1.
Spanish naming customs
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Spanish naming customs are historical traditions for naming children practised in Spain. According to these customs, a persons name consists of a name followed by two family names. The first surname is usually the fathers first surname, and the second the mothers first surname, in recent years, the order of the surnames can be reversed at birth if it is so decided by the parents. Currently in Spain, people bear a single or composite given name, a composite given name comprises two single names, for example Juan Pablo is considered not to be a first and a second forename, but a single composite forename. The two surnames refer to each of the parental families, traditionally, a persons first surname is the fathers first surname, and the second one is the mothers first surname. From 2013, if the parents of a child are unable to agree on order of surnames, the law also grants a person the option, upon reaching adulthood, of reversing the order of their surnames. Each surname can also be composite, the parts usually linked by the y or e. For example, a name might be Juan Pablo Fernández de Calderón García-Iglesias, consisting of a forename, a paternal surname. There are times when it is impossible, by inspection of a name, for example, the writer Sebastià Juan Arbó was alphabetised by the Library of Congress for many years under Arbó, assuming that Sebastiá and Juan were both given names. However, Juan was actually his first surname, to resolve questions like this, which typically involve very common names, one must consult the person involved, or legal documents. A man named José Antonio Gómez Iglesias would normally be addressed as either señor Gómez or señor Gómez Iglesias instead of señor Iglesias, because Gómez is his first surname. Furthermore, Mr. Gómez might be addressed as José Antonio, José, Pepe, Antonio, or Toño Jose, Joselito, Josito, Joselillo, Josico or Joselín, Antoñito, Tonín or Nono. Very formally, he could be addressed with an honorific as don José Antonio or don José, colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez is sometimes incorrectly referred to in English media as Mr. Márquez, when it should be Mr. García Márquez or, simply, Mr. García. It is not unusual, when the first surname is very common, for example, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is often called simply Zapatero, the name he inherited from his mothers family, since Rodríguez is a common surname and may be ambiguous. The same occurs with another former Spanish Socialist leader, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, with the poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca, as these peoples paternal names are very common, they are often called with their maternal names. It would nonetheless be a mistake to index José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under Z as Zapatero, a practical option to spare an explanation is using a single surname composed of two separate words. Parents choose their childs name, which must be recorded in the Registro Civil to establish his or her legal identity. With few restrictions, parents can now choose any name, common sources of names are the parents taste, honouring a relative, the General Roman Calendar nomina, legislation in Spain under Franco legally limited cultural naming customs to only Christian and typical Spanish names
2.
Oviedo
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Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality contains the city. Oviedo is located approximately 20 km to 25 km south of neighbouring cities Gijón and Avilés and its proximity to the ocean causes Oviedo to have a maritime climate, in spite of it not being located on the shoreline itself. The Kingdom of Asturias began in 720, with a Visigothic Aristocrat Pelagiuss revolt against the Muslims occupying most of Spain at the time, the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 took control of most of the peninsula until the revolt in the northern mountains by Pelagius. The resulting Kingdom of Asturias, located in a poor region of the peninsula, was largely ignored by the Muslims. In 720, the area where Oviedo was located was still uninhabited and it is said that two monks, Máximo and Fromestano, founded the city in 761. That settlement was soon to be completed with the construction of a church dedicated to Saint Vincent. Oviedo was established on a hillside, with no Visigothic or Roman foundation before it became an Asturian city. Following Pelagius, who died in 737, Alfonso I founded a dynasty that would last until 1037, the Asturian Kingdom was on hostile terms with southern Moorish Spain. In 794, Oviedo was sacked and pillaged by Caliph Hisham I in one of his numerous campaigns against the Christian kingdoms. King Alfonso I is said to have set in place the order of the Goths, as it had been in Toledo. The intention with Oviedo was to shape it into a city similar to that of Visigothic Toledo, once kings had settled in Oviedo, they adopted as much of the architectural style and imagery of Toledo. Even with this in mind, Oviedo did not necessarily resemble the old Visigothic capital in Toledo, the churches and buildings of Oviedo follow instead late provincial Roman tradition. Since Asturias at the time was a poor area of Spain the scale of the buildings is quite impressive. Oviedo’s rich architectural tradition began with King Fruela I, King Fruela I of Asturias, the fourth of the Asturian monarchs, was the first decided promoter of the city as may be witnessed by his construction of both a palace and a nearby church. This church was restored by Alfonso II. Also constructed during Alfonso IIs reign was the San Julian de los Prados church, Alfonso IIs successor, Ramiro I, continued Alfonso IIs construction streak. Ramiro I constructed two buildings, the Church Santa Maria del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, the Church Santa Maria de Naranco was likely to originally be Ramiro Is palace and later changed into a church
3.
Real Oviedo
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Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926 as a result of the merger of two clubs who had maintained a large sporting rivalry for years in the city, Real Stadium Club Ovetense, the club plays in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system. The club plays in blue shirts and white shorts in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere, in the all-time league table for the Spanish top division, Oviedo rank in 17th place. Founded in 1926 after a merger with Stadium Ovetense and Real Club Deportivo Oviedo, Oviedo first reached La Liga seven years later, lángara won the Pichichi Trophy three years in a row prior to the Spanish Civil War, as Oviedo broke all scoring records. When football in the country resumed in 1939, Oviedo were relegated to the second division, with the FIFA World Cup to be held on home soil in 1982, the Carlos Tartiere Stadium was completely renewed, the first match being held with the Chilean national team. In 1984–85 Oviedo won the soon-to-be-defunct Spanish League Cup, after successively defeating UD Salamanca, Bilbao Athletic, CF Lorca Deportiva, CE Sabadell FC, after that successful year, there were more brilliant seasons and others where relegation was narrowly dodged. In a nutshell, the Carbayones had a run in La Liga during the 1990s with a team which lined up top international players. In 1992 Real Oviedo as well as most Spanish football clubs were forced to become public limited sports companies, the initial capital stock for Real Oviedo amounted to €3.6 million. In 2000, the new Carlos Tartiere Stadium with 30,500 seats became Real Oviedo’s new ground and it was officially opened on 20 September 2000 with a match between Real Oviedo and Partizan Belgrade, where Real Oviedo lost 0-2 to the Serbian side. Three days before, Real Oviedo and UD Las Palmas had got a 2-2 draw on the first fixture in the 2000–01 season, Oviedo lasted two further campaigns before dropping down a level again. The financial dire straits continued into the 2012–13 season, when Oviedo called on supporters to buy shares in the club, on 17 November 2012 Carlos Slim, the second richest man in the world, invested $2.5 million in the club, therefore gaining a controlling stake. On 31 May 2015, Oviedo confirmed their return to the Spanish Segunda División after a thirteen-year absence with a 2–1 aggregate victory over Cádiz in the 2015 Segunda División B play-offs, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The Asturian derby has been contested throughout its history and the two teams have met 117 times in all competitions. Real Oviedo have won 49 times, while Sporting de Gijón have done so in 38 games,30 draws have been produced, Sporting won the first match ever played, a 2–1 win for the Regional Championships on 6 December 1926. The first top flight derby took place during the 1944–45 season, the inaugural second level season,1929, also brought two local derbies – Oviedo thrashed Sporting 6–2 at home, while Sporting won 3–2 in the return fixture. 5,200 members are kept since 2001, when Real Oviedo was relegated from La Liga, the reserve team, which played since 2010 in the fourth level, was renamed Real Oviedo Vetusta in 2008. Vetusta was also the name of the team, before the Royal Spanish Football Federation decree which banned unique reserve club names in the early 1990s. Official website Futbolme team profile Club magazine Club blog Oviedín, fansite
4.
Girona FC
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Girona Futbol Club, S. A. D. is a Spanish football team based in Girona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded on 23 July 1930 it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadi Montilivi, the club also has youth and amateur womens teams for competition. On 23 July 1930, in the cafè Norat in La Rambla of Girona, Girona Fútbol Club was founded upon the disappearance of Unió Esportiva Girona for economic reasons. In 1968 Estadi Montilivi began being built, with matches being held there on a permanent basis from 1970 onwards. In the following decades Girona alternated between the third and the division, even spending three seasons in the regional championships. On 16 June 2008, after defeating Ceuta 1–0 in the play–offs, in 2011 Girona created a reserve team, having previously grown a natural grass pitch in Palau. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, Girona FC B CF Riudellots Official website Futbolme team profile BDFutbol team profile
5.
Saudi Arabia national football team
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The Saudi Arabia national football team represents Saudi Arabia in international football. The teams colours are green, and white, Saudi Arabia are known as Al-Suqour, and Al-Akhdhar. In the 1994 World Cup under the leadership of Jorge Solari, Saudi Arabia was dismissed in the first round of the next three Cup tournaments. The following players have also called up to the Saudi Arabia squad within the last 12 months. Notes, SUS Player suspended INJ Player withdrew from the due to an injury RET Retired from the national team Updated 10 August 2015. As of 23 March 2017 Saudi Arabia FA official website Saudi Arabia national football team website Saudi Arabia in fifaworldcup. com
6.
Ratchaburi Mitr Phol F.C.
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Ratchaburi Mitr Phol Football Club is a Thai professional football club based in Ratchaburi Province and currently plays in Thai League T1. Ratchaburi has the nickname The Dragons which can be seen in the official logo. Ratachaburi earned back to back promotions from the leagues to the TPL. In 2011 they won the Central-East Division before earning promotion to Division 1 after winning Group A of the Division 2 playoffs, in the following season, the Dragons flew through the first division winning the title on their way to the TPL. Whilst in Division 1, Ratchaburi made it to the Thai League Cup final where they lost 4–1 to Buriram United, Ratchaburi never stood a chance as Buriram won the final at a canter. In 2016 the club moved to new ground called Mitr Phol Stadium that the stadium holds 13,000 people, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. C, reserves and Academy Official Website Official Facebook
7.
Bangkok Glass F.C.
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Bangkok Glass Football Club is a Thai professional football club based in Pathum Thani Province and is managed by BG FC Sport Co. Ltd. Which is a subsidiary of Bangkok Glass Group of Companies, Bangkok Glass FC currently play in the Thai League T1 after BG FC Sport Co. Ltd. Who purchased the license of the Thai Premier League side Krung Thai Bank F. C. in January 2009. Changed the club name and moved its home from central Bangkok to Pathum Thani Province, the name and logo derive from Krung Thai Bank, PCL, the team owner and major sponsor of the club. Bangkok Glass FC was founded in 2006 and played in the Khǒr Royal Cup, in the beginning of the 2009 season, the club bought the franchise of Krung Thai Bank F. C. in order to compete in the Thai League T1. The club then started the pre-season under the name of Raj-Vithi-BGFC in the 2009 Queens Cup in the match against Haaka-Sriracha FC, the team was made up of players from Bangkok Glass FC, trialling players with the potential to play in the Thai League. In their first Premier League season, the club was managed by Hans Emser, under his service, the club was unbeaten for twelve league games in a row. He was a coach from Bangkok Glass FC with a points average of 2,33. Nevertheless, Emser himself declared that he preferred to work with the team rather than the senior team. The club then appointed Surachai Jaturapattarapong, a former Thailand national team player who worked as a coach in S. League of Singapore as the clubs new head coach. After a poor start to the 2010 season, Surachai stepped down from his post and was replaced by the Brazilian Carlos Roberto and his tenure in charge was short-lived though as he was fired in October 2010 after two heavy defeats to PEA Buriram and Osotspa Saraburi. Bangkok Glass finished a disappointing 5th in the PLT in 2010, the current manager is Supasin Leelarit and Surachai Jaturapattarapong was re-appointed as head coach at the end of the 2011 season. After a disappointing season Surachai stepped down again from his post October 2012 and was replaced by Phil Stubbins, Bangkok Glass finished the season a disappointing 8th in the PLT2012. After short lived in Bangkok Glass FC Phil Stubbins stepped down in March 2013, for short time assistant coach Anurak taken over and he make the club history for the first club trophy Thai FA Cup 2014 since they founded. Leo Stadium was open in 2010 after being renovated on land adjacent to bangkok glass company limited. It located in Pathum Thani. It was originally used by bangkok glass company limited officer. After Bangkok Glass F. C. bought the franchise of Krung Thai Bank F. C. in order to compete in the Thai League T1 they use Leo Stadium to be their own home ground, the capacity of the stadium was 13,000. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note 1, Players who are AFC Champions League quota foreign players are listed in bold, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules
8.
Suphanburi F.C.
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Suphanburi Football Club is a professional football club based in Suphanburi. Currently they are playing in the Thai League T1 and their home stadium is Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium. Founded in 1998, Suphanburi Football Club became members of the Thailand Provincial League which ran parallel to the Thai League and was overseen by the Sports Authority of Thailand, in the leagues inaugural year of 1999, the club finished as runners up. Overall, Suphanburi was one of the most successful teams in the Pro League and they won the league title twice and were also runners up on three occasions. In 2005 the club finished as runners up in the Thai league and were promoted to the Thai Premier League alongside champions Chonburi, Suphanburi became the first provincial club to join the TPL, however, the clubs moved in very different directions over the subsequent years. Due to an expansion, Suphanburi avoided relegation. However, a year later Chonburi became champions whilst Suphanburi were relegated, in the following season, Suphanburi finished mid table in Division 1 and never looked like challenging for promotion. They were relegated from the Thai Division 1 League in 2010, fortunately, a late decision to expand the 1st division allowed them to regain their 1st division status if they could beat Saraburi FC in a two legged play-off. The War Elephant won 3–2 on aggregate to retain their place in Division 1, in 2012 the clubs first success was a runners-up spot in Division 1 and the team were promoted back into the Thai Premier League. For the 2013 season, few people saw Suphanburi as serious contenders for honours, however, after starting the season with a seven match unbeaten run, they eventually finished fourth, losing only nine times in their thirty two game campaign. An Under 19 team reached the final of the 2014 Coke Cup, the club have embarked on an ambitious six-year plan to create teams from Under 13 to Under 18, starting with a new intake of Under 13 players each year. The young players will be based at the Institute of Physical Education, Provincial League, Champions,2002,2004 Below is a list of players playing for Suphanburi as the official website confirms. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Coaches by years 1Suphanburi qualified to 2016 AFC Champion League Preliminary Round 2 by finishing third place in Thai Premier League, however, Suphanburi was forfeited to play in the competition due the lack of AFC Club licensing criteria. Chonburi had replaced them in the continental spot, chang True Warrix BNH Hospital Est Cola Hublot Isuzu Borussia Dortmund Suphanburi F. C
9.
Tokushima Vortis
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Tokushima Vortis is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team is located in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture and their home stadium is Naruto Athletic Stadium, in Naruto, Tokushima. The name, Vortis was named in 1997, and it was explained as a combination of Italian Vortice, founded in 1955 as Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Soccer Club, VORTIS joined the J-League in 2005 and they are still sponsored by Otsukas best-known brand, Pocari Sweat sports drink. They were first promoted to the old Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1989, in the 1997 old JFL season, they first sported a Vortis Tokushima name, but the lack of fan interest at the time forced them to go back to the corporate identity. They finally adopted the Tokushima Vortis name for good after winning the new JFL championship in 2004, the first season in J2 was naturally a difficult one for Vortis, but they surprised many sceptics with their determination and quality of play. The team rose as high as fourth place, at one point, in 2006, the team was forced to rebuild, as the players who took the team into the J. League began to hit the ceiling of their abilities, and made way for younger replacements. Until their promotion, they were the only former JSL member currently a member of the J. League which has never competed in the top tier of Japanese football. With promotion and the creation of the J. League Division 3 in 2014, the distinction will be taken over by Blaublitz Akita. = Position in league Attendance/G = Average league attendance Source, J. League Data Site Japan Football League,22003,2004 Shikoku Football League,41978,1979,1981,1989 As of 4 February 2017. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality
10.
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
11.
Coach (sport)
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In sports, a coach is a person involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople. A coach may also be a teacher, the original sense of the word coach is that of a horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultimately from the Hungarian city of Kocs where such vehicles were first made. Britain took the lead in upgrading the status of sports in the 19th century, for sports to become professionalized, coacher had to become established. It gradually professionalized in the Victorian era and the role was established by 1914. In the First World War, military units sought out the coaches to supervise physical conditioning, a coach, particularly in a professional league, is usually supported by one or more assistant coaches and specialist support staff. The staff may include coordinators, strength and fitness specialists, in elite sport, the role of nutritionists, biomechanists and physiotherapists will all become critical to the overall long-term success of a coach and athlete. In association football, the duties of a coach can vary depending on the level they are coaching at, in professional football, the role of the coach or trainer is limited to the training and development of a clubs first team in most countries. The coach is aided by a number of assistant coaches, one of which carries the responsibility for the training, the coach is also assisted by medical staff and athletic trainers. The medium to long term strategy of a club, with regard to transfer policies, youth development. The system also provides a level of protection against overspending on players in search of instant success. In football, the director of a football team is more commonly awarded the position of manager. Baseball coaches at that level are members of the staff under the overall supervision of the manager. The baseball field manager is essentially equivalent to head coaches in other American professional sports leagues, the term manager used without qualification almost always refers to the field manager, while the general manager is often called the GM. At amateur levels, the terminology is similar to that of other sports. The person known as the manager in professional leagues is called the head coach in amateur leagues. In American football, like other sports, there are many coaches. Sports coaching in the UK follows a structured pattern in principle. In June 2008, the Sports Councils together with the governing bodies of sport formally adopted the UK Coaching Framework at the UK Coaching Summit in Coventry
12.
Asturias
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Asturias, officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous community in north-west Spain. It is coextensive with the province of Asturias, and contains some of the territory that was part of the larger Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages. The most important cities are the capital, Oviedo, the seaport and largest city Gijón. Other municipalities in Asturias include Cangas de Onís, Cangas del Narcea, Gozón, Grado, Langreo, Llanera, Laviana, Lena, Llanes, Mieres, Siero, Valdés, Vegadeo, Asturias is also home to the Princess of Asturias Awards. In the Mesolithic period, a culture developed, that of the Asturiense. Today the Astur Celtic influence persists in place names, such as those of rivers, with the conquest of Asturias by the Romans under Augustus, the region entered into the annals of history. The Astures were subdued by the Romans but were never fully conquered, however, as it had been for the Romans and Visigoths, the Moors did not find mountainous territory easy to conquer, and the lands along Spains northern coast never fully became part of Islamic Spain. In the 10th century, the Kingdom of Asturias gave way to the Kingdom of León, through the rebellion of Henry II of Castile in the 14th century, the Principality of Asturias was established. The most famous proponents of independence were Gonzalo Peláez and Queen Urraca, after its integration into the Kingdom of Spain, Asturias provided the Spanish court with high-ranking aristocrats and played an important role in the colonization of America. Since 1388, the heir to the Castilian throne has been styled Prince of Asturias, in the 16th century, the population reached 100,000 for the first time, and within another century that number would double due to the arrival of American corn. During the 18th century, Asturias was one of the centres of the Spanish Enlightenment, the renowned Galician thinker Benito de Feijóo settled in the Benedictine Monastery of San Vicente de Oviedo. Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, a polymath and prominent reformer and politician of the late 18th century, was born in the town of Gijón. At the same time, there was significant migration to America and these entrepreneurs were known collectively as Indianos, for having visited and made their fortunes in the West Indies and beyond. Asturias played an important part in the events led up to the Spanish Civil War. For a month, a Popular Front Committee exercised control in southern Asturias, a war committee dominated by anarcho-syndicalist supporters took power in Oviedo. Troops under the command of a then unknown general named Francisco Franco Bahamonde were brought from Spanish Morocco to suppress the revolt, Franco applied tactics normally reserved for overseas colonies, using troops of the Spanish Legion and Moroccan troops, ferocious oppression followed. As a result, Asturias remained loyal to the government during the Spanish Civil War, and was the scene of an extraordinary defence in extreme terrain. With Franco eventually gaining control of all Spain, Asturias — traditionally linked to the Spanish Crown — was known merely as the Province of Oviedo from 1939 until Francos death in 1975, the provinces name was restored fully after the return of democracy to Spain, in 1977
13.
University of Oviedo
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The University of Oviedo is a public university in Asturias. It is the university in the region. It has three campus and research centres, located in Oviedo, Gijón and Mieres, in 1574 Pope Gregory XIII granted the Papal Bull to create the university and in 1604 Philip III issued its charter. It first opened for the teaching of classes on September 21,1608, after the French invasion of Spain the Historical Building of the University was occupied by invading troops and lectures were suspended until the War ended in 1812. During the 19th century, a group of liberal professors tried to bring the University closer to the class with the Extensión Universitaria. However, this goal was not fully achieved, and on October 13,1934, during the Socialist-led miners revolt in Asturias and it was rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War. Nowadays, the university has 31 faculties and professional schools, offering degrees, health Sciences, Biochemistry and Functional Biology, Biology of Organisms and Systems, Functional Biology, Medicine, Morphology and Cellular Biology, Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialities. Humanities, Anglo-German and French Philology, Art and Music History, Classical and Romance Philology, Geography, History, Philosophy, Spanish Philology. In addition to classrooms, there is a room hold up to 112 places. Special mention also the different laboratories that school has a total of 15 laboratories, included in this equipment of various kinds, both PC and MAC
14.
Royal Spanish Football Federation
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The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the governing body of football in Spain. It is based in La Ciudad del Fútbol of Las Rozas and it administers the competition committee of the Campeonato Nacional de Liga, the Primera División and the Segunda División, even though they are organized by the Liga de Fútbol Profesional. It organizes the Segunda División B as well as the Tercera División with the assistance of the football federations. It is also responsible for appointing the management of the Spanish national football team, womens, the Spain national futsal team, also belongs to the federation
15.
Real Madrid C.F.
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Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly known as Real Madrid, or simply as Real outside Spain frontiers, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the team has worn a white home kit since inception. The word Real is Spanish for Royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the crown in the emblem. The team has played its matches in the 85, 454-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European sporting entities, Real Madrids members have owned and operated the club throughout its history. The club was estimated to be worth €3.24 billion in 2015, the club is one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Real Madrid is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never relegated from the top division, along with Athletic Bilbao. The club holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with Barcelona, Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s, winning five consecutive European Cups and reaching the final seven times. This success was replicated in the league, where the club won five times in the space of seven years. In domestic football, the club has won a record 32 La Liga titles,19 Copa del Rey, nine Supercopa de España, a Copa Eva Duarte, and a Copa de la Liga. Real Madrid was recognised as the FIFA Club of the 20th Century on 23 December 2000, the club received the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit in 2004. The club is ranked first in the latest IFFHS Club World Ranking, setting a new ranking-points record, the club also leads the current UEFA club rankings. They founded Football Club Sky in 1897, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa and it split into two clubs in 1900, New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Madrid Football Club. On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909. After moving between grounds the team moved to the Campo de ODonnell in 1912, in 1920, the clubs name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real to the club. In 1929, the first Spanish football league was founded, Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real Madrid won its first League title in the 1931–32 season, Real won the League again the following year, becoming the first team to have won the championship twice
16.
Catalonia
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Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, located on the northeastern extremity of the Iberian Peninsula. It is designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy, Catalonia consists of four provinces, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. The capital and largest city is Barcelona, the second-most populated municipality in Spain, Catalonia comprises most of the territory of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is bordered by France and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the official languages are Catalan, Spanish, and the Aranese dialect of Occitan. The eastern counties of these marches were united under the rule of the Frankish vassal the Count of Barcelona, in the later Middle Ages Catalan literature flourished. Between 1469 and 1516, the King of Aragon and the Queen of Castile married and ruled their kingdoms together, retaining all their distinct institutions, Courts, and constitutions. During the Franco-Spanish War, Catalonia revolted against a large and burdensome presence of the Royal army in its territory, within a brief period France took full control of Catalonia, at a high economic cost for Catalonia, until it was largely reconquered by the Spanish army. In the nineteenth century, Catalonia was severely affected by the Napoleonic, in the second half of the century Catalonia experienced industrialisation. As wealth from the industrial expansion grew, Catalonia saw a cultural renaissance coupled with incipient nationalism while several workers movements appeared. In 1914, the four Catalan provinces formed a Commonwealth, and with the return of democracy during the Second Spanish Republic, after the Spanish Civil War, the Francoist dictatorship enacted repressive measures, abolishing Catalan institutions and banning the official use of the Catalan language again. Since the Spanish transition to democracy, Catalonia has regained some political and cultural autonomy and is now one of the most economically dynamic communities of Spain, the origin of the name Catalunya is subject to diverse interpretations because of a lack of evidence. During the Middle Ages, Byzantine chroniclers claimed that Catalania derives from the medley of Goths with Alans. Other less plausible theories suggest, Catalunya derives from the land of castles, having evolved from the term castlà or castlan. This theory therefore suggests that the names Catalunya and Castile have a common root, the source is of Celtic origin, meaning chiefs of battle. Although the area is not known to have been occupied by Celts, the Lacetani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area and whose name, due to the Roman influence, could have evolved by metathesis to Katelans and then Catalans. In English, Catalonia is pronounced /kætəˈloʊniə/, the native name, Catalunya, is pronounced in Central Catalan, the most widely spoken variety whose pronunciation is considered standard. The Spanish name is Cataluña, and the Aranese name is Catalonha, the first known human settlements in what is now Catalonia were at the beginning of the Middle Palaeolithic. From the next era, the Epipaleolithic or Mesolithic, important remains survive
17.
La Liga
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The Primera División, commonly known as La Liga and as La Liga Santander for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. A total of 60 teams have competed in La Liga since its inception, nine teams have been crowned champions, with Real Madrid winning the title a record 32 times and Barcelona 24 times. Real Madrid dominated the championship from the 1950s through the 1980s, from the 1990s onwards, Barcelona and Real Madrid both dominated, though La Liga also saw other champions, including Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Deportivo de La Coruña. In more recent years, Atlético Madrid has joined a coalition of now three teams dominating La Liga alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona. Its clubs have won the most UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup titles, and its players have accumulated the highest number of Ballon dOr awards. La Liga is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format, during the course of a season, which lasts from August to May, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 matchdays. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss, teams are ranked by total points, with the highest-ranked club at the end of the season crowned champion. A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Primera División and the Segunda División, the top teams in La Liga qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The first, second, and third placed teams enter the group stage. Teams placed fifth and sixth play in the UEFA Europa League, if both teams in the cup final finish in the top six, an additional berth in the Europa League is given to the team that finishes in seventh. In April 1927, José María Acha, a director at Arenas Club de Getxo, first proposed the idea of a national league in Spain. After much debate about the size of the league and who would take part, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Unión were all selected as previous winners of the Copa del Rey. Atlético Madrid, Espanyol and Europa qualified as Copa del Rey runners-up, only three of the founding clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, have never been relegated from the Primera División. They were also runners-up in 1932 and 1933, in 1935, Real Betis, then known as Betis Balompié, won their only title to date. Primera División was suspended during the Spanish Civil War, in 1937, the teams in the Republican area of Spain, with the notable exception of the two Madrid clubs, competed in the Mediterranean League and Barcelona emerged as champions. Seventy years later, on 28 September 2007, Barcelona requested the RFEF to recognise that title as a Liga title and this action was taken after RFEF was asked to recognise Levante FCs Copa de la España Libre win as equivalent to Copa del Rey trophy. Nevertheless, the body of Spanish football has not made an outright decision yet
18.
Director of football
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Director of football is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is unclear and extremely variable. The director may help to stabilise the club – many examples exist of director stepping in as a caretaker manager on the departure of the manager. The director – often an experienced football figure – may also positively advise a less experienced manager or the board of a well developed club. This had led to many well publicised and often, highly damaging disputes within clubs, in general, directors of football are not shareholders in the club, or hold a nominal stake. This is opposed to members of the board with whom the director of football will sit. The level of power and influence in the day-to-day and transfer operations of the held by a director of football may vary considerably. Often, the position in case is filled by a former famous player. Bobby Charlton at Manchester United is such an example, in such a case, the role of the director of football is more one of club promotion and marketing than that of actual control over footballing operations. Employing a well-known football personality in such a position may also be used to enhance the prestige of the club. Other well known managers have been promoted to director of football or similar roles, including Ron Greenwood at West Ham United in 1974, however, Greenwood returned to frontline management three years later with the England national football team. In March 2002, Harry Redknapp stepped down as director of football at Portsmouth after a year in the role to succeed Graham Rix as manager, appointments in this case are often long-term, likely due to the negative reaction of fans to the removal of a former club legend. Others remain in the role until their health restricts their activities and this may be the case where the manager is inexperienced or perceived as naive in a particular aspect, allowing the director to advise against potentially costly errors. Such an example is that of Giovanni Trapattoni at Red Bull Salzburg or Sven-Göran Eriksson at Notts County, appointments in this case are often short term – for between 1/2 seasons – with the director imparting their advice and departing to another club. In other cases, the role of the director of football may include control over transfer dealings and targets and aspects outside coaching and squad selection, the director may oversee all levels of the club – youth to first team – with the manager dedicated to first team affairs. Often, a director in this case is a manager or experienced former coach. A notable recent example of such tension is that of manager Kevin Keegan, an example of the description of the role in this case as from the perspective of the manager is given by Dave Bassett as. The director of football is answerable to the board but there to assist the manager, hes experienced in football and there to help the board members who dont have that experience
19.
Andalusia
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Andalusia is an autonomous community in southern Spain. It is the most populated and the second largest in area of the communities in the country. The Andalusian autonomous community is recognised as historical nationality. The territory is divided into eight provinces, Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and its capital is the city of Seville. Andalusia is the only European region with both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines, the small British overseas territory of Gibraltar shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cádiz at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. The main mountain ranges of Andalusia are the Sierra Morena and the Baetic System, consisting of the Subbaetic and Penibaetic Mountains, in the north, the Sierra Morena separates Andalusia from the plains of Extremadura and Castile–La Mancha on Spains Meseta Central. To the south the geographic subregion of Upper Andalusia lies mostly within the Baetic System, the name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus. Including an intense relationship with Naples, Italy, Andalusia has been a traditionally agricultural region, compared to the rest of Spain and the rest of Europe. However, the growth of the community especially in the sectors of industry and services was above average in Spain, the region has, however, a rich culture and a strong cultural identity. Many cultural phenomena that are seen internationally as distinctively Spanish are largely or entirely Andalusian in origin and these include flamenco and, to a lesser extent, bullfighting and Hispano-Moorish architectural styles. Andalusias hinterland is the hottest area of Europe, with cities like Córdoba, Late evening temperatures can sometimes stay around 35 °C until close to midnight, with daytime highs of over 40 °C common. Seville also has the highest average temperature in mainland Spain and mainland Europe. Its present form is derived from the Arabic name for Muslim Iberia. However, the etymology of the name Al-Andalus is disputed, the Spanish place name Andalucía was introduced into the Spanish languages in the 13th century under the form el Andalucía. This was a Castilianization of Al-Andalusiya, the form of the Arabic language al-Andalus. The etymology of al-Andalus is itself somewhat debated, but in fact it entered the Arabic language before this came under Muslim rule. Like the Arabic term al-Andalus, in historical contexts the Spanish term Andalucía or the English term Andalusia do not necessarily refer to the territory designated by these terms today. To designate the territories the Christians had regained by that time in the Guadalquivir valley and in the Kingdoms of Granada, in a document from 1253, Alfonso X styled himself Rey de Castilla, León y de toda Andalucía
20.
Saudi Arabian Football Federation
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The Saudi Arabian Football Federation is the football governing body of Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1956, its responsibilities include administration of club competitions, the founder of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is Abdullah Faisal Al Saud. The match was rescheduled to be played on 5 November 2015 in Palestine, the neutral venue was announced to be Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan. The following is a list of presidents of Saudi Arabian Football Federation since its establishment
21.
Frank Rijkaard
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Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch former footballer and manager who played as a midfielder or defender. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan and represented the Netherlands national team side 73 times, in his managerial career, he has been at the helm of the Netherlands national team, Sparta Rotterdam, Barcelona, Galatasaray and the Saudi Arabia national team. His mother, Neel, is Dutch and his father, Herman, was a former Surinamese footballer, Rijkaard was just 17 when Ajax coach Leo Beenhakker gave him his senior squad debut on 23 August 1980. He made an impact, scoring the third goal in a 4–2 away victory over Go Ahead Eagles. He would play another 23 games for Ajax in his first season, in 1981–82, he won his first league championship with Ajax and went on to successfully defend that title in the following season. Rijkaard stayed at Ajax for seven-and-a-half seasons as a defender, a right midfielder. During this period, he won the Dutch league championship three times and the Dutch Cup three times, in the 1986–87 season, he won the Cup Winners Cup with Ajax over Lokomotiv Leipzig, winning 1–0. In September 1987, what would have been Rijkaards third season under Dutchman Johan Cruyff as head coach, Rijkaard stormed off the training field and he was subsequently signed by Sporting Clube de Portugal, but he signed too late to be eligible to play in any competition. He was immediately loaned out to Real Zaragoza, but upon completing his first season at Zaragoza was signed by A. C. Milan, Rijkaard played for five seasons at Milan. Playing alongside fellow country-men Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, Rijkaard won the European Cup twice, in the 1990 European Cup Final, he scored the only goal to win the cup for Milan. After five seasons in Italy, Rijkaard returned to Ajax in 1993, with Louis van Gaal at the helm, Rijkaard and Danny Blind formed the experienced defensive core of the Ajax team that won the first two of three consecutive Dutch championships. Ajax were the champions of the Netherlands in the 1994–95 season. In his final game, Rijkaard won the Champions League with a 1–0 victory over Milan in the 1995 final at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna and he was named in the FIFA100, Pelés list of the 125 Worlds Greatest Footballers. On the international stage, Rijkaard made his debut for the Netherlands in 1981 and he was part of the Dutch side that won UEFA Euro 1988 with a 2–0 win in the final over the Soviet Union, playing at centre-back alongside Ronald Koeman. He won a total of 73 caps and scored 10 goals, Rijkaard also played for the Netherlands during the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups and at Euro 1992. Rijkaard was the cause of an incident with Rudi Völler when West Germany played the Netherlands in the 1990 World Cup, Rijkaard was booked for a tackle on Völler and, as Rijkaard took up position for the free kick, he spat in Völlers hair. Völler complained to the referee and was booked as well, van Breukelen was angry at this but Rijkaard, already annoyed by Völlers previous antics, again confronted the West German by twisting his ear and stamping on his foot. As he jogged back to the tunnel, Rijkaard again spat in Völlers hair as they left the pitch
22.
Thai League 1
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The Thai League, commonly known as the T1, is a Thai professional league for Football Association of Thailand clubs. At the top of the Thai football league system, it is the premier football competition. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League T2, the Thai League is a corporation in which the 18 member clubs act as shareholders. Seasons run from March to October, with teams playing 34 games each with a total of 306 games in the season and it is sponsored by Toyota and therefore officially known as the Toyota Thai League. In the Thai League, most of the games are played during Saturdays and Sundays, before the inception of the Thai League, the highest level of club football was the Kor Royal Cup which was contested in a tournament format from 1916 to 1995. Thai League was introduced in 1996 by the Football Association of Thailand under the name Thailand Soccer League, eighteen clubs who earlier competed for the Kor Royal Cup were registered to play in the first edition of a double round-robin league system. Thai Farmers Bank was crowned as the first champion of the 1996–97 Thailand Soccer League, the Thai League originally had 10 to 12 clubs each season until 2007, when it was expanded to 16 clubs. At the end of season, the three bottom placed clubs are relegated to the Thai Division 1 League. Most of Thai League clubs in that time were the organization of government authorities club that based in Greater Bangkok, meanwhile, the other local clubs had competed in the semi-pro league called the Provincial League. Thai Premier League faced the issue of low attendance and lack of local loyalties while the Provincial league suffered the financial issue, in 2007, Thai League was integrated with Provincial League completely. Chonburi from the Provincial League was the first champion of the new Thailand Premier League in 2007 season, in 2009 season, there were significant changes in the lead to the new era of the Thai Premier League. Asian Football Confederation declared the regulations for the associations that have the intention to send the clubs to compete in AFC Champions League starting from 2011, clubs were forced to separate themselves from the parent organizations and registered as the independent football authorities. The massive changes occurred in that season, Thailand Premier League renamed to Thai Premier League. Two times league champion Krung Thai Bank failed to complete the new regulations, the organization decided to sell the club. The club was acquired by Boon Rawd and rebranded to be Bangkok Glass, Bangkok University had expelled their football club section. The club rebrand itself to Bangkok United since then, the organization-based clubs had to relocate to find the local supporters to backup the clubs. Muangthong United were promoted from Thai Division 1 League in that season and won Thai Premier League in their first year in the top league, Thailand Clasico or The Classic Match of Thailand is the matchup between Muangthong United and Chonburi. It is the matchup that presents Thai football in the modern era, the name was given to the encounter of two teams due to the hype and massive atmosphere around the match
23.
Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
24.
J2 League
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The J2 League is the second division of the Japan Professional Football League and the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. It is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasuda Life and it is officially known as the Meiji Yasuda J2 League. Until the 2014 season it was named the J. League Division 2, currently, the J2 League is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League, second-tier club football has existed in Japan since 1972, however, it was only professionalized during the 1999 season with ten clubs. The league took one relegating club from the top division and nine clubs from the second-tier semi-professional former Japan Football League to create the J2 League, the third tier is now represented by J3 League. For history of Japanese club football before the inception of the league in 1993. For detailed history of J1 League, see J1 League#History, a national second tier of Japanese association football was first established in 1972, when the Japan Soccer League formed a Second Division. Among the founding 10 clubs,5 later competed in the J. League, Toyota Motors, Yomiuri, Fujitsu, Kyoto Shiko Club, the requirement was abolished for the champions in 1980, and for the runners-up in 1984. After 1977, the new Regional Football League Competition served as provider of aspiring League clubs, in 1985, the Second Division increased to 12 clubs and in 1986, the number reached 16. Until 1989, the table was divided into East and West groups, depending on location, after that year. In 1992, following the formation of the J. League, the league was divided into two hierarchical, non-equal divisions of 10 clubs each. In 1994, the JFL was again reunified into a single division, as the J. League expanded in numbers, the need for another second tier with promotion and relegation arose, as the number of clubs which wanted to become professional increased. The infrastructure of the league was changed in 1999. The league acquired nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from J. League to create a two-division system, the top flight became the J. League Division 1 with 16 clubs while J. League Division 2 was launched with ten clubs in 1999. The second-tier Japan Football League, became the third-tier Japan Football League at that time, the criteria for becoming a J2 club were not as strict as those for the top division. This allowed smaller cities and towns to maintain a club successfully without investing as much as clubs in J1, in fact, clubs like Mito HollyHock only draw an average of 3,000 fans a game and receive minimal sponsorship, yet still field fairly competitive teams in J2. Clubs such as Oita Trinita, Albirex Niigata, Kawasaki Frontale, all these clubs originally started as J2 in 1999 and were comparatively small, but they eventually earned J1 promotion, in 2002,2003,2004, and 2005 respectively. Even though Kofu and Oita were later relegated back to Division 2, they are well-established association football clubs, the league also began to follow European game formats, as time went on
25.
Mundo Deportivo
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Mundo Deportivo is a Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper published in Barcelona. Mundo Deportivo was first published on 1 February 1906, as a weekly newspaper and it is the oldest sports newspaper still published in Spain, and the second one in Europe, after the Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport which was founded in 1896. It is published in Barcelona and is owned by Grupo Godó, the group also owns La Vanguardia. Mundo Deportive focuses primarily on the performances of FC Barcelona, but also covers the Spanish basketball league, Grand Prix motorcycle racing and Formula One car racing, both Mundo Deportivo and Sport are the predominant sources of sports news in Catalonia
26.
Diario AS
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Diario AS is a Spanish daily sports newspaper, concentrating particularly on football. Diario AS is part of PRISA which also owns El Pais, the paper particularly covers news of the Madrid football teams, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. In addition to Madrid, the newspaper also has bureaus in Barcelona, Bilbao, A Coruña, Seville, Valencia. In May 2012 the newspaper launched an English language sub-site offering articles translated from the original Spanish by native English-language speakers, the circulation of Diario AS was 181,172 copies in 2001 and 176,892 copies in 2002. It rose to 214,654 copies in 2006
27.
J.League
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The J. League is Japans professional soccer league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League. J1 League is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and it is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasuda Life and thus officially known as the Meiji Yasuda J. League. For history of Japanese club association football before the inception of the league in 1993. For detailed history of J2 League, see J2 League § History, before the inception of the J. League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League, which consisted of amateur clubs. Despite being well-attended during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s, fans were few, the grounds were not of the highest quality, and the Japanese national team was not on a par with the Asian powerhouses. To raise the level of play domestically, to attempt to more fans, and to strengthen the national team. The professional association football league, J. League was formed in 1992, with eight clubs drawn from the JSL First Division, one from the Second Division, at the same time, JSL changed its name and became the Japan Football League, a semi-professional league. Although the J. League did not officially launch until 1993, J. League officially kicked-off its first season with ten clubs on May 15,1993 as Verdy Kawasaki played host to Yokohama F. Marinos at the Kasumigaoka National Stadium. Despite the success in the first three years, in early 1996 the league attendance declined rapidly, in 1997, the average attendance was 10,131, compared to more than 19,000 in 1994. The leagues management realized that they were heading in the wrong direction, in order to solve the problem, the management came out with two solutions. First, they announced the J. League Hundred Year Vision, in which they aim to make 100 professional association football clubs in the nation of Japan by 2092, which would be the hundredth season. The league believed that this would allow the clubs to bond with their cities and towns and get support from local government, companies. In other words, clubs would be able to rely on the locals, Second, the infrastructure of the league was heavily changed in 1999. The league acquired nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from J. League to create a two-division system, the top flight became the J. League Division 1 with 16 clubs while J. League Division 2 was launched with ten clubs in 1999. The second-tier Japan Football League, now became third-tier Japan Football League, also, until 2004, the J1 season was divided into two. At the end of each season, the champion from each half played a two-legged series to determine the overall season winner. Júbilo Iwata in 2002, and Yokohama F. Marinos in 2003 and this was the part of the reason the league abolished the split-season system starting from 2005. Since the 2005 season, J. League Division 1 consisted of 18 clubs, the number of relegated clubs also increased from 2 to 2.5, with the third-from-bottom club going into Promotion / Relegation Series with the third-placed J2 club
