1.
Forward (association football)
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Forwards are the players on an association football team who play nearest to the opposing teams goal, and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals. Their advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean forwards normally score more goals on behalf of their team than other players, modern team formations generally include one to three forwards, for example, the common 4–2–3–1 formation includes one forward. Unconventional formations may include more than three forwards, or none, the centre-forward is often a tall player, typically known as a target man, whose main function is to score the majority of goals on behalf of the team. Most modern centre-forwards operate in front of the strikers or central attacking midfielders. The present role of centre-forward is sometimes interchangeable with that of an attacking midfielder, a centre-forward usually must be strong, to win key headers and outmuscle defenders. The term centre-forward is taken from the football playing formation in which there were five forward players. The number would become synonymous with the centre-forward position. Strikers are known for their ability to peel off defenders and to run into space via the side of the defender and to receive the ball in a good goalscoring position. They are typically fast players with ball control and dribbling abilities. More agile strikers like Michael Owen have an advantage over taller defenders due to their short burst speed, a good striker should be able to shoot confidently with either foot, possess great power and accuracy, and have the ability to pass the ball under pressure in breakaway situations. Deep-lying forwards have a history in the game, but the terminology to describe their playing activity has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, creative or deep-lying centre-forwards, in fact, a coined term, the nine-and-a-half, has been an attempt to become a standard in defining the position. In Italy, this role is known as a rifinitore or seconda punta, whereas in Brazil, it is known as segundo atacante. An outside forward plays as the forward on the right or left wing – as an outside right or outside left. As football tactics have largely developed, and wingers have dropped back to become midfielders, many commentators and football analysts still refer to the wing positions as outside right and outside left. However, in the British game they are counted as part of the midfield. It is a duty to beat opposing full-backs, deliver cut-backs or crosses from wide positions and, to a lesser extent, to beat defenders. They are usually some of the quickest players in the team, in their Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese usage, the defensive duties of the winger have been usually confined to pressing the opposition fullbacks when they have the ball
2.
Clairefontaine (football)
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The academy is one of twelve élite academies located in and around France that are supervised by the French Football Federation. Only the best players from the Île-de-France région train at the Clairefontaine academy, the eleven other academies are situated in Castelmaurou, Châteauroux, Liévin, Dijon, Marseille, Ploufragan, Vichy and Reims, Réunion, Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, and Talence. Clairefontaine opened in 1988 and is named after Fernand Sastre, the president of the FFF from 1972–1984, the academy is located 50 km southwest of Paris at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines and is one of the best known football academies in the world. The academy is also used to house the football teams of France. In 1976, French Football Federation president and longtime official Fernand Sastre desired for the creation of a centre of football. The project was initiated by Ștefan Kovács, who was inspired by the former Romanian communist training centres, six years later, the FFF selected Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines as the site of the centre. Construction of the centre commenced in 1985 and lasted three years. The centre opened its doors in January 1988, during the 1998 World Cup, which France hosted, Clairefontaine housed the French national team. That same year, the FFF named the centre in Fernand Sastres honor, a bust of Sastre was put on the grounds in 2000, also present on the grounds is a statue of the FIFA World Cup. The best young players from the Île-de-France region stay at Clairefontaine from 13 to 15 for training. Most of the players that here are often being tracked by established French clubs. Today, many top local clubs play at the grounds, registration for new players at the academy normally begins in October the year before players enroll at the academy when prospective applicants are 12 years of age. Players have until December to register with their club for acceptance into the academy, the first set of trials are carried out by each district within Île-de-France. Each district selects a set number of players who will travel to Clairefontaine to attend a tryout, after the three days, the academy director and officials will convene to select a maximum of 22 players with three or four of the 22 being goalkeepers. Players who are selected to attend Clairefontaine stay and train at the facilities from Monday through to Friday, players are given the weekend off to visit family and train and play with their parent clubs. They are also given school holidays off, players are also required to meet educational criteria. Players age 13–15 training at Clairefontaine attend the Collège Catherine de Vivonne de Rambouilet in Rambouillet, after departing Rambouilet, players enroll at the nearby high school Lycée Louis Bascan de Rambouillet with hopes that they will earn their Baccalauréat. All costs required to attend an academy are borne by the federation and it is located in the valley of Chevreuse in the heart of the Rambouillet forest
3.
Mali
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Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of just over 1,240,000 square kilometres, the population of Mali is 14.5 million. The countrys economy centers on agriculture and fishing, some of Malis prominent natural resources include gold, being the third largest producer of gold in the African continent, and salt. About half the population lives below the poverty line of $1.25 a day. A majority of the population are Muslims, present-day Mali was once part of three West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade, the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. During its golden age, there was a flourishing of mathematics, astronomy, literature, at its peak in 1300, the Mali Empire covered an area about twice the size of modern-day France and stretched to the west coast of Africa. In the late 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa, France seized control of Mali, French Sudan joined with Senegal in 1959, achieving independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. Shortly thereafter, following Senegals withdrawal from the federation, the Sudanese Republic declared itself the independent Republic of Mali. After a long period of one-party rule, a coup in 1991 led to the writing of a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state. In January 2012, a conflict broke out in northern Mali, in which Tuareg rebels took control of by April and declared the secession of a new state. The conflict was complicated by a coup that took place in March. In response to Islamist territorial gains, the French military launched Opération Serval in January 2013, a month later, Malian and French forces recaptured most of the north. Presidential elections were held on 28 July 2013, with a second round held on 11 August. The name Mali is taken from the name of the Mali Empire, the name was originally derived from the Mandinka or Bambara word mali, meaning “hippopotamus”, but it eventually came to mean the place where the king lives. The word carries the connotation of strength, D. Niane suggests in Sundiata, An Epic of Old Mali that it is not impossible that Mali was the name given to one of the capitals of the emperors. 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta reported that the capital of the Mali Empire was indeed called Mali and this name could have formerly been that of a city. In old Mali there is one village called Malikoma which means “New Mali. ”Another theory suggests that Mali is a Fulani pronunciation of the name of the Mande peoples. It is suggested that a sound shift led to the change, whereby in Fulani the alveolar segment /nd/ shifts to /l/, Mali was once part of three famed West African empires which controlled trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, slaves, and other precious commodities
4.
Bulgaria
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Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, with a territory of 110,994 square kilometres, Bulgaria is Europes 16th-largest country. Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period and its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians, Greeks, Persians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Alans and Huns. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State, the following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both world wars. In 1946 it became a one-party socialist state as part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc, in December 1989 the ruling Communist Party allowed multi-party elections, which subsequently led to Bulgarias transition into a democracy and a market-based economy. Bulgarias population of 7.2 million people is predominantly urbanised, most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are industry, power engineering. The countrys current political structure dates to the adoption of a constitution in 1991. Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic with a high degree of political, administrative. Human activity in the lands of modern Bulgaria can be traced back to the Paleolithic, animal bones incised with man-made markings from Kozarnika cave are assumed to be the earliest examples of symbolic behaviour in humans. Organised prehistoric societies in Bulgarian lands include the Neolithic Hamangia culture, Vinča culture, the latter is credited with inventing gold working and exploitation. Some of these first gold smelters produced the coins, weapons and jewellery of the Varna Necropolis treasure and this site also offers insights for understanding the social hierarchy of the earliest European societies. Thracians, one of the three primary groups of modern Bulgarians, began appearing in the region during the Iron Age. In the late 6th century BC, the Persians conquered most of present-day Bulgaria, and kept it until 479 BC. After the division of the Roman Empire in the 5th century the area fell under Byzantine control, by this time, Christianity had already spread in the region. A small Gothic community in Nicopolis ad Istrum produced the first Germanic language book in the 4th century, the first Christian monastery in Europe was established around the same time by Saint Athanasius in central Bulgaria. From the 6th century the easternmost South Slavs gradually settled in the region, in 680 Bulgar tribes under the leadership of Asparukh moved south across the Danube and settled in the area between the lower Danube and the Balkan, establishing their capital at Pliska
5.
Sporting CP
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Sporting Clube de Portugal, OM, ComC, MHIH or Sporting CP is a sports club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that is best known for its football team. As of 23 May 2016, Sporting is the worlds sixth-largest club in terms of members and is one of the Três Grandes football clubs in Portugal. They are nicknamed Leões and Verde e Brancos, the clubs anthem, A Marcha do Sporting, was written in 1955. Founded in Lisbon on 1 July 1906, Sporting were a member of the Primeira Liga and. Benfica and FC Porto, have never relegated from the top flight of Portuguese football since its establishment in 1934. Sporting are the third most successful Portuguese football club, with 50 titles in all the Portuguese competitions and one international title, domestically, they have won 18 Primeira Liga titles,16 Portuguese Cups, four Championships of Portugal and eight Portuguese Super Cup titles. Sportings football youth system has developed players such as Paulo Futre, Simão, Nani, Ricardo Quaresma and Ballon dOr recipients Cristiano Ronaldo. Sporting are currently ranked 54th in UEFA club rankings, Sporting Club de Portugal has its origins in June 1902, when young men Francisco da Ponte, Horta Gavazzo and his brother José Maria decided to create Sport Club de Belas. This club, the first ancestor of Sporting, played just one match and at the end of the years summer and they played their matches on the estate of Viscount of Alvalade, the grandfather of José Alvalade, with the clubs headquarters located at the house of Francisco Gavazzo. For two years, the club developed an activity on several sports, namely football, tennis. The club also organized parties and picnics, some time later, José Gavazzo, José Alvalade and 17 other members left the club, with the latter saying I am going to have with me my grandfather and he will give me the money to make another club. As such, a new club, Campo Grande Sporting Clube, was founded, the Viscount of Alvalade, whose money helped to fund the club, was the first president of Sporting. José Alvalade, as one of the founders, uttered on behalf of himself and his fellow co-founders, We want this club to be a great club. Three months later, on 1 July 1906, António Félix da Costa Júnior suggested the name Sporting Clube de Portugal, Sporting played their first Primeira Liga game ever on 20 January 1935, winning 0–6 against Académica de Coimbra. A year later, in 1936, the club had their heaviest defeat ever against Porto, Sporting, however, got their revenge a year later, when they humbled the same team with a 9–1 result. In 1941, under the guidance of Hungarian manager József Szabó, the football team had their height during the 1940s and 1950s. It was spearheaded by Fernando Peyroteo, José Travassos, Albano Pereira, Jesus Correia and Manuel Vasques, with the violins help, Sporting won seven league titles in eight seasons between 1947 and 1954, including a then unprecedented four in a row from 1950–51 onwards. Fernando Peyroteo, the most known of the violins, is considered one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time, Sporting and the Yugoslavian team Partizan both made history on 4 September 1955, as they played the first-ever UEFA Champion Clubs Cup match
6.
PFC Litex Lovech
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PFC Litex Lovech or simply Litex is a Bulgarian professional association football club from the town of Lovech, which currently competes in the Bulgarian Third League. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya Football Club, the clubs home ground is the Lovech Stadium, which has a capacity of 8,100 seats, electric floodlights and permission to stage European matches. As one of the most successful Bulgarian clubs outside the capital Sofia, Litex has won the championship four times. Together with CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia, Litex was also the football club to represent the country regularly in the European Club Association. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya and began playing football two years later, in 1923. Over the years, the club has changed its name several times, from 1957 it was named Karpachev, before becoming Osam in 1979. Under that name the club played constantly in the B Group, a notable player during this period was Plamen Linkov, who broke the clubs appearance record, playing 575 matches and scoring 167 goals respectively. In 1990, after Bulgarias transition to market economy, privately owned company LEX became the sponsor of the club. During the same year, the new owners changed the name of the club to LEX. The 1993–94 B Group proved to be impressive for the club, as the finished first in the second division and qualified for the A Group. LEXs debut season in the A Group was also noteworthy, as the team ranked 11th at the end of the season, the next season however proved to be unsuccessful and the club, renamed Lovech, was relegated to the B Group. In June 1996, the club was purchased by Grisha Ganchev, petrol businessman and a citizen of Lovech, the takeover was immediately followed by a flurry of bids for high-profile players. Ferario Spasov was named as the new Litex coach and he led the club back to the A Group at their first attempt. During the 1996–97 season Litex also reached the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup and the final of the Bulgarian League Cup, the striker of the team Dimcho Belyakov also became top goalscorer with his 21 goals contributed during the season. In addition, midfielder Stoycho Stoilov received the Best Player of the League award, a year later Litex successfully defended their league title, losing only two league games during the course of the season. They became the first provincial club to win league titles since the 1920s. During their campaign, Litex also inflicted the biggest defeat in CSKA Sofias history, in December 2007, Litex became the first Bulgarian club to have a branded mobile phone game, Litex Football. Before the start of the 2008–09 season, Litex lost the Bulgarian Supercup final with 0-1 from CSKA Sofia afer a goal from Kiril Kotev in the 65th minute
7.
Bundesliga
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The Bundesliga, is a professional association football league in Germany and the football league with the highest average stadium attendance worldwide. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germanys primary football competition, the Bundesliga is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Seasons run from August to May, most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played on weekdays. All of the Bundesliga clubs qualify for the DFB-Pokal, the winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup. A total of 54 clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its founding, FC Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga the most, winning the title 25 times. However, the Bundesliga has seen other champions with Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Bundesliga is broadcast on television in over 200 countries. The Bundesliga was founded in 1962 in Dortmund and the first season started in 1963, the structure and organisation of the Bundesliga along with Germanys other football leagues have undergone frequent changes right up to the present day. The Bundesliga was founded by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund, but is now operated by the Deutsche Fußball Liga, the Bundesliga is composed of two divisions, the 1. Bundesliga, and, below that, the 2, Bundesliga, which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. Below the level of the 3, Liga, leagues are generally subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord, Nordost, Süd, below this are thirteen parallel divisions, most of which are called Oberligen which represent federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas, the league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany, every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. As in other leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division. Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support, average attendance in the first league is 42,673 per game — more than twice the average of the 2. Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps 1, Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships. Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and this allows them to attract and retain skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities
8.
PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv
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PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Plovdiv, that competes in Bulgarias primary football competition, the First League. Lokomotivs home ground is the homonymous Lokomotiv Stadium situated in the Lauta park of the city, established in 1926, in the 2003–04 season of the A Group, Lokomotiv became champions of Bulgaria, finishing the season with three points more than the second-ranked, Levski Sofia. Lokomotiv Plovdiv have also won one Bulgarian Supercup and one Cup of the Soviet Army in 1983, the clubs biggest success in Europe is reaching the third round of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1965, after losing to the Italian Juventus F. C. in a play-off match. Description of the clubs history requires attention to the reorganisations that the team has undergone since its creation and how the members and fans of the team have reacted to these changes. In the case of PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv, these changes have led to the merger of two teams, that are different in nature, leading to misinterpretations of the history of the teams. This said, an approach is needed towards the history of the early years of the contemporary football club of Lokomotiv Plovdiv. These branches can be defined as that of Sportclub Plovdiv, two years later, in 1924, the sport club Atletik is formed in the same district of Plovdiv as Karadzha. On 26 July 1926 the two clubs from the same district, Karadzha and Atletik, unite to form the team of Sportclub. The football club chooses white, black and red as the colours of their kits and their crest, Sportclub had its home grounds in the city centre. However, after the earthquake in South Bulgaria in 1928. Because of that, from 1928 Sportclub did not have their own field for more than two decades. As a football team, in the years after Sportclub was created it competed in the Championship of Plovdiv. Sportclub participates in the division of the Championship of Plovdiv until 1933 when the team finishes first in the second division and is promoted to Plovdivs top tier as of 1934. In 1936 Sportclub becomes the Champion of Plovdiv for the first time, in 1938 the team joined the National Football Division - the countrywide football league formed a year earlier that included Bulgarias top ten teams. However, after three seasons in 1940 the tournament is disbanded because of the Bulgarias participation in World War II. By that time the club had changed its name to Plovdivski Sportclub since several other teams in the also had Sportclub in their name. In the Tsars Cup the team reaches the finals twice - in 1940, by 1944 the team is the biggest in the region of Plovdiv in terms of members, and has a dedicated following with its fans setting records for the period in attendance of football matches. In the mid-1930s the labour union of the workers and sailors establishes several cultural
9.
PFC Levski Sofia
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PFC Levski Sofia, commonly known as Levski Sofia, is a professional association football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The team competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, Levski have participated in more seasons of the Bulgarian football championship than any other team, and are the only Bulgarian team to have never been relegated. They have won 73 trophies including 26 A Group titles,25 Bulgarian Cups and 3 Super Cups, on an international basis, Levski have reached three European Cup Winners Cup quarter-finals and two UEFA Cup quarter-finals. In 2006-07, they became the first Bulgarian club to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. The teams regular kit colour is all-blue, Levskis home ground is the Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia, which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators. The clubs biggest rivals are CSKA Sofia, and matches between the two sides are commonly referred to as The Eternal Derby of Bulgaria. Levski is also a member of the European Club Association. Sport Club Levski was founded in 1911 by a group of students at the Second Male High School in Sofia, the clubs name was chosen in honour of the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski, and the club was officially registered on May 24,1914. In 1914 Levski lost its first official match against FC13 Sofia by 0–2, in that period football wasnt a popular sport in Bulgaria, so there isnt any other information from the period concerning the club. In the summer of 1921, the Sofia Sports League was founded and it united 10 clubs from Sofia, marking the beginning of organized football competitions in the city. The Blues won the first match in the championship for the season 1921–22, held on September 18,1921, Levski captured the first place in the league in 1923 after a dramatic 3–2 win over bitter rival Slavia Sofia and successfully defended the title in the following season. The first National Championship was held in 1924 with Levski representing Sofia, the team went on to win the title in 1933,1937 and 1942, and established itself as the most popular football club in Bulgaria. Levski also became the holder for all times of the Ulpia Serdica Cup by virtue of winning it for the time in a row in 1933. In 1929 Levski became the first semi-professional football club in Bulgaria, after 12 players staged a boycott of the team in demand of financial remuneration, the same year Levski met its first international opponents, losing to Gallipoli Istanbul 0–1 and winning against Kuban Istanbul 6–0. After World War II, Levski became one of the two top clubs in Bulgaria, after winning the championship in 1946,1947,1949,1950 and 1953 Levski would not capture the domestic title again until the mid-1960s. In 1949 the authorities changed the name to Dinamo following the Soviet traditions. The 1960s were marked with return to both on the domestic and on the international stage. The tie against Benfica in the European Cup in 1965 remained memorable for the Eusébio versus Georgi Asparuhov clash, in January 1969 Levski was merged with Spartak Sofia and put under the auspice of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry
10.
SC Freiburg
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Sport-Club Freiburg e. V. commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Freiburg has traditionally bounced between the first and second tier of the German football league system, leading to the fan chant, We go down, we go up, since 1954, the clubs stadium has been the Schwarzwald-Stadion. Volker Finke, who was the manager between 1991 and 2007, was the longest-serving manager in the history of professional football in Germany. Joachim Löw, current manager of the Germany national team, is the clubs leading goal scorer with 81 goals in 252 games during his three spells at SCF. The club traces its origins to a pair of clubs founded in 1904, Freiburger Fußballverein 04 was organised in March of that year, FC Schwalbe Freiburg just two months later. Both clubs underwent name changes, with Schwalbe becoming FC Mars in 1905, Mars becoming Union Freiburg in 1906, three years later, SV and Union formed Sportclub Freiburg, at the same time incorporating the griffin head. In 1918, after the devastation of World War I, SC Freiburg entered an arrangement with Freiburger FC to be able to field a full side called KSG Freiburg. SC Freiburg then picked up again with FT1844 Freiburg in 1938, the club managed to play on highest level from 1928, first in the Bezirksliga Baden, then in the Gauliga Baden, from which they were relegated in 1934. At the end of World War II, Allied occupation authorities disbanded most existing organizations in Germany, including football and sports clubs. The clubs were permitted to reconstitute themselves after about a year, SC Freiburg was therefore briefly known as VfL Freiburg. By 1950, French-occupation authorities had let up enough to allow the clubs to reclaim their old identities, finally, in 1952, SC Freiburg left FT Freiburg behind again. To this point, the history of the club had been characterised by only modest success, through the 1930s, SC Freiburg played in the Bezirkliga, with the occasional turn in the Gauliga Baden, and captured a handful of local titles. After World War II, they picked up where left off. While only a club, SC Freiburg became known for the fight. Bundesliga in 1978–79, which they would compete in for a decade-and-a-half before making the breakthrough to the top-flight Bundesliga in 1993–94 under the management of Volker Finke, in their first Bundesliga season, Freiburg narrowly avoided relegation. They made a run in their second season at the top level, finishing third. It was at time that they were first nicknamed Breisgau-Brasilianer due to their attractive style of play
11.
Dundalk F.C.
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Dundalk Football Club is an Irish professional association football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division and are the current reigning champions, founded in 1903, it is the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The traditional colours of the club are white jerseys with black shorts, because of the white jerseys, the team has been nicknamed The Lilywhites. Home games are played in Oriel Park, a local rivalry is shared with Drogheda United, their Louth neighbours, who entered the League in 1963 as Drogheda FC and later became Drogheda United in 1975. In 2002, the won the FAI Cup for a ninth time. Dundalk celebrated its 2000th league game against Finn Harps on Thursday 8 March 2007 in Oriel Park to a crowd of 3,000 spectators. In 2016, the became the first Irish side to reach the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League after their shock 3–1 aggregate win over FC BATE Borisov. They were beaten by Legia Warsaw in the final play-off round and they became the first Irish side to win a group stage game in European competition when they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–0 at home. The Dundalk team had beaten Institution 2nd XI 1–0, the club continued to exist until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. However, other clubs began to make their presence felt in the locality. One in particular, the Great Northern Railway Association Club, otherwise known as the Dundalk GNR, founded in September 1903, the Dundalk GNR were located at the Athletic Grounds and competed in the Dundalk and District League from 1905 until 1914, although media coverage remained patchy. Sports coverage was re-instated in the media in 1919, with the Dundalk. Included among the teams was a representing the Dundalk GNR. The club were also partaking in the Newry League at the time, the Dundalk GNR was not involved in the fledgling League of Ireland, which began at the start of the 1921–22 season. It involved only Dublin-based clubs, all of which had stepped up from the Leinster Senior League Senior Division and this ultimately opened the way for the Dundalk GNR to move up to the Leinster Senior League. It was the club from outside the capital to compete in the 1922–23 season. The first game in the League of Ireland ended in a 2–1 loss to Fordsons on 21 August. The club, still known as the Dundalk GNR, and continuing in the black and amber kit from their pre-First World War origins, the match ended in a 2–1 defeat
12.
First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)
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The First Professional Football League is a Bulgarian professional league for mens association football clubs. Standing at the top of the Bulgarian football league system, it serves as the primary football competition. The league determines the champion of Bulgaria and is contested by fourteen teams and it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the second tier of the Bulgarian football league pyramid, the Second League. Known by its previous name A Group, the Bulgarian top-tier was fully restructured during the summer of 2016, the Bulgarian football championship was inaugurated in 1924 as the Bulgarian State Football Championship and has been played in a league format since 1948, when the A Group was established. The champions of the First League have the right to participate in the rounds of the UEFA Champions League based on the leagues European coefficient. Additionally, two UEFA Europa League spots are allocated to the team in the final standings and the winner of the European playoffs. A further fourth spot may also be granted to the fourth placed team in the league ranking. A total of 67 clubs have competed in the Bulgarian top-tier since its establishment, in the last decade, many teams such as the current champions Ludogorets were introduced for the first time in the league. In 2016–17, Vereya Stara Zagora became the 67th club to participate in the competition, since 1948, eleven different teams have been crowned champions of Bulgaria. The three most successful clubs are CSKA Sofia with 31 titles, Levski Sofia with 26 titles, the current champions Ludogorets Razgrad won their fifth consecutive title in their fifth First League season in 2015–16. The first football championship of Bulgaria started in 1924 in a knockout format, an attempt to form a league as the top division of the Bulgarian football league system was made in 1937–1940, when the National Football Division was created. There were 10 teams, each playing twice against all the others, once home, the team that finished first in the table became champions. The first season of the A Republican Football Group started in the autumn of 1948. In that season, ten teams participated in the league, Levski, Septemvri, Lokomotiv, Slavia and Spartak from the capital city Sofia, the first football champion of the A Republican Football Group was Levski in 1948–49. The 1949/50 season in the A Group was not completed, the league was stopped after the first fixture. It was then decided that the championship of Bulgaria would be played in a cycle as in the Soviet Union. In the autumn of 1949, qualification tournaments were played to determine the teams that would play in the next 1950 season, in the next two seasons the number of teams in the league was increased to 12, and for the 1953 season there were 15 teams. In seasons 1954 and 1955 there were 14 teams in the league, in 1958, the championship was again stopped after the spring half-season, as had happened in 1948
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