlands 2010 World Cup squad.

The map shows the birthplaces of the 23-man squad representing the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Netherlands team made it all the way to the final, but fell just short, losing 1-0 to Spain in AET.

22 players on the Netherlands 2010 World Cup squad were born and raised in the home county of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Young defender Edson Braafheid, who plays professionally for Bayern Munich, was born in South America, in the former Dutch possession of Suriname. Braafheid emigrated to the Netherlands (ie, Holland) when he was a youngster and played in youth set-ups in the Amsterdam and Utrecht areas, before joining the FC Utrecht youth academy.

At the bottom of the map page are photos of projected starters and key subs (20 player photos). International appearances (aka caps) and international goals are listed and are up to date as of 11th July, 2010 (that is, the close of the 2010 World Cup).
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From The Guardian.co.uk, from 13 June, 2010, by Daniel Taylor: ‘World Cup 2010: Holland hope for harmony from their feuding stars‘.
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Dutch players in the 2010 World Cup squad, by locations of their current professional clubs…
In the Netherlands, in the Eredivisie (9 players).
In Germany, in Bundesliga-1 (6 players).
In England, in the Premier League (5 players)
In Italy, in Serie A (2 players).
In Spain, in La Liga (1 player).
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Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.eikipedia.org. Netherlands national football team.
Thanks to Demis of the Netherlands, for the Netherlands base map and the Suriname base map. Demis.nl [homepage];
Demis Web Map Server.

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