1.
Belfast
–
Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, the second largest on the island of Ireland, and the heart of the tenth largest Primary Urban Area in the United Kingdom. On the River Lagan, it had a population of 286,000 at the 2011 census and 333,871 after the 2015 council reform, Belfast was granted city status in 1888. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, and was an industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. It has sustained a major aerospace and missiles industry since the mid 1930s, industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast Irelands biggest city at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education, business, and law, additionally, Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Victoria Square. Belfast is served by two airports, George Best Belfast City Airport in the city, and Belfast International Airport 15 miles west of the city. Although the county borough of Belfast was created when it was granted city status by Queen Victoria in 1888, the site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age. The Giants Ring, a 5, 000-year-old henge, is located near the city, Belfast remained a small settlement of little importance during the Middle Ages. The ONeill clan had a presence in the area, in the 14th century, Cloinne Aodha Buidhe, descendants of Aodh Buidhe ONeill built Grey Castle at Castlereagh, now in the east of the city. Conn ONeill of the Clannaboy ONeills owned vast lands in the area and was the last inhabitant of Grey Castle, evidence of this period of Belfasts growth can still be seen in the oldest areas of the city, known as the Entries. Belfast blossomed as a commercial and industrial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, industries thrived, including linen, rope-making, tobacco, heavy engineering and shipbuilding, and at the end of the 19th century, Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the largest city in Ireland. The Harland and Wolff shipyards became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, in 1886 the city suffered intense riots over the issue of home rule, which had divided the city. In 1920–22, Belfast became the capital of the new entity of Northern Ireland as the island of Ireland was partitioned, the accompanying conflict cost up to 500 lives in Belfast, the bloodiest sectarian strife in the city until the Troubles of the late 1960s onwards. Belfast was heavily bombed during World War II, in one raid, in 1941, German bombers killed around one thousand people and left tens of thousands homeless. Apart from London, this was the greatest loss of life in a raid during the Blitz. Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since its establishment in 1921 following the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and it had been the scene of various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic and Protestant populations. These opposing groups in conflict are now often termed republican and loyalist respectively. The most recent example of conflict was known as the Troubles – a civil conflict that raged from around 1969 to 1998
Belfast
–
Top: Skyline of Belfast Middle top left to right,
Queen's University Belfast,
Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast, The Boat,
Titanic Belfast Bottom left to right:
Belfast City Hall, view of Belfast with
Samson and Goliath.
Belfast
–
Belfast Castle
Belfast
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Donegall Square in the early 1900s
Belfast
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Aftermath of the Blitz in May 1941
2.
Northern Ireland
–
Northern Ireland is a constituent unit of the United Kingdom in the north-east of Ireland. It is variously described as a country, province, region, or part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the total population. Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by an act of the British parliament, Northern Ireland has historically been the most industrialised region of Ireland. After declining as a result of the political and social turmoil of the Troubles, its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17. 2% in 1986, dropping to 6. 1% for June–August 2014,58. 2% of those unemployed had been unemployed for over a year. Prominent artists and sports persons from Northern Ireland include Van Morrison, Rory McIlroy, Joey Dunlop, Wayne McCullough, some people from Northern Ireland prefer to identify as Irish while others prefer to identify as British. Cultural links between Northern Ireland, the rest of Ireland, and the rest of the UK are complex, in many sports, the island of Ireland fields a single team, a notable exception being association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games. The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock of the Irish war of resistance against English programmes of colonialism in the late 16th century, the English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance made English control fragmentary. Victories by English forces in war and further Protestant victories in the Williamite War in Ireland toward the close of the 17th century solidified Anglican rule in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the victories of the Siege of Derry and their intention was to materially disadvantage the Catholic community and, to a lesser extent, the Presbyterian community. In the context of open institutional discrimination, the 18th century saw secret, militant societies develop in communities in the region and act on sectarian tensions in violent attacks. Following this, in an attempt to quell sectarianism and force the removal of discriminatory laws, the new state, formed in 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, was governed from a single government and parliament based in London. Between 1717 and 1775 some 250,000 people from Ulster emigrated to the British North American colonies and it is estimated that there are more than 27 million Scotch-Irish Americans now living in the US. By the close of the century, autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom, in 1912, after decades of obstruction from the House of Lords, Home Rule became a near-certainty. A clash between the House of Commons and House of Lords over a controversial budget produced the Parliament Act 1911, which enabled the veto of the Lords to be overturned. The House of Lords veto had been the unionists main guarantee that Home Rule would not be enacted, in 1914, they smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers, a paramilitary organisation opposed to the implementation of Home Rule
Northern Ireland
–
Scrabo Tower,
County Down
Northern Ireland
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Location of Northern Ireland (dark green) – in
Europe (green & dark grey) – in the
United Kingdom (green)
Northern Ireland
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Cannon on
Derry 's
city walls
Northern Ireland
–
Signing of the
Ulster Covenant in 1912 in opposition to Home Rule
3.
London
–
London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
London
–
Palace of Westminster,
Buckingham Palace and
Central London skyline
London
London
London
–
The name London may derive from the
River Thames
4.
England
–
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
England
–
Stonehenge, a
Neolithic monument
England
–
Flag
England
–
Boudica led an uprising against the
Roman Empire
England
–
Replica of a 7th-century ceremonial
helmet from the
Kingdom of East Anglia, found at
Sutton Hoo
5.
Midfielder
–
A midfielder is an association football position. Midfielders are generally positioned on the field between their teams defenders and forwards, some midfielders play a disciplined defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are otherwise known as defensive midfielders. Others blur the boundaries, being mobile and efficient in passing, they are commonly referred to as deep-lying midfielders, play-makers, box-to-box. The number of midfielders on a team and their assigned roles depends on the teams formation, most managers assign at least one midfielder to disrupt the opposing teams attacks, while others may be tasked with creating goals, or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. Midfielders are the players who typically travel the greatest distance during a match, central or centre midfielders are players whose role is divided roughly equally between attack and defence. When the opposing team has the ball, a midfielder may drop back to protect the goal or move forward. The 4–3–3 and 4–5–1 formations each use three central midfielders, the 4−4−2 formation may use two central midfielders, and in the 4–2–3–1 formation one of the two deeper midfielders may be a central midfielder. The term box-to-box midfielder refers to central midfielders who have abilities and are skilled at both defending and attacking. These players can track back to their own box to make tackles and block shots. A good box-to-box midfielder needs good passing, vision, control, stamina, tackling and marking in defence, left and right midfielders have a role balanced between attack and defence, similar to that of central midfielders, but they are positioned closer to the touchlines of the pitch. They may be asked to cross the ball into the penalty area to make scoring chances for their teammates. Common modern formations that include left and right midfielders are the 4−4−2, the 4−4−1−1, the 4–2–3–1, a notable example of a right midfielder is David Beckham. Defensive midfielders are players who focus on protecting their teams goal. These players may defend a zone in front of their teams defence, defensive midfielders may also move to the full-back or centre-back positions if those players move forward to join in an attack. Sergio Busquets described his attitude, The coach knows that I am an obedient player who likes to help out and if I have to run to the wing to cover someones position, great. A good defensive midfielder needs good positional awareness, anticipation of play, marking, tackling, interceptions, passing and great stamina. A holding or deep-lying midfielder stays close to their teams defence, a player in this role will try to protect their goal by disrupting the opponents attacking moves and stopping long shots on the goal. The holding midfielder may also have responsibilities when their team has the ball and this player will make mostly short and simple passes to more attacking members of their team but may try some more difficult passes depending on the teams strategy
Midfielder
–
Former
Spain midfielder
Xavi was voted to the
FIFPro World XI six years in a row.
Midfielder
–
GK
Midfielder
–
Spain holding midfielder
Sergio Busquets (#16, red) moves to block a shot.
Midfielder
–
Andrea Pirlo executing a pass
6.
Manchester United F.C.
–
Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Nicknamed the Red Devils, the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to its current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910. Manchester United have won a record 20 League Titles, a joint-record 12 FA Cups,5 League Cups, the club has also won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 1998–99, the became the first in the history of English football to achieve the treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup. The 1958 Munich air disaster claimed the lives of eight players, in 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United became the first English football club to win the European Cup. Alex Ferguson won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles,5 FA Cups and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, José Mourinho is the clubs current manager, having been appointed on 27 May 2016. As of June 2015, it is the worlds most valuable football brand and it is one of the most widely supported football teams in the world. In August 2012, Manchester United made a public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The club holds several rivalries, most notably with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United, Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. By 1888, the club had become a member of The Combination. Following the leagues dissolution after only one season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance and this resulted in the club starting the 1892–93 season in the First Division, by which time it had become independent of the railway company and dropped the LYR from its name. After two seasons, the club was relegated to the Second Division, in January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £260,000 in 2017 – the club was served with a winding-up order. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield, Manchester United won the First Division for the second time in 1911, but at the end of the following season, Mangnall left the club to join Manchester City. In 1922, three years after the resumption of football following the First World War, the club was relegated to the Second Division, relegated again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934. Gibson, who, in December 1931, invested £2,000, in the 1938–39 season, the last year of football before the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division. Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947,1948 and 1949, in 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41 years. With an average age of 22, the title winning side of 1956 were labelled the Busby Babes by the media. In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season
Manchester United F.C.
–
The Manchester United team at the start of the
1905–06 season, in which they were runners-up in the Second Division
Manchester United F.C.
–
Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
–
The Busby Babes in Denmark in 1955
Manchester United F.C.
–
A plaque at Old Trafford in memory of those who died in the Munich air disaster, including players' names
7.
Dunstable Town F.C.
–
Dunstable Town Football Club is a football club based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Affiliated with the Bedfordshire County Football Association, they are members of the Southern League Premier Division. The club was established in October 1883, and were members of the Bedfordshire FA the following year. In their first competitive match they lost 4–3 to Luton Montrose in the Bedfordshire Senior Cup after being 3–0 up, however, the following season the club won the competition. In 1950 the club joined the Metropolitan League, and in 1956–57 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 3–1 at Margate. In 1961 Dunstable switched to the United Counties League, but left two seasons to rejoin the Metropolitan League, becoming one of only three first teams playing in Division Two. The following season saw the club moved into Division One, League restructuring saw them placed in the new Division One North for the 1971–72 season. They were moved into Division One South the following season and finished bottom of the division, transferred back to Division One North for the 1973–74 season, they finished bottom of the table again. Although Best only played in two matches, Astle stayed at the club and scored 34 goals as they finished as Division One South runners-up. However, debts caused the club to fold midway through the 1975–76 season, despite finishing eighth in the league, they were demoted to Division One North. Dunstable were transferred to Division One South for the 1978–79 season, and they remained in the division until the end of the 1993–94 season, after which they folded. The club was re-established in 1998 and joined Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League, after winning the division in 1999–2000 without losing a match, they were promoted to the Senior Division. The following season saw them finish as Senior Division runners-up, earning promotion to the Premier Division, the club went on to win the Premier Division in 2002–03 and were promoted to Division One North of the Isthmian League. However, they were relegated to the Western Division at the end of the 2004–05 season, the following season saw them finish in the relegation zone, but the club were reprieved due to FA restructuring and moved to Division One Midlands. However, they were relegated back to the Spartan South Midlands League at the end of the 2008–09 season following a 13-point deduction, in 2012–13 Dunstable won the Spartan South Midlands League without losing a match, as well as winning the leagues Challenge Trophy and the Bedfordshire Premier Cup. The clubs reserve team joined Division One of the South Midlands League in 1951 and they finished as runners-up in their first season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They left the league in 1954, switching to the Hellenic League and they were Premier Division runners-up in 1957–58, after which they switched to the United Counties League. They went on to win back-to-back United Counties League titles in 1958–59 and 1959–60, in 1964 they returned to the Hellenic League, and were placed in Division One, but took over from the first team in the Metropolitan League for the 1965–66 season
Dunstable Town F.C.
–
Dunstable Town
8.
Stockport County F.C.
–
Stockport County Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, the team adopted their name in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport and they have played at Edgeley Park since 1902, traditionally in blue and white, and are nicknamed The Hatters after the towns former hat-making industry. Stockport County joined the Football League in 1900 and competed in it continuously from 1905 to 2011, however, instability on and off the pitch eventually led to Stockport falling back to the lower divisions. The club started the 2011–12 season in the Conference National, having been relegated from Football League Two for the first time in their history at the end of 2010–11, at the end of 2012–13, Stockport were relegated to the Conference North. Stockport County was formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers by members of the Wycliffe Congregational Church, the club adopted The Hatters as their nickname, owing to Stockports history as the centre of the Victorian hat-making industry, a nickname that is shared with Luton Town. Stockport played in the Lancashire League until 1900, when they gained admission to the Football League Second Division, Stockports first Football League match was against Leicester Fosse which ended in a 2–2 draw. Stockport left their Green Lane home in 1902 and moved to Edgeley Park where they currently reside, the club finished in the bottom three for their first four seasons, and at the end of 1903–04 they failed to gain re-election. They spent one year in the Lancashire Combination and the Midland League, at the end of the season, they were re-admitted to the Football League after being re-elected through the Midland League. In their first season back in the Football League, Stockport reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, however, Stockport finished the league in 10th position that season. Stockport remained in Division 2 of the Football League for seven years until 1912–13 when they again had to seek re-election, Stockport gained 22 votes and was therefore re-elected. Albert Williams was presented with the seven days later before the home game with Lincoln City. This title win began a remarkable coincidence which has occurred in each of Stockports title winning seasons where Lincoln City have been the last opponents in each of those seasons. Joe OKane, who joined Stockport the previous season, was a factor in the clubs promotion although he left the club at the end of the season. Once Stockport returned to Division 2, they struggled and survived an automatic relegation by one point, the 1923–24 season saw Stockport County finish 13th, one place above Manchester United. This is the time in history Stockport has achieved better than Manchester United. During this campaign Stockport goalkeeper Harry Hardy was called up to play for the England national team and he is the only player to be capped at full level by England while on Stockports books. Two seasons later Stockport returned to the division after finishing bottom of the league. Stockport closed out the 1920s in Division Three North with a 3rd-placed finish in 1927–28, Joe Smith was Stockports and the divisions leading goalscorer in this particular season contributing to 38 of Stockports 89 goals
Stockport County F.C.
–
Photo of the 1913–14 Stockport County team
Stockport County F.C.
–
Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
–
Former Stockport County players
Anthony Pilkington,
Carl Baker,
Stephen Gleeson and
Tommy Rowe in December 2008
Stockport County F.C.
–
Stockport County players celebrate a goal in 2011
9.
Cork Celtic F.C.
–
Cork Celtic F. C. originally Evergreen United F. C. was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their games at Turners Cross. In 1974 they were League of Ireland champions and the season they reached the second round of the European Cup. The clubs foundation date is unknown, but its earliest appearance in the FAI Cup was in 1936-37, Evergreen finished as League runners-up in 1953 and 1959. In 1953 they also played in an all-Cork FAI Cup final against Cork Athletic, during the 1956-57 season Evergreen’s Donal Leahy finished as joint top goalscorer in the league with 15 goals. In the following two seasons Leahy finished top goalscorer outright with 16 and 22 goals respectively. Irish international Tommy Moroney finished his career with Evergreen and, on October 4,1953 in a World Cup qualifier against France. In 1959 the club changed its name to Cork Celtic, as Celtic in the 1960s they enjoyed a local rivalry with Cork Hibernians. In 1974 with a team that included Alfie Hale and Bobby Tambling, Tambling, a former Chelsea player and England international had initially moved to Ireland to work as a Jehovahs Witness missionary. He scored 7 league goals in his first season as he helped Celtic win the title, in subsequent seasons Celtic attracted several other notable players. On the back of League success in 1974, Paul ODonovan signed George Best, in December 1975 George Best had a brief spell with Celtic in between equally brief spells at Stockport County and Los Angeles Aztecs. He played only three games, against Drogheda United, Bohemians and Shelbourne, but despite attracting big crowds he failed to score or impress. In 1976 Geoff Hurst spent a month with Celtic, scoring three goals during his brief stay, uwe Seeler also played one game for Celtic during the 1977-78 season and scored twice in a 6–2 defeat to Shamrock Rovers
Cork Celtic F.C.
–
Cork Celtic F.C.
10.
Los Angeles Aztecs
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The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1981. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John, the Aztecs are remembered for their mixed success and were sometimes compared to the New York Cosmos as the Cosmos of the West Coast. However, they did not draw nearly as well as the Cosmos, or even the Seattle Sounders and they won the 1974 NASL Championship over the Miami Toros. In 1976, a fading George Best signed alongside Ron Davies, in 1979 attendance peaked as manager Rinus Michels signed the Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff who went on to win the NASL Most Valuable Player Award in his one year with the Aztecs. In 1981, their season, the Aztecs were managed by former Brazil manager Cláudio Coutinho. Dr. Jack Gregory – Founder / co-owner Elton John – co-owner Alan Rothenberg – owner Televisa Corp – owners Los Angeles Aztecs on FunWhileItLasted. net
Los Angeles Aztecs
–
Los Angeles Aztecs
11.
Fulham F.C.
–
Fulham Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fulham, Greater London, England. Founded in 1879, they play in the Championship, the tier of English football. They are the football team from London to have played in the Premier League. The club has spent 25 seasons in English footballs top division, the latter spell was associated with former chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed, after the club had climbed up from the fourth tier in the 1990s. The club has produced many English greats, including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and they play at Craven Cottage, a ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham which has been their home since 1896. Fulhams training ground is located near Motspur Park, where the clubs Academy is also situated, Fulham were formed in 1879 as Fulham St Andrews Church Sunday School F. C. founded by worshipers at the Church of England on Star Road, West Kensington. Fulhams mother church still today with a plaque commemorating the teams foundation. They won the West London Amateur Cup in 1887 and, having shortened the name from Fulham Excelsior to its present form in 1888, one of the clubs first ever kits was half red, half white shirts with white shorts worn in the 1886–87 season. Fulham started playing at their current ground at Craven Cottage in 1896, the club gained professional status on 12 December 1898, the same year that they were admitted into the Southern Leagues Second Division. They were the club from London to turn professional, following Arsenal. They adopted a red and white kit during the 1900–01 season, in 1902–03, the club won promotion from this division, entering the Southern League First Division. The club won the Southern League twice, in 1905–06 and 1906–07, Fulham joined The Football League after the second of their Southern League triumphs. The clubs first league game, playing in the Second Divisions 1907–08 season, the first win came a few days later at Derby Countys Baseball Ground by a score line of 1–0. Fulham finished the three points short of promotion in fourth place. The club progressed all the way to the semi-final of that seasons FA Cup, in the semi-final, however, they were heavily beaten, 6–0, by Newcastle United. This is still a loss for an FA Cup semi-final game. Two years later, the won the London Challenge Cup in the 1909–10 season. Fulhams first season in Division Two turned out to be the highest that the club would finish for 21 years, until in 1927–28 when the club were relegated to the 3rd Division South, created in 1920
Fulham F.C.
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The Second XI team, in 1886
Fulham F.C.
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Fulham Football Club
Fulham F.C.
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Postcard of the 1903–04 line-up
Fulham F.C.
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The 'Rabbit Hutch' stand along Stevenage Road sometime before
Archibald Leitch 's redesign in 1904-5
12.
Hibernian F.C.
–
It is one of three SPFL clubs in the city, the others being their Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts and Edinburgh City. Hibernian was founded in 1875 by Irish immigrants, but support for the club is now based on rather than ethnicity or religion. The Irish heritage of Hibernian is still reflected, however, in its name, colours, the name of the club is usually shortened to Hibs. The team are also called The Hibees and The Cabbage, a shortening of the slang for Hibs of Cabbage and Ribs, by fans of the club. Home matches are played at the Easter Road stadium, in use since 1893, Hibernian have played in the second tier of the Scottish football league system, known as the Scottish Championship, since being relegated in 2014. Hibernian have won the Scottish league championship four times, most recently in 1952, three of those four championships were won between 1948 and 1952, when the club had the services of The Famous Five, a notable forward line. The club have won the Scottish Cup three times, in 1887,1902 and 2016, Hibs have also won the Scottish League Cup three times, in 1972,1991 and 2007. The club was founded in 1875 by Irishmen from the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, the name is derived from Hibernia, the Roman name for Ireland. James Connolly, the famous Irish Republican leader, was a Hibs fan, there was some sectarian resistance initially to an Irish club participating in Scottish football, but Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s. Hibs were the first club from the east coast of Scotland to win a major trophy and they went on to defeat Preston North End, who had won the 1887 FA Cup, in a friendly match described as the Association Football Championship of the World Decider. Mismanagement over the few years led to Hibs becoming homeless. A lease on the Easter Road site was acquired in late 1892, despite this interruption, the club today views the period since 1875 as one continued history and therefore counts the honours won between 1875 and 1891, including the 1887 Scottish Cup. The club were admitted to the Scottish Football League in 1893, a significant change at this time was that players were no longer required to be members of the Catholic Young Mens Society. Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish or Roman Catholic institution, for instance, the Irish harp was only re-introduced to the club badge when it was last re-designed in 2000. This design reflects the three pillars of the identity, Ireland, Edinburgh and Leith. Geography rather than religion is now seen as the reason for supporting Hibs. Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the 1902 Scottish Cup, after this, however, the club endured a long barren spell. The club lost its placing in the league, and were relegated for the first time in 1931, the notorious Scottish Cup drought began as they reached three cup finals, two in consecutive years, but lost each of them
Hibernian F.C.
–
The
Cowgate, where Hibs were formed in 1875.
Hibernian F.C.
–
Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
–
Picture depicting
the Famous Five at
Easter Road stadium.
Hibernian F.C.
–
The
Scottish League Cup is paraded in March 2007.
13.
Hong Kong Rangers FC
–
Hong Kong Rangers Football Club, is a Hong Kong football club and plays in Hong Kong Premier League. They have won the Hong Kong First Division League once, the Senior Challenge Shield 4 times, the club was founded in 1958 by a Scottish expatriate from Glasgow named Ian John Petrie. He named his club after Rangers and it was the first Asian football club with a modern football club managing system. In the early days, the club could not compete with the bigger clubs financially, so Petrie relied on young players and the team was known as a breeding ground for young players. Kwok Ka Ming was the best known players discovered by Petrie in the 1960s, in 1970, the club brought three Scottish professional players to Hong Kong. They were the first European professional players to play in the Hong Kong League, great players such as Ian Taylor, Joe Brennan, Jimmy Liddell, and Derek Currie were a few to name. More were to follow in the 1980s such as Steve Paterson Jimmy Bone, since 12 October 2001, the club had been named after its sponsor, Buler, resulting in the name Buler Rangers up until Summer 2006. In 2011, the changed their name as Kam Fung. They were the champions of the 2011–12 Hong Kong Second Division League and were promoted to the Hong Kong First Division League, the club has since renamed itself as Biu Chun Rangers due to being sponsored by Biu Chun Watch Hands. Over the last decade, Rangers policy in youth investment has paid off and has gained the club a reputation as an excellent school for young footballers, the Rangers youth academy has produced many of Hong Kongs finest youngsters. Although many have signed to bigger clubs since, some have chosen to stay with the club that nurtured them. Rangers youth system has been so successful it is common to see Rangers providing the bulk of Hong Kongs age-grade international youth teams spanning all U-15, U-17, U-19, Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, remarks, FP These players are registered as foreign players. Players with dual nationality, Tales Schütz Moses Mensah Liu Songwei Li Jian Marco Wegener Note, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Goran Paulić José Ricardo Rambo Cheung Po Chun Yan Lik Kin Fung Hoi Man Fourway Athletics Hong Kong Rangers F. C, official website Hong Kong Rangers F. C
Hong Kong Rangers FC
–
Biu Chun Rangers
14.
A.F.C. Bournemouth
–
AFC Bournemouth /ˈbɔːrnməθ/ is a professional association football club based in Bournemouth, Dorset, that plays in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1890 as Boscombe St. Johns Institute F. C. the club was reformed in 1899 as Boscombe F. C and they changed to Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic F. C. in 1923, before settling on their current name in 1972. Nicknamed The Cherries, since 1910 Bournemouth have played their games at Dean Court. Their home colours are red and black striped shirts, with black shorts, AFC Bournemouth have won the second and third tiers of English football, and were twice runners up of the fourth tier. They have also won the Football League Trophy, and the Football League Third Division South Cup, currently managed by Eddie Howe, the 2015–16 season was AFC Bournemouths first ever in Englands top division. Although the exact date of the foundation is not known. The club was known as Boscombe F. C. The first president was Mr. J. C, in their first season, 1899–1900, Boscombe F. C. competed in the Bournemouth and District Junior League. They also played in the Hants Junior Cup, during the first two seasons, they played on a football pitch in Castlemain Avenue, Pokesdown. From their third season, the played on a pitch in Kings Park. In the 1905–06 season, Boscombe F. C. graduated to senior amateur football, in 1910, the club was granted a long lease upon some wasteland next to Kings Park as the clubs football ground by President J. E. Cooper-Dean. With their own ground, named Dean Court after the benefactor, also in 1910, the club signed their first professional football player B. Around about this time, the club obtained their nickname The Cherries, for the first time, during the 1913–14 season, the club competed in the FA Cup. The clubs progress, however, was halted in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, in 1920, the Third Division was formed and Boscombe were promoted to the Southern League, finding moderate success. To make the more representative of the district, the name was changed to Bournemouth. During the same year, the club was elected to the Football League to fill the left by Stalybridge Celtics resignation. The first league match was at Swindon Town on 25 August 1923, the first league game at Dean Court was also against Swindon, where Bournemouth gained their first league point after a 0–0 draw. Initially, Bournemouth struggled in the Football League but eventually established themselves as a Third Division club, Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club remain on the records as the longest continuous members of the Third Division
A.F.C. Bournemouth
–
Dean Court
A.F.C. Bournemouth
–
A.F.C. Bournemouth
15.
Queensland Lions FC
–
Queensland Lions Football Club, known as Lions FC, is a football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1957, as Hollandia Inala Soccer Club, the club competes in the Brisbane Premier League. The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants, from the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Darra and then moved to Pine Road Richlands, where they still play. In the early 1970s, all clubs were required to abandon ethnic names, in 1977 the Lions were invited to play in the National Soccer League and played in the league as Brisbane Lions until the end of the 1988 season. Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend George Best made four appearances for the team during the 1983/84 season, from 1989 the Brisbane Lions played in the Brisbane Premier League. After coming to an agreement with the newly formed Brisbane Lions AFL club, in 2004 it was announced that the Lions had won the right to compete in the newly formed A-League. Operating as Queensland Roar the club was again represented in an Australian national league. The Queensland Lions operate a licensed club with a membership of over 23,000, Lions FC currently has seniors and junior team playing in the Brisbane Premier League for the mens and the Super Youth League for the juniors. In 2015 they made it through to the Round of 16 in the nationally run FFA Cup, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality
Queensland Lions FC
–
Queensland Lions
16.
Nuneaton Town F.C.
–
Nuneaton Town Football Club is an English football club based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The club participates in the National League North, the tier of English football. In 1889 Nuneaton St. Nicholas were the first team to senior football within Nuneaton. Five years later, they changed their name to Nuneaton Town, however, two days later Nuneaton Borough F. C. were founded. In 2008 the club was liquidated, and due to a FA ruling were reformed as Nuneaton Town – suffering a two division demotion, the club is still known as The Boro by its supporters. The club currently play their fixtures at Liberty Way, Nuneaton. The clubs home colours are blue & white, local rivals include Tamworth, Leamington, Bedworth United and Coventry City. The club origins date from 1889 when young men from Nuneaton St. Nicolas Parish Church formed a team to represent the town. Originally playing only friendly games, from 1892 Nuneaton St. Nicolas entered Charity Cup competitions, in September 1894 the Nicks’ changed their name to Nuneaton Town Association F. C. This was despite Nuneaton Town being financially sound, following the disbandment of the Boro by its shareholders, a new group of local gentlemen decided to reform the football club. The new name Nuneaton Borough reflected the royal charter status that the town had been granted, Southern League Cup, Winners 1995–96, Runners Up 1962–63, Southern League Championship Match, Winners 199. Runners Up 1996, Home, At Manor Park 22,114, in May 2007, the curtain came down on Manor Park as they drew the last game 1–1 against Vauxhall Motors. Striker Gez Murphy took the honour of being the last Nuneaton Borough scorer at the ground, in the 2007–08 season, ill-health meant that the clubs owner, Ted Stocker, decided to sell his shares. March 2008 saw local businessman Ian Neale planned to take ownership of the club for a trial period, however, he took 100% ownership of the club in April. In May 2008, Mr Neale found some irregularities in the finances of the club, on 2 June 2008 Nuneaton Borough went into liquidation. Following the clubs liquidation, the reformed, this time as Nuneaton Town. The new club was forced to revert to its name of Nuneaton Town. Falling foul of regulations regarding football finance, the new club was demoted two divisions from Conference North to Southern League Division One, nevertheless, successive promotions saw the club quickly regain its former league status
Nuneaton Town F.C.
–
Old Main Stand at Manor Park
Nuneaton Town F.C.
–
Nuneaton Town
Nuneaton Town F.C.
–
Nuneaton's former home ground, Manor Park
Nuneaton Town F.C.
–
Liberty Way Nuneaton
17.
Tobermore United F.C.
–
Tobermore United Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League. The club, founded in 1965, is based in Tobermore, near Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Adrian Whiteside, Tobermore United is the only football club in Northern Ireland that international superstar George Best ever played competitively for. The club has an extensive and highly popular youth development scheme which has led to it being awarded official Football Development Centre status by the IFA and it currently has teams at under-11, under-12, under-14 and under-16 level. In the 2010–11 season the club gained promotion to IFA Championship 1 by finishing 2nd in IFA Championship 2, but were relegated again two-years later. co. uk Tobermore Utd Tobermore Utd Res
Tobermore United F.C.
–
Tobermore United
18.
Northern Ireland national football team
–
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Football Association of Ireland organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team. Northern Ireland has competed in three FIFA World Cups, reaching the stage in the 1958 and 1982 tournaments. At UEFA Euro 2016, the team made its first appearance at the European tournament, on 18 February 1882,15 months after the founding of the Irish FA, Ireland made their international debut against England, losing 13–0 in a friendly played at Bloomfield in Belfast. This remains the record defeat for the team, and also Englands largest winning margin, on 25 February 1882, Ireland played their second international, against Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, and an equaliser from Johnston became Ireland’s first ever goal. In 1884, Ireland competed in the inaugural British Home Championship, Ireland did not win their first game until 19 February 1887, a 4–1 win over Wales in Belfast. Between their debut and this game, they had a run of 14 defeats and 1 draw, despite the end of this run, heavy defeats continued. On 3 March 1888, they lost 11–0 to Wales and three weeks later, on 24 March, lost 10–2 to Scotland. Further heavy defeats came on 15 March 1890 when they lost 9–1 to England, on 18 February 1899 when they lost 13–2 to England, in 1899, the Irish FA also changed its rules governing the selection of non-resident players. Before then the Ireland team selected its players exclusively from the Irish League, on 4 March 1899, for the match against Wales, McAteer included four Irish players based in England. The change in policy produced dividends as Ireland won 1–0, in 1920, Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. In 1922, Southern Ireland gained independence as the Irish Free State, amid these political upheavals, a rival football association, the Football Association of Ireland, emerged in Dublin in 1921 and organised a separate league and international team. The Irish FA continued to organise its national team on an all-Ireland basis, between 1928 and 1946, the IFA were not affiliated to FIFA and the two Ireland teams co-existed, never competing in the same competition. On 8 March 1950, however, in a 0–0 draw with Wales at the Racecourse Ground in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, the IFA fielded a team that included four players who were born in the Irish Free State. All four players had played for the FAI in their qualifiers. After complaints from the FAI, FIFA intervened and restricted players eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be designated as the Republic of Ireland. Until the 1950s, the competition for Northern Ireland/Ireland was the British Home Championship
Northern Ireland national football team
–
Danny Blanchflower (left) captained Northern Ireland at the
1958 FIFA World Cup, while
George Best (right), winner of the
Ballon d'Or 1968, never reached a major international tournament with the team
Northern Ireland national football team
–
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
–
The Our Wee Country mural in east Belfast commemorating Northern Ireland beating England at home in 2005.
Northern Ireland national football team
–
Windsor Park – a view from the Kop Stand, showing the two-tiered North Stand and the low Railway stand behind the opposite goal
19.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
Association football
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The attacking player (No. 10) attempts to kick the ball beyond the opposing team's goalkeeper and between the goalposts and beneath the crossbar to score a
goal
Association football
–
Children playing
cuju in
Song dynasty China
Association football
–
Ebenezer Cobb Morley, who is regarded as the "father of football"
Association football
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A women's international match between the United States and Germany
20.
UEFA Champions League
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The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, the UEFA Champions League final is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. The final of the 2012–13 tournament had the highest TV ratings to date, the pre-1992 competition was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the format was expanded, incorporating a round-robin group stage to include clubs that finished runner-up of some nations top-level league. Clubs that finish next-in-line in each top level league, having not qualified for the UEFA Champions League competition. In its present format, the UEFA Champions League begins in mid-July with three qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams enter the stage, joining 22 other teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, the eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in May. The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competitions history, having won the tournament 11 times, including its first five seasons. Spanish clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, followed by England, the competition has been won by 22 different clubs,12 of which have won it more than once. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins, Milan were the last holders to defend their title. The reigning champions are Real Madrid, who secured their title in the competition after defeating Atlético Madrid on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the 2016 final. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup, a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Mitropa Cup, a competition modelled after the Challenge Cup, was created in 1927, an idea of Austrian Hugo Meisl, and played between Central European clubs. In 1930, the Coupe des Nations, the first attempt to create a cup for national clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette. Held in Geneva, it brought together ten champions from across the continent, the tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Latin European nations came together to form the Latin Cup in 1949 and it was conceived in Paris in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs Cup. The first edition of the European Cup took place during the 1955–56 season, the first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP, the inaugural final took place at the Parc des Princes between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid
UEFA Champions League
–
Barcelona –
Hamburg, 12 April 1961
UEFA Champions League
–
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
–
Official trophy retained by
Liverpool 's museum.
UEFA Champions League
–
The competition's logo is displayed in the centre of the
pitch before every Champions League match.
21.
FWA Footballer of the Year
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The Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football. The award has been presented since the 1947–48 season, when the winner was Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews. The latest winner of the award as of 2015–16, is Jamie Vardy of Leicester City, eight players have won the award on more than one occasion, the most recent being Cristiano Ronaldo, who won his second award in the 2007–08 season. Thierry Henry has won the award on the most occasions, having won three times in four seasons, the winner is selected by a vote amongst the members of the Football Writers Association, which comprises around 400 football journalists based throughout England. The award was instigated at the suggestion of Charles Buchan, a professional footballer turned journalist. The award has been presented on 69 occasions as of 2015, on one occasion two players shared the award for a season. ‡ — two winners PFA Players Player of the Year SPFA Players Player of the Year SFWA Footballer of the Year PFAI Players Player of the Year Football Writers Association
FWA Footballer of the Year
–
For his performances in the 2014-15 season,
Eden Hazard won the award.
FWA Footballer of the Year
–
Dennis Bergkamp won the award in the 1997-98 season.
FWA Footballer of the Year
–
Neville Southall 's 1985 win was the last time a goalkeeper received the award.
FWA Footballer of the Year
–
Thierry Henry was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
22.
Irish Football Association
–
The Irish Football Association is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team which, after 1921 and it should not be confused with the Football Association of Ireland, the governing body in the Republic of Ireland. The IFA was formed in 1880 by seven football clubs mostly in the Belfast area, a meeting was called by Cliftonville of other football clubs that followed the rules set out by the Scottish Football Association. At that meeting, on 18 November of that year, seven formed the IFA. The founding members were, Alexander, Avoniel, Cliftonville, Distillery, Knock, the IFAs first decision was to form an annual challenge cup competition similar to the FA Cup and Scottish Cup competitions, called the Irish Cup. Two years later, Ireland played its first international against England, shortly after the partition of Ireland, in 1921, the Football Association of Ireland was established as a rival association to regulate the game in what was to become the Irish Free State. The immediate cause of the lay in a bitter dispute over the venue for the replay of an Irish Cup match in 1921 involving Glentoran of Belfast. When the first cup match was drawn in Belfast, because of the Irish war of independence, Shelbourne refused to comply and forfeited the Cup. Such was the anger over the issue that the Leinster Football Association broke away from the IFA, the IFAs supporters argued that the federation should be based where the game was mainly played – namely Ulster, and its principal city Belfast. Interventions by FIFA gave the FAI de jure organising rights over the 26 counties of the Republic, from the 1950s onwards, the IFA no longer claimed it was the association for the whole of Ireland. In 1960, the moved to its present location on Windsor Avenue in south Belfast. The IFA continues to have responsibility for the running of the Northern Irish national team, the Northern Ireland Womens Football Association is the IFAs womens football arm. It runs a Womens Cup, Womens League and the Northern Ireland womens national football team, in April 2014, Northern Irelands Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure Carál Ní Chuilín threatened to cut the IFAs funding unless it stopped treating womens football as an after thought
Irish Football Association
–
Belfast Headquarters of the Irish Football Association at 20 Windsor Avenue, Belfast.
Irish Football Association
–
Irish Football Association
23.
Matt Busby
–
Sir Alexander Matthew Matt Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and his managerial records and longevity at the helm of Manchester United are surpassed only by Sir Alex Ferguson. Before going into management, Busby was a player for two of Manchester Uniteds greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, during his time at City, Busby played in two FA Cup Finals, winning one of them. As a result, he took the vacant managers job at Manchester United instead, in a total of 25 years with the club, he won 13 trophies. Busby was born to Alexander and Helen Nellie Busby in a two-roomed pitmans cottage in the village of Orbiston, Bellshill. When he was born, Busbys mother was told by the doctor, Busbys father was a miner, but was called up to serve in the First World War, being killed by a snipers bullet on 23 April 1917 at the Battle of Arras. Three of his uncles were killed in France with the Cameron Highlanders, Busbys mother was left to raise Matt and his three sisters alone until her marriage to a man called Harry Matthie in 1919. Busby would often accompany his father down into the coal pits, in his 1973 autobiography Busby described himself as being as football mad as any other boy in Bellshill citing in particular the impression made on him by Alex James and Hughie Gallacher. His mother might have quashed those dreams when she applied to emigrate with Matt to the United States in the late 1920s, in the meantime, Busby got a full-time job as a collier and played football part-time for Stirlingshire side Denny Hibs. He had played only a few matches for Denny Hibs, and he made 11 more appearances for City that season, all at inside forward, scoring five goals in the process. During the 1930–31 season, City manager Peter Hodge decided that Busbys talents could be exploited from the half-back line. In his new position, Busby built up a reputation as an intelligent player, in 1930, Manchester United made an enquiry about signing Busby from their cross-town rivals, but they were unable to afford the £150 fee that City demanded. By the 1931–32 season, Busby was firmly established in the first team, indeed, Busby and Jackie Bray became such fixtures at wing-half that club captain Jimmy McMullan had to move to forward to keep his place in the team. In the 1930s Manchester City performed strongly in the FA Cup and they reached the semi-finals in 1932, and the final in 1933 before finally winning the tournament in 1934. He made his debut for the Reds just two later, on 14 March, away to Huddersfield Town, the match ended in a 1–0 Liverpool defeat. Busby opened his account a month later – his 47th-minute strike helped his team to a 2–2 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Busby soon made the number 4 shirt his own, ousting Ted Savage in the process and he rarely missed a game over the following three seasons. This consistency earned Busby the Liverpool captaincy and he led the club with great distinction, along with Jimmy McDougall and Tom Bradshaw, Busby made up what is considered by many to be the best half-back line Liverpool had ever had
Matt Busby
–
Sir Matt Busby
Matt Busby
–
A statue of Sir Matt Busby in front of Old Trafford stadium
Matt Busby
–
Grave of Sir Matt Busby and wife, Southern Cemetery, Manchester
24.
List of Manchester United F.C. seasons
–
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. The club was formed in Newton Heath in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F. C. and played their first competitive match in October 1886, the club was renamed Manchester United F. C. in 1902, and moved to Old Trafford in 1910. Manchester United is the only English club to have been crowned world champions, the club has also never been out of the top two divisions of English football since entering the Football League. As of the end of the 2015–16 season, they have played a total of 5,492 competitive matches and this list details the clubs achievements in major competitions, and the top scorers for each season. Top scorers in bold were also the top scorers in the English league that season, records of competitions such as the Lancashire Cup and the Manchester and District Challenge Cup are not included due to them being considered of less importance than the FA Cup and the League Cup. The club formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F. C, at this time organised League football did not exist, first class matches were arranged on a largely ad-hoc basis and supplemented by cup competitions. Official records from these matches are sketchy at best, and are often extrapolated from newspaper reports at the time, in 1886, the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, but were knocked out in the first round. The club entered The Combination in 1888, but the league was wound up before the season could be completed, the club then joined the Football Alliance in 1889, and in 1892 were elected to the newly formed Football League First Division. Upon joining the Football League, the dropped the LYR from their name, before financial troubles forced the club to restructure in 1902. Eleven years later, in 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, meanwhile, in 1960–61, Manchester United entered the inaugural Football League Cup, only to decline to enter for the next five years. In 1992–93, they became members and inaugural champions of the Premier League. This was followed by two more Premier League titles in 1999–2000 and 2000–01, making Manchester United only the club to win three consecutive English league titles. The club picked up its tenth Premier League title in the 2007–08 season, the following season, Manchester United became the first English club to win the FIFA Club World Cup, before claiming a third consecutive Premier League title for a second time in 2008–09. In 2010–11, Manchester United gained its nineteenth top division title while passing Liverpools record, in 2011–12, United almost won the title but two goals in injury time for Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers meant they finished second. In 2012–13, Manchester United gained its twentieth top division title
List of Manchester United F.C. seasons
–
The Manchester United team at the start of the 1905–06 season, in which they were runners-up in the
Second Division and were promoted.
25.
Dribbling
–
In sports, dribbling is maneuvering of a ball by a single player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders attempts to intercept the ball. Such control may be exercised with the legs, hands, stick or swimming strokes, a successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. In association football, a dribble is one of the most difficult skills to master. In typical game play, players attempt to propel the ball toward their opponents goal through individual control of the ball, dribbling is often invaluable especially in the third part of a pitch or at the wings, where most attacks take place. Dribbling creates space in tight situations where the dribbler is marked, however, dribbling, if poorly mastered and used, may result in the loss of possession either when the ball is intercepted or tackled by a defender. A skilful dribbler is often hard to dispossess, unsuccessful tackles may result in a free kick situation. Early references to dribbling come from accounts of football games in England. For example, Geoffrey Chaucer offered an allusion to such ball skills in fourteenth century England, in the Canterbury Tales he uses the following line, rolleth under foot as doth a ball. Similarly at the end of the 15th century comes a Latin account of a game which was played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire. It is included in a collection of the miracles of King Henry VI of England. Although the precise date is uncertain it certainly comes from between 1481 and 1500 and this is the first account of an exclusively kicking game and the first description of dribbling, he game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the foot-ball game. In basketball, dribbling is the method of advancing the ball by oneself. It consists of bouncing the ball on the floor continuously with one hand while walking or running down the court, james Naismiths original rules said nothing about dribbling, merely stating that passing the ball was the legal way of advancing it. Players soon developed the strategy of passing to themselves, which Naismith himself both endorsed and admired for its ingenuity, and which evolved into the dribble as it is known today, the first known team to dribble was Yale University in 1897. The dribble allows for much faster advancement and thus opportunities for scoring. It also provides an opportunity for a crafty player on the team to steal the ball in mid-bounce. A double dribble may also be called if the player tries to dribble with both hands at the same time. Dribbling should be done with finger pads and the fingers should be relaxed and spread, The wrist should be pushing the basketball, skilled ball handlers bounce the ball low to the ground, reducing the risk of a defender reaching in to steal the ball
Dribbling
–
Left:
Lionel Messi gets past two players in a match for
Argentina vs.
Bolivia; Center:
Daniel Sturridge dribbles on the
break in a match for
Liverpool; Right:
Arjen Robben dribbles on the
wing for
Real Madrid
Dribbling
Dribbling
Dribbling
–
Garrincha (left), Brazilian winger and
1962 World Cup star, is regarded as one of the greatest dribblers of all time.
26.
Cap (sport)
–
In British sport, a cap is a metaphorical term for a players appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in a match of association football. An early illustration of the first international match between Scotland and England in 1872 shows the Scottish players wearing cowls, and the English wearing a variety of school caps. These to be termed International Caps, the act of awarding a cap is now international and is applied to other sports. Thus, a cap is awarded for each game played and so a player who has played x games, the practice of awarding a physical cap varies from sport to sport. It may be awarded prior to a debut or, particularly for national teams. As an example, the England mens association football teams still awards physical caps, Players are awarded one cap for every match they play — unless they play in a World Cup or European Championship finals tournament. Then they are given a cap for the competition — with the names of all their opponents stitched into the fabric of the cap itself. In mens association football, the record belongs to former player Ahmed Hassan of Egypt, the first footballer to win 100 international caps was Billy Wright of Englands Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wright went on to appear 105 times for England,90 of them he obtained whilst he was a captain, however, it is a players choice to refuse to play for or retire from his or her national team. In cricket, there are two types of caps, firstly, there is the international type, as described above. Some countries also award a domestic type generally known as a county cap, the latter system is most commonly applied in English county cricket. Most counties do not automatically award caps to players on their first appearance, instead, indeed, one can play at the highest domestic level for several years, and have a quite significant career in first-class cricket, without ever winning a cap. The world record for the number of caps in Test cricket is held by Sachin Tendulkar of India, Tendulkar also holds the record for One Day Internationals, with 463 caps. In rugby union,35 players have reached 100 international caps as of 5 June 2012, Players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are eligible for selection to the British and Irish Lions touring squad. Lions matches are classed as full international tests, and caps are awarded, the Pacific Islanders team, composed of players from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue and Cook Islands have a similar arrangement, although no players involved have so far reached 100 caps. Players still active at Test level are in bold type, the record for most caps is held by former Australian Kangaroos player & captain Darren Lockyer with 59 games and second place is former New Zealand Kiwis player & captain Ruben Wiki with 55 games. Players still active at Test level are in bold type, mens Records and Facts FIFA Players with 100+ Caps RSSSF Picture of International Football Cap National Museum of Scotland Gallery of International Caps and Honours Caps
Cap (sport)
–
Sports cap awarded to a Perth Academy schoolboy in the UK in the 1930s
27.
UEFA European Football Championship
–
Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Starting with the 1996 tournament, specific championships are often referred to in the form UEFA Euro, prior to entering the tournament all teams other than the host nations compete in a qualifying process. The championship winners earn the opportunity to compete in the following FIFA Confederations Cup, to date, Spain is the only team in history to have won consecutive titles, doing so in 2008 and 2012. It is the second most watched football tournament in the world after the FIFA World Cup, the Euro 2012 final was watched by a global audience of around 300 million. The most recent championship, hosted by France in 2016, was won by Portugal, in honour of Delaunay, the trophy awarded to the champions is named after him. The 1960 tournament, held in France, had four competing in the finals out of 17 that entered the competition. It was won by the Soviet Union, beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in a final in Paris. Spain withdrew from its quarter-final match against the USSR because of two political protests, of the 17 teams that entered the qualifying tournament, notable absentees were England, the Netherlands, West Germany and Italy. The hosts beat the holders, the Soviet Union, 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 tournament, hosted, for the first and only time a match was decided on a coin toss and the final went to a replay, after the match against Yugoslavia finished 1–1. More teams entered this tournament, a testament to its burgeoning popularity, Belgium hosted the 1972 tournament, which West Germany won, beating the USSR 3–0 in the final, with goals coming from Gerd Müller and Herbert Wimmer at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. This tournament would provide a taste of things to come, as the German side contained many of the key members of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Champions. The 1976 tournament in Yugoslavia was the last in which four teams took part in the final tournament. Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the newly introduced penalty shootout, after seven successful conversions, Uli Hoeneß missed, leaving Czechoslovakian Antonín Panenka with the opportunity to score and win the tournament. An audacious chipped shot, described by UEFA as perhaps the most famous spot kick of all time secured the victory as Czechoslovakia won 5–3 on penalties, the competition was expanded to eight teams in the 1980 tournament, again hosted by Italy. It involved a stage, with the winners of the groups going on to contest the final. West Germany won their second European title by beating Belgium 2–1, Horst Hrubesch scored early in the first half before René Vandereycken equalised for Belgium with a penalty in the second half. With two minutes remaining, Hrubesch headed the winner for West Germany from a Karl-Heinz Rummenigge corner, the format also changed, with the top two teams in each group going through to a semi-final stage, instead of the winners of each group going straight into the final
UEFA European Football Championship
–
The UEFA Euro 2012 opening ceremony
UEFA European Football Championship
–
UEFA European Championship Trophy
28.
FIFA World Cup
–
The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champion is Germany, which won its title at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. 32 teams, including the qualifying host nation, compete in the tournament phase for the title at venues within the host nation over a period of about a month. The 20 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams, Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The worlds first international match was a challenge match played in Glasgow in 1872 between Scotland and England, which ended in a 0–0 draw. The first international tournament, the edition of the British Home Championship. After FIFA was founded in 1904, it tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland in 1906 and these were very early days for international football, and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been a failure. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, football became an official competition, planned by The Football Association, Englands football governing body, the event was for amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. Great Britain won the gold medals and they repeated the feat in 1912 in Stockholm. With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between teams, Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament in Turin in 1909. The Lipton tournament was a championship between clubs from different nations, each one of which represented an entire nation. Lipton invited West Auckland, a side from County Durham. West Auckland won the tournament and returned in 1911 to successfully defend their title, in 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a world football championship for amateurs, and took responsibility for managing the event. This paved the way for the worlds first intercontinental football competition, at the 1920 Summer Olympics, contested by Egypt and 13 European teams, Uruguay won the next two Olympic football tournaments in 1924 and 1928. Those were also the first two world championships, as 1924 was the start of FIFAs professional era. On 28 May 1928, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam decided to stage a championship itself. With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, indeed, no European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition. Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, in total,13 nations took part, seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America
FIFA World Cup
–
The 2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony
FIFA World Cup
–
Estadio Centenario, the location of the first World Cup final in 1930 in
Montevideo,
Uruguay
29.
Fifth Beatle
–
The fifth Beatle claims first appeared in the press immediately upon the bands sensational rise to global fame in 1963–64 as the most famous quartet in pop culture. Lennon was critical of individuals who claimed credit for the Beatles success, including the individual Beatles themselves, saying in his 1970 interview with Jann Wenner, Brian Epstein wasn’t the Beatles, neither is Dick James. Lennon was also disparaging of their music producer George Martins importance, McCartney stated in a 1997 BBC interview, If anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian Epstein. In 2016, however, McCartney wrote that If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George, Harrison stated at the Beatles 1988 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that there were only two fifth Beatles, Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinall. The term is not used to indicate the chronology of band members joining the group, Pete Best joined Lennon, McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe and Harrison on the eve of their Hamburg sojourn, the five using the monikers, The Silver Beetles and The Silver Beatles. Stuart Sutcliffe has been called the fifth Beatle, the original bassist of the five-member Beatles, he played with the band primarily during their days as a club act in Hamburg, Germany. When the band returned to Liverpool in 1961, Sutcliffe remained behind in Hamburg and he died of a brain haemorrhage shortly thereafter. Instead of replacing him with a new member, McCartney changed from guitar to bass. Pete Best has been called the fifth Beatle, the original drummer of the Beatles, he played with the band during their time as a club act, in both Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. The band during this period consisted of Best, bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and guitarists McCartney, Harrison. Best continued to perform with the band until mid-August 1962, when he was let go, after the Beatles finalized the lineup in mid-August 1962, two drummers worked beside, or substituted for regular band member, Ringo Starr. Andy White played drums on The Beatles U. S. pressing of Love Me Do, ron Richards, assistant producer to George Martin, was in charge of recording on 11 September 1962. In June, the band had recorded Love Me Do with Best, then a time in early September with brand new member Starr. Richards brought experienced session drummer White in for drums on this recording, White and Starr also both played percussion on P. S. I Love You during this session, with White on drums, jimmie Nicol played drums for the first five shows of The Beatles 1964 world tour. Starr became ill and the part of the tour was almost cancelled. Instead of cancelling, the Beatles manager Brian Epstein hired Nicol to stand in until Starr recovered, Nicol played with the band in early June, in Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia. Nicol made the most of his time, signing autographs and giving interviews, Starr rejoined the band on 14 June, in Melbourne
Fifth Beatle
–
Brian Epstein
Fifth Beatle
–
Jimmie Nicol (far right) with
Harrison,
McCartney, and
Lennon
30.
Calum Best
–
Calum Milan Best is a British-American model and reality television participant. Best was born in San Jose, California, the son of English model Angie Best, and George Best and he was raised in Los Angeles, where he became a model in his mid-teens. His father, George Best, was a football legend, Calum Best is a patron of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, a UK charity providing support to children affected by a parents drinking. He moved to the UK when he was 21, Best has taken part in the reality TV shows Fool Around With on E4 and The Match on Sky One. In 2005 and 2006 he was featured in ITVs Celebrity Love Island, around this time he played himself in the final episode of ITVs Footballers Wives. In late 2006, Best launched a fragrance called Calum. I chose the smell, I chose the bottle, I chose the packaging, the whole thing, Best went on to launch his second fragrance, called Best. After that success, Jigsaw ESL also manufactured his third fragrance called Day, in 2008, Best appeared on RTÉs Livin With Lucy. Later that year, he featured in MTVs Totally Calum Best, the show detailed Bests attempts to remain celibate for fifty days. In 2009, he appeared as a guest judge in reality television show Paris Hiltons British Best Friend, in November 2009, he presented the BBC TV Documentary Brought up By Booze, A Children in Need Special, which highlighted the plight of children brought up by alcoholic parents. Best drew upon his relationship with his own father in the making of the programme, in 2010, Best appeared in Channel 4s Come Dine With Me, where he dined with Janice Dickinson, Samantha Fox and presenter Jeff Brazier. Best filled in a spot for Ian Wright on Live from Studio Five on January 8,2010, on October 2,2010, Best appeared as a celebrity on All Star Family Fortunes along with Denise Welch, who was on the opposing team. Calum hosted via webcam an Online bingo session at Bingocams UK on April 20,2012, in 2012, he won Celebrity Bainisteoir, managing Moy Davitts of Mayo. In January 2015, he took part in the Channel 5 reality series Celebrity Big Brother, in 2016, Best was a member of the cast of the E. series Famously Single, which follows eight single celebrities in their search for love. On January 3,2017, he returned to compete on the series of Celebrity Big Brother in which he finished in seventh place. Best dated Lindsay Lohan and Georgia Salpa and he was also a member and regular at the London nightclub Chinawhite. Calum Best at the Internet Movie Database
Calum Best
–
Calum Best
31.
World Soccer (magazine)
–
World Soccer is an English language football magazine published by IPC Media. The magazine was established in 1960 and it specialises in the international football scene. Its regular contributing writers include Brian Glanville, Sid Lowe and Tim Vickery, World Soccer is a member of the European Sports Magazines, an umbrella group of similar magazines printed in other languages. Other members include A Bola, Don Balón, Kicker, La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sport Express, the members of this group elect a European Team of the Month and a European Team of the Year. Since 1982, World Soccer has also organised Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, in 2005 awards for the best Young Player of the Year and Referee of the Year were also introduced. In the December 1999 issue of World Soccer, a poll listing the 100 greatest football players of the 20th century was published. The magazine marked its 50th anniversary in 2010 with a series of articles looking back on the past 50 years in international soccer, every expert could choose five managers whom they considered the greatest
World Soccer (magazine)
–
World Soccer
32.
IFFHS
–
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics is an organization that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded on 27 March 1984 in Leipzig by Dr. Alfredo Pöge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, the IFFHS was based at Al-Muroor Street 147, Abu Dhabi for some time but, in 2010, relocated to Bonn, Germany. During its early stages, and until 2002, the IFFHS concentrated on publishing the quarterly magazines Fußball-Weltzeitschrift, Libero spezial deutsch and Libero international. When these had to be discontinued for reasons which were not officially told, since 1991, the entity has produced a monthly Club World Ranking. The ranking takes into consideration the results of twelve months of continental and intercontinental competitions, national league matches and the most important national cup. All countries are rated at four levels based upon the national league performance—clubs in the highest level leagues receive 4 points for each match won,2 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. Level 2 is assigned 3 pts.1.5 and 0, in continental competitions, all clubs receive the same number of points at all stages regardless of the performance level of their leagues. However, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores yield more points than UEFA Europa League and Copa Sudamericana, the point assignment system is still lower for the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC continental tournaments. Competitions between two continents are evaluated depending upon their importance, competitions not organized by a continental confederation, or any intercontinental events not recognized by FIFA, are not taken into consideration. In 2009, the IFFHS released the results of a study which determined the best continental clubs of the 20th century. Based on this study series, the below six clubs were named as continental clubs of the century by the IFFHS between 10 September and 13 October 2009. These clubs were awarded with a trophy and a certificate during the World Football Gala celebrated at Fulham. The award is awarded every January at the World Football Gala, spains Xavi has won the award a record four consecutive times, while compatriot Andrés Iniesta and Argentinian Lionel Messi have won the award twice. Barcelona is the club with the most wins, with eight in total, karl Lennartz, a sports historian and professor at the University of Cologne, Germany, called the organization obscure, describing it as a one man show of its chairman Alfredo Pöge. The IFFHS rankings and their significance have been a matter of criticism, furthermore, it has been stated that the rankings of the IFFHS are not official and the titles they bear serve merely for publicity. Official website Official website Newly launched website Annual Awards
IFFHS
–
International Federation of Football History & Statistics
33.
FIFA Player of the Century
–
FIFA Player of the Century was a one-off award created by FIFA to decide the greatest football player of the 20th century. Diego Maradona and Pele were joint winners of the award, Maradona won the award based on the Internet poll, while Pelé won the award based on votes from FIFA officials, journalists and coaches. Since 1991, FIFA have had awards for FIFA World Player of the Year and this was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury. Maradona won the Internet-based poll by wide margins, garnering 53. 6% of the votes against 18. 53% for Pelé. 75% of the vote, thus both were joint winners of the award. The results of FIFAs internet Poll were as follows, This part of the award was decided by the FIFA Magazine readers vote, FIFA Centennial Player and Football Personality. IFFHS gave out an award decided by votes which was conducted with the participation of journalists and former players
FIFA Player of the Century
–
Five years after the award; winners Maradona and Pelé exchange national team shirts.
34.
BBC Sports Personality of the Century
–
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it consisted of just one. Several new awards have been introduced, and currently eight awards are presented, the first awards to be added were the Team of the Year and Overseas Personality awards, which were introduced in 1960. A Lifetime Achievement Award was first given in 1995 and again in 1996, in 1999, three more awards were introduced, the Helen Rollason Award, the Coach Award, and the Newcomer Award, which was renamed to Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2001. The newest is the Unsung Hero Award, first presented in 2003, in 2003, the 50th anniversary of the show was marked by a five-part series on BBC One called Simply The Best – Sports Personality. It was presented by Gary Lineker and formed part of a vote to determine a special Golden Sports Personality of the Year. That year Steve Rider and Martyn Smith wrote a book reflecting on the 50-year history of the award, the event was held outside London for the first time in 2006, when tickets were made available to the public. The trophy for the award is a silver-plated four-turret lens camera. All of the BBC local regions hold their own independent award ceremonies, other awards have been presented in the past. Sebastian Coe picked up a Special Gold Award in 2005 for his work in helping Britain obtain the right to host the 2012 Olympics. In 2003, to fifty years of Sports Personality of the Year. Rower Steve Redgrave was voted BBC Golden Sports Personality of the Year, the BBCs Sports Personality of the Year was created by Paul Fox, who came up with the idea while he was editor of the magazine show Sportsview. The first award ceremony took place in 1954 as part of Sportsview, held at the Savoy Hotel on 30 December 1954, the show lasted 45 minutes. It consisted of one award for the sportsperson judged by the public to have achieved the most that year, voting was by postcard, and rules presented in a Radio Times article stipulated that nominations were restricted to athletes who had featured on the Sportsview programme since April. For the inaugural BBC Sportsperson of the Year award,14,517 votes were cast, the following year the show was renamed Sports Review of the Year and given a longer duration of 75 minutes. In 1960 Dimmock presented the show, and introduced two new awards, the Team of the Year award and the Overseas Personality award, won by the Cooper Car Company, David Coleman joined the show the following year and remained a co-presenter until 1983. Swimmer Anita Lonsbrough became the first female recipient of the award in 1962. Frank Bough took over as presenter in 1964 and presented Sports Review for 18 years, in 1969, a new Manager of the Year award was given to Don Revie for his achievements with Leeds United, the only occasion it was presented
BBC Sports Personality of the Century
–
The trophy for the
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is a silver four-turret lens camera
BBC Sports Personality of the Century
–
David Walliams won a Special Achievement Award in 2006
BBC Sports Personality of the Century
–
Alan Bond and his crew of
Australia II (pictured) received the International Team Award in 1986.
BBC Sports Personality of the Century
–
Muhammad Ali was voted Sports Personality of the Century in 1999
35.
FIFA 100
–
The FIFA100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelés choice of the greatest living footballers. The list contains 123 professional male and 2 female players, at the time the FIFA100 was selected,50 of the players were still active, with the remaining 75 retired from the game. Some football observers have questioned the methodology of the list. David Mellor, politician turned football pundit, wrote in his column in the Evening Standard that he felt the selections were politically motivated rather than made on purely footballing grounds and he suggested that the selections looked as if they came from the pen of Sepp Blatter rather than Pelé. As evidence for this, Mellor noted the geographical spread of the selected players. Such assertions were also forwarded by BBC columnist Tim Vickery, one of Pelés old team-mates, the former Brazil midfielder Gérson, reacted to his omission from the FIFA100 by tearing up a copy of the list on a Brazilian television programme. Marco van Basten and Uwe Seeler refused to part in the project on a point of principle. Following is the list of the FIFA100 greatest living footballers as nominated by Pelé, Players active at the time of announcement are marked by. Players who are active are in italics. World Soccers Greatest Players of the 20th Century World Team of the 20th Century The FIFA100
FIFA 100
–
Pelé in 2008
36.
George Best Belfast City Airport
–
George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is 3 mi from Belfast City Centre and it shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility. The airport began operations in 1983. The airport was known as Belfast City Airport until it was renamed in 2006 in memory of George Best. The airport handled over 2.7 million passengers in 2010, the airport is a major base for Flybe, which began operations at the airport in 1993 and is now the largest operator at Belfast City. The airport has a CAA public use aerodrome licence that allows flights for the transport of passengers or for flying instruction. Ground handling is provided by Swissport and Menzies Aviation, in 2012 Aer Lingus opened a base at the airport transferring operations from Belfast International Airport. Sydenham Airport was established by Shorts beside its Belfast factory at Sydenham in 1937 and this became Belfasts main civilian airport from 1938 to 1939. The airfield was requisitioned by the Royal Navy during the Second World War, RAF Nutts Corner then became Belfasts main airport. The Sydenham airfield continued to be used for military purposes until the 1970s, including use by the Fleet Air Arm as an aircraft storage unit. In 1983, following interest from airlines and customers, the airfield was opened for commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport, following major capital investment Bombardier sold the airport in 2003 for £35 million to the Spanish company Ferrovial, the owner of BAA Airports. Ferrovial re-sold the airport in September 2008 for £132.5 million to ABN Amro Global Infrastructure Fund, in March 2006, it was announced that the airport would be renamed in memory of Northern Irish footballer George Best. The new name, George Best Belfast City Airport, and signage were revealed at the ceremony attended by Bests family and friends on 22 May 2006. The renaming of the airport caused controversy, with articles in local and national print media highlighting the mixed feelings of Belfast residents. Also in March 2006 Flybe announced that it would be naming its Belfast City – Manchester service after the footballer, on 30 October 2007, Ryanair established its 23rd base at the airport. The newest route was between Belfast and London Stansted, following Air Berlins announcement that it would discontinue the route on 31 October 2007, on 31 August 2010, Ryanair announced it would close its Belfast City base, meaning all Ryanair services were lost from 31 October 2010. Five routes and 800,000 passengers per annum will be lost at the airport as a result, the closure of the base was due to the planned runway extension being delayed for a further two years. The airline had stated it would fly to European destinations from the airport if the runway was extended, passenger numbers increased by 4. 5% from 2,621,763 in 2009 to 2,740,341 in 2010, the highest total on record at the airport
George Best Belfast City Airport
George Best Belfast City Airport
–
Control tower at Belfast City
George Best Belfast City Airport
–
Flybe Bombardier Q400 at Belfast City
George Best Belfast City Airport
–
Regular train services operate into central Belfast
37.
BBC
–
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. The total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, the BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own. Thus the BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the Governments objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing, supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blakes Jerusalem signifying that England had been saved, Reith argued that trust gained by authentic impartial news could then be used
BBC
–
BBC Television Centre at
White City, West London, which opened in 1960 and closed in 2013
BBC
–
BBC Pacific Quay in
Glasgow, which was opened in 2007
BBC
–
BBC New Broadcasting House, London which came into use during 2012–13.
BBC
–
The headquarters of the BBC at
Broadcasting House in
Portland Place, London, England. This section of the building is called 'Old Broadcasting House'.
38.
Cregagh
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Cregagh is an area southeast of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the name of a townland and has adopted as the name of an electoral ward of the Borough of Castlereagh. The townland dates back to times, when it was part of the territory held by the ONeills of Clannaboy. The area is centred on the Cregagh Road, the Woodstock/Cregagh Road is a continuous arterial route in the city, with the Woodstock making up the lower half of the route and the Cregagh the upper half. It runs from the Albertbridge Road, close to the Short Strand, the Woodstock Road forms the beginning of the continuous road that includes Cregagh and which runs from close to the River Lagan to the outskirts of Belfast. The road begins at the end of Woodstock Link, which starts at a junction which turns off from the Albertbridge Road facing Mountpottinger Road. The Mount, a prominent conference facility built in 1997, is located close to this junction on the Woodstock Link, following the junction with the Beersbridge Road the Woodstock Road is mainly lined with shops and other places of business. The area, also known as Willowfield, is home to a number of churches, including the Church of Ireland place of worship Willowfield Parish Church. Other amenities include a library and a Police Service of Northern Ireland station. The Willowfield area formerly lent its name to the Belfast Willowfield constituency of the old Parliament of Northern Ireland. An Ulster loyalist flute band, Crimson Star, is based in the area, during the Troubles notorious Ulster Volunteer Force hitman Robert Squeak Seymour ran a video shop on the Woodstock Road. It was whilst working at his shop that Seymour was shot, the Woodstock Road continues as far Ravenhill Avenue when it becomes the Cregagh Road. The Woodstock Road was formerly known as the lower Cregagh Road, until the 1920s parts of the Cregagh Road, which is now entirely urbanised, were agricultural. At its lower stage the Cregagh Road largely continues in the vein as the Woodstcok Road. This area also has a number of churches, the most prominent of which are Cregagh Methodist Church, just off the Cregagh Road are two locally well-known sporting venues, Cregagh Cricket Club and Malone Rugby Club. While having separate facilities, they are situated on the same road, Cregagh Cricket Club celebrated its centenary in 2006. This alliance was concluded in the early 1980s, with the two clubs being previously unconnected, Ravenhill Stadium, the home of Ulster Rugby, lies a short distance away, about halfway between the Cregagh Road and the Ravenhill Road to the east. The Cregagh Estate is located off the Cregagh Road, starting after the junction with Ladas Drive
Cregagh
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Cregagh Estate in Southeast
Belfast
Cregagh
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Ravenhill Avenue with the Woodstock Road to the right and the Cregagh Road to the left
Cregagh
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Malone's ground on Gibson Park Avenue. Image taken from Cregagh Sports Club front gates.
39.
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
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Doctrinally, the church describes itself as fundamentalist, evangelical, and separatist. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland, where the church is headquartered, the church has additional congregations in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and Australia, and a sister denomination in North America that has congregations in Canada and the United States. The Presbytery met with the Lissara Session 90 minutes before the mission was due to begin on 3 February with an Opening Witness March, when two elders refused to accept the Presbytery decision, they were immediately suspended. College lecturers of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland have suggested that the above story, while the Gospel Mission was a reason for the breakaway church forming, the Presbytery objection was not to the Mission or to the Gospel, but to the invited preacher, Ian Paisley. The Lissara Mission went ahead with a different preacher and Lissara Presbyterian Church continued to exist, however Free Presbyterians from Crossgar dispute that there ever was such a mission. In that year, under the leadership of Paisley, four new congregations joined together to form the Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Sydney Lince served as Moderator of the new church for a few months, one of the inaugural elders of the new church, George Gibson, was expelled for his views on the doctrines of holiness and subsequently rejoined Lissara Presbyterian Church in 1958. The appointment of Paisley as First Minister of Northern Ireland in May 2007 led to a deal of controversy within the Free Presbyterian Church. Many members of the claimed that such an appointment put Paisley, as Moderator. The church had declared some years previously that it would be unbiblical to have terrorists or ex-terrorists in the government of Northern Ireland, the church is also strongly opposed to homosexuality, yet the First Ministers office is responsible for protecting LGBT rights in Northern Ireland. One of Paisleys strongest critics was his ally and former prison cellmate Ivan Foster. A stormy meeting of the Presbytery of the church in September 2007 resolved the crisis by agreeing that Paisley would step down as Moderator in January 2008. The Presbytery met in Dungannon on 18 January 2008 to elect a new Moderator and selected Ron Johnstone, Paisley was therefore replaced as Moderator after more than 50 years in the post. The decision was overturned and the church cleared of all wrongdoing. The church adheres to Calvinist doctrines and it also self-describes as fundamentalist which it sees as an appropriate term to describe its stance of being anti-liberal. At the start of Paisleys ministry this separatism was focused heavily on the Presbyterian Church in Ireland a denomination from which it drew many of its initial members. For the FPC the main target of its doctrinal ire, however, has always been and this message has been on the front page since at least June 2011 Baptism and the Lords Supper are recognised as sacraments of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Members are allowed to determine the mode and subjects that they prefer
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
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Lisburn Free Presbyterian Church
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
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Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
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Interior of
Tandragee Free Presbyterian Church
40.
Orange Order
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The Loyal Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based primarily in Northern Ireland. It also has a significant presence in the Scottish Lowlands and lodges throughout the Commonwealth, the Orange Order was founded in County Armagh in 1795, during a period of Protestant–Catholic sectarian conflict, as a Masonic-style brotherhood sworn to maintain the Protestant Ascendancy. It is headed by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, which was established in 1798 and its name is a tribute to the Dutch-born Protestant king William of Orange, who defeated the army of Catholic king James VII & II in the Williamite War in Ireland. Its members wear orange sashes and are referred to as Orangemen, the Order is best known for its yearly marches, the biggest of which are held on or around 12 July. Politically, the Orange Order is a conservative British unionist organisation with links to Ulster loyalism and it campaigned against Scottish independence in 2014. The Order sees itself as defending Protestant civil and religious liberties, whilst critics accuse the Order of being sectarian and it has also been criticised for associating with loyalist paramilitary groups. As a Protestant society, it does not accept non-Protestants as members unless they convert and adhere to the principles of Orangeism, Orange marches through mainly Catholic and nationalist neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland are controversial and have often led to violence. In particular, the Institution remembers the victories of William III and his forces in Ireland in the early 1690s and these followed a tradition started in Elizabethan England of celebrating key events in the Protestant calendar. By the 1740s there were organisations holding parades in Dublin such as the Boyne Club, throughout the 1780s, sectarian tension had been building in County Armagh, largely due to the relaxation of the Penal Laws. Here the number of Protestants and Catholics were of equal number. Drunken brawls between rival gangs had by 1786 become openly sectarian, in September 1795, at a crossroads known as The Diamond near Loughgall, Defenders and Protestant Peep o Day Boys gathered to fight each other. When a contingent of Defenders from County Tyrone arrived on 21 September, however, the Peep o Day Boys quickly regrouped and opened fire on the Defenders. According to William Blacker, the battle was short and the Defenders suffered not less than thirty deaths. After the battle had ended, the Peep o Days marched into Loughgall, and in the house of James Sloan they founded the Orange Order, the principal pledge of these lodges was to defend the King and his heirs so long as he or they support the Protestant Ascendancy. At the start the Orange Order was an organisation to the Defenders in that it was a secret oath-bound society that used passwords. One of the few landed gentry that joined the Orange Order at the outset. He says that a determination was expressed to driving from this quarter of the county the entire of its Roman Catholic population, with notices posted warning them to Hell or Connaught. Other people were warned by notices not to inform on local Orangemen or I will Blow your Soul to the Low hils of Hell And Burn the House you are in, within two months,7,000 Catholics had been driven out of County Armagh
Orange Order
Orange Order
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The Orange Order flag (above) and logo (below), incorporating the colour orange, the purple star of the
Williamites and the
St George's Cross
Orange Order
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William III ("William of Orange") King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Stadtholder of the Netherlands
Orange Order
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Dolly's Brae, site of the "Battle of Dolly's Brae" (1849) between Orangemen and Catholic Ribbonmen
41.
Ulster Hospital
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The Ulster Hospital is a teaching hospital in Dundonald in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballyregan, beside the A20 road, the hospital provides acute services to 250,000 people in the North Down, Ards and Castlereagh council areas, as well as east Belfast. It is also one of four regional units in Northern Ireland. The hospital was first founded as the Ulster Hospital for Women and it was initially located on Chichester Street in Belfast city centre. It subsequently moved to Mountpottinger Road and then Templemore Avenue, while located in Mountpottinger the hospital was severely damaged in the 1941 Belfast Blitz. In 1962 it was relocated to Dundonald and renamed the Ulster Hospital, a seven-year £98m refurbishment programme was announced in 2001. Initially, there were plans to build a new hospital. The redevelopment has included an ungraded A&E department, a new maternity block, a critical care unit, in the redevelopment plans were revised in 2006, with the work being split into two phases with total investment increasing to over £340m by 2016. The new plans also include seven new operating theatres and a car park. The car park was opened in 2007, helping to solve significant shortages in the past, in August 2002, the Red Hand Defenders issued a death threat against Catholic workers at the Ulster Hospital. In 2005, a Catholic doctor who lodged a discrimination case against the Ulster Hospital after being turned down for a consultants post received £20,000 compensation. In June 2011, the Ulster Hospital was granted University Teaching Hospital status by Queens University, Belfast, in January 2013, amidst the ongoing Belfast City Hall flag protests, the Ulster Hospital began to restrict the flying of the Union Flag to designated days. In response, a loyalist mob that included employees of the trust gathered outside the hospital, the Tribunal outcome was critical of the Trusts investigation into the nurses complaint. The Tribunal found that the Trust failed to ensure the concept of a working environment. The Tribunal also concluded there was a culture of tolerance of sectarian behaviour within the workplace. The nurse also received £1216.00 in costs, industrial Tribunal Case reference 00113/13FET https, //employmenttribunalsni. co. uk/OITFET_IWS/DecisionSearch. aspx Ulster Hospital
Ulster Hospital
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Ulster Hospital
42.
Dundonald
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Dundonald is a large settlement and civil parish in County Down. It lies east of Belfast and is deemed to be a suburb of the city. It includes the housing estate of Ballybeen, and many new housing developments have emerged in the past ten years. Dundonald refers to a 12th-century Norman fort, or Dún, Dún Dónaill, one of the largest in Ireland, the man-made hill that the fort stood on is still in existence. St. Elizabeths Church is located beside the moat, with the Cleland Mausoleum in the adjacent graveyard, Dundonald acquired rail links to Belfast and Newtownards in 1850, Downpatrick in 1859 and Newcastle in 1869. The town was located on the once extensive Belfast and County Down Railway mainline, the rail link with Belfast encouraged Dundonald to expand as a commuter town, but in 1950 the railway line running through Dundonald was closed. Dundonald railway station was opened on 6 May 1850, but finally closed on 24 April 1950, in the 1960s, Dundonald was deemed a small village. A number of property developments, most notably the housing estate Ballybeen, were then built, for census purposes, Dundonald is not treated as a separate entity by the NI Statistics and Research Agency. Instead, it is combined with a part of east and southeast Belfast to form the Castlereagh Urban Area. A fairly accurate population count can be found by combining the data of the wards that make up Dundonald. These wards are Ballyhanwood 1, Carrowreagh, Dundonald, Enler, however, the wards also include part of the countryside surrounding Dundonald. On the day of the last census, the population of these wards was 16,098. This is within the bounds of the medium-sized town, of this population,71. 3% were Protestant or from a Protestant background 3. 6% were Catholic or from a Catholic background 25. 1% were of other religious backgrounds or no religious background. Dundonald is represented in council governance by the Castlereagh East DEA, the members elected in 2014 were, Dundonald sprang up within the small parish of the same name. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish has long been divided into townlands, over time, more rural townlands have been built upon and they have given their names to many roads and housing estates. It is enjoyed by thousands of cyclists and walkers on a daily basis, in 1986, The Dundonald International Ice Bowl was opened in the town. This originally comprised an Olympic sized ice rink and a 20 lane AMF ten pin bowling alley, in later years, Indianaland, a childrens Aztec themed indoor adventure playground was added along with Laser Quest, a simulated combat arena using laser tag equipment. The bowling alley was upgraded to 30 lanes in the 1990s, the site also contains a David Lloyd fitness centre
Dundonald
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Dundonald Moat and St Elizabeth's Church
Dundonald
Dundonald
Dundonald
43.
Grosvenor Grammar School
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Grosvenor Grammar School is a co-educational controlled grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It has a staff of 73 full-time teachers, Grosvenor Grammar School was founded in 1945 by the Belfast Corporation to cope with the increase in demand for grammar-school education in the area. It was sited in Roden Street, off the Grosvenor Road, and remained there until 1958, in 2010, the school moved to Marina Park where it is at present. Its headmasters have been William Moles, Ken Reid, John Lockett, on 19 December 2014 Robin McLoughlin made his final speech at Grosvenor before moving on to Banbridge Academy, making way for the schools first headmistress Dr Frances Vasey. The area from which the school draws its pupils has expanded enormously over the years, to include greater Belfast and north, in order to avoid confusion with non-grammar high schools, the school changed its name in 1993 to Grosvenor Grammar School. In rugby, the school has won the Ulster Schools Cup once, Democratic Unionist politician Sammy Wilson MP MLA is a former economics teacher at the school. Michelle McIlveen MLA, also a Democratic Unionist, taught history, willie Anderson is a former PE teacher at Grosvenor. Grosvenor also has two Irish cricket players working in the school, namely Kyle McCallan and Andrew White, Kyle took a job at Grosvenor just before he had to leave for the 2006 cricket world cup. Andrew joined the school in September 2007, nathan Connolly, lead guitarist of Snow Patrol is also a former pupil of the school. Also, George Best attended Grosvenor for a period of time before transferring to a nearby high school. List of grammar schools in Northern Ireland Grosvenor Grammar School website
Grosvenor Grammar School
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Grosvenor Grammar School.
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