1.
Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela, commonly known as Santiago, is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the cathedral, as destination of the Way of St. James. In 1985 the citys Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago is the local Galician evolution of Vulgar Latin Sanctus Iacobus Saint James. Other etymologies derive the name from Latin compositum, local Vulgar Latin Composita Tella, meaning ground, or simply from Latin compositella. Other sites in Galicia share this toponym, akin to Compostilla in the province of León, the cathedral borders the main plaza of the old and well-preserved city. Legend has it that the remains of the apostle James were brought to Galicia for burial, in 813, according to medieval legend, the light of a bright star guided a shepherd who was watching his flock at night to the burial site in Santiago de Compostela. The shepherd quickly reported his discovery to the bishop of Iria, the bishop declared that the remains were those of the apostle James and immediately notified King Alfonso II in Oviedo. To honour St. James, the cathedral was built on the spot where his remains were said to have been found, along the western side of the Praza do Obradoiro is the elegant 18th century Pazo de Raxoi, now the city hall. The Obradoiro façade of the cathedral, the best known, is depicted on the Spanish euro coins of 1 cent,2 cents, Santiago is the site of the University of Santiago de Compostela, established in the early 16th century. The main campus can be seen best from an alcove in the municipal park in the centre of the city. Within the old town there are many narrow winding streets full of historic buildings, the new town all around it has less character though some of the older parts of the new town have some big flats in them. Santiago de Compostela has a substantial nightlife, both in the new town and the old town, a mix of middle-aged residents and younger students maintain a lively presence until the early hours of the morning. Santiago gives its name to one of the four orders of Spain, Santiago, Calatrava, Alcántara. One of the most important economic centres in Galicia, Santiago is the seat for organisations like Association for Equal, under the Köppen climate classification, Santiago de Compostela has a temperate oceanic climate, with mild to warm and somewhat dry summers and mild, wet winters. The prevailing winds from the Atlantic and the surrounding mountains combine to give Santiago some of Spain’s highest rainfall, about 1,545 millimetres annually. The climate is mild, frosts are common only in December, January and February, with an average of just 8 days per year, while snow is rare, temperatures over 30 °C are exceptional. The population of the city in 2012 was 95,671 inhabitants, in 2010 there were 4,111 foreigners living in the city, representing 4. 3% of the total population. The main nationalities are Brazilians, Portuguese and Colombians, by language, according to 2008 data, 21% of the population always speak in Galician, 15% always speak in Spanish and the rest use both interchangeably
2.
Kit (association football)
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In association football, kit is the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The sports Laws of the Game specify the minimum kit which a player must use, footballers generally wear identifying numbers on the backs of their shirts. Professional clubs also usually display players surnames or nicknames on their shirts, Football kit has evolved significantly since the early days of the sport when players typically wore thick cotton shirts, knickerbockers and heavy rigid leather boots. The Laws of the Game set out the equipment which must be worn by all players in Law 4. Five separate items are specified, shirt, shorts, socks, footwear, goalkeepers are allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms instead of shorts. While most players wear studded football boots, the Laws do not specify that these are required, shirts must have sleeves, and goalkeepers must wear shirts which are easily distinguishable from all other players and the match officials. Thermal undershorts may be worn, but must be the colour as the shorts themselves. Shin pads must be covered entirely by the stockings, be made of rubber, plastic or a similar material, and provide a reasonable degree of protection. The only other restriction on equipment defined in the Laws of the Game is the requirement that a player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player. In the event of a match between teams who would wear identical or similar colours the away team must change to a different colour. The England national team plays in red shirts even when it is not required. Many professional clubs also have a kit, ostensibly to be used if both their first-choice and away colours are deemed too similar to those of an opponent. Most professional clubs have retained the basic colour scheme for several decades. Teams representing countries in international competition generally wear national colours in common with other sporting teams of the same nation, shirts are normally made of a polyester mesh, which does not trap the sweat and body heat in the same way as a shirt made of a natural fibre. Depending on local rules, there may be restrictions on how large these logos may be or on what logos may be displayed, competitions such as the Premier League may also require players to wear patches on their sleeves depicting the logo of the competition. The captain of team is usually required to wear an elasticated armband around the left sleeve to identify him as the captain to the referee. Most current players wear specialist football boots, which can be either of leather or a synthetic material. Modern boots are cut slightly below the ankles, as opposed to the high-ankled boots used in former times, studs may be either moulded directly to the sole or be detachable, normally by means of a screw thread
3.
Forward (association football)
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Forwards are the players on an association football team who play nearest to the opposing teams goal, and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals. Their advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean forwards normally score more goals on behalf of their team than other players, modern team formations generally include one to three forwards, for example, the common 4–2–3–1 formation includes one forward. Unconventional formations may include more than three forwards, or none, the centre-forward is often a tall player, typically known as a target man, whose main function is to score the majority of goals on behalf of the team. Most modern centre-forwards operate in front of the strikers or central attacking midfielders. The present role of centre-forward is sometimes interchangeable with that of an attacking midfielder, a centre-forward usually must be strong, to win key headers and outmuscle defenders. The term centre-forward is taken from the football playing formation in which there were five forward players. The number would become synonymous with the centre-forward position. Strikers are known for their ability to peel off defenders and to run into space via the side of the defender and to receive the ball in a good goalscoring position. They are typically fast players with ball control and dribbling abilities. More agile strikers like Michael Owen have an advantage over taller defenders due to their short burst speed, a good striker should be able to shoot confidently with either foot, possess great power and accuracy, and have the ability to pass the ball under pressure in breakaway situations. Deep-lying forwards have a history in the game, but the terminology to describe their playing activity has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, creative or deep-lying centre-forwards, in fact, a coined term, the nine-and-a-half, has been an attempt to become a standard in defining the position. In Italy, this role is known as a rifinitore or seconda punta, whereas in Brazil, it is known as segundo atacante. An outside forward plays as the forward on the right or left wing – as an outside right or outside left. As football tactics have largely developed, and wingers have dropped back to become midfielders, many commentators and football analysts still refer to the wing positions as outside right and outside left. However, in the British game they are counted as part of the midfield. It is a duty to beat opposing full-backs, deliver cut-backs or crosses from wide positions and, to a lesser extent, to beat defenders. They are usually some of the quickest players in the team, in their Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese usage, the defensive duties of the winger have been usually confined to pressing the opposition fullbacks when they have the ball
4.
Villarreal CF
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Usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community. Founded in 1923, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal has often been touted as an example of a small but successful club. Villarreal CF was founded as Villarreal CD on 10 March 1923 to promote all sports especially Soccer, the stadium was rented for 60 pesetas a month and ticket prices were set at half a peseta for men and a quarter of a peseta for children. On 17 June 1923, Castellón, a rival of the club. On 21 October of that year, Villarreal played their first game ever, Villarreal started off with a kit of white shirts and black shorts, reflected in their first badge. Villarreal entered regional competitions within the Spanish football pyramid from 1929–30 onwards, the 1934–35 season saw the team lose to Cartagena when a win would have seen them promoted to the nationwide Second Division. The following season saw Villarreal win the First Division of the region before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, when the war finished in 1939, the club played again in the Second Division of the region, before promotion in 1950–51 to the first. In 1942, the changed their name to CAF Villarreal. The F stood for Foghetcaz, a club and supporter of the team. The name changed again to the current Villarreal CF in 1954 and they finished seventh and then fourth twice in the First regional league before being promoted to the Tercera Liga as champions in 1956. They were relegated in 1960–61 after finishing 14th, the club adopted their present badge in the middle of 1966. In 1966–67, Villarreal returned to the Tercera as champions, in 1970, they reached the national Segunda for the first time. After narrowly avoiding relegation in their first season, they were relegated the following season, in 1975–76, they were relegated from the Tercera to the Regionals, but were promoted back again the next season. In 1986–87, Villarreal were promoted to the Segunda Liga B, in 1990, they finished 18th and were relegated back to the Tercera. There were back-to-back promotions as the returned to Segunda B and finished second. From 1992–93, Villarreal were often in low or mid-table positions, the two-legged play-off was against Compostela. Villarreal hosted the first leg which was a 0–0 draw, but the leg at the home of the Galician team was a 1–1 draw. Villarreals Primera Liga debut started with a match against reigning European champions Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on 31 August 1998, the first home game was against Celta de Vigo the week after
5.
Galicia (Spain)
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Galicia is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. It had a population of 2,718,525 in 2016 and has an area of 29,574 km2. Galicia has over 1,660 km of coastline, including its islands and islets, among them Cíes Islands, Ons, Sálvora, Cortegada. Galicia was incorporated into the Roman Empire at the end of the Cantabrian Wars in 19 BC, in 410, the Germanic Suebi established a kingdom with its capital in Braga, this kingdom was incorporated into that of the Visigoths in 585. The Governor also presided the Real Audiencia do Reino de Galicia, from the 16th century, the representation and voice of the kingdom was held by an assembly of deputies and representatives of the cities of the kingdom, the Cortes or Junta of the Kingdom of Galicia. This institution was forcibly discontinued in 1833 when the kingdom was divided into four provinces with no legal mutual links. During the 19th and 20th centuries, demand grew for self-government and this resulted in the Statute of Autonomy of 1936, soon frustrated by Francos coup detat and subsequent long dictatorship. After democracy was restored the legislature passed the Statute of Autonomy of 1981, approved in referendum and currently in force, the interior of Galicia is characterized by a hilly landscape, mountain ranges rise to 2,000 m in the east and south. The coastal areas are mostly a series of rías and cliffs. The climate of Galicia is usually temperate and rainy, with drier summers. Its topographic and climatic conditions have made animal husbandry and farming the primary source of Galicias wealth for most of its history, allowing for a relative high density of population. With the exception of shipbuilding and food processing, Galicia was based on a farming and fishing economy until after the mid-20th century, in 2012, the gross domestic product at purchasing power parity was €56,000 million, with a nominal GDP per capita of €20,700. There are smaller populations around the cities of Lugo and Ourense. The political capital is Santiago de Compostela, in the province of A Coruña, Vigo, in the province of Pontevedra, is the most populous municipality, with 292,817, while A Coruña is the most populous city, with 215,227. 56% of the Galician population speak Galician as their first language and these Callaeci were the first tribe in the area to help the Lusitanians against the invading Romans. The Romans applied their name to all the tribes in the northwest who spoke the same language. In any case, Galicia, being per se a derivation of the ethnic name Kallaikói, the name evolved during the Middle Ages from Gallaecia, sometimes written Galletia, to Gallicia. This coincides with the spelling of the Castilian Spanish name, the historical denomination Galiza became popular again during the end of the 19th and the first three-quarters of the 20th century, and is still used with some frequency today
6.
Away colours
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Away colours are a choice of coloured clothing used in team sports. They are required to be worn by one team during a game between teams that would wear the same colours as each other, or similar colours. This change prevents confusion for officials, players, and spectators, in most sports it is the visiting team that must change – second-choice kits are commonly known as away kits or change kits in British English, and road uniforms in American English. Some sports leagues mandate that teams must always wear an alternative kit. In some sports, conventionally the home team has changed its kit, in most cases, a team wears its away kit only when its primary kit would clash with the colours of the home team. However, sometimes teams wear away colours by choice, occasionally even in a home game, at some clubs, the away kit has become more popular than the home version. Replica home and away kits are available for fans to buy. Some teams also have produced third-choice kits, or even old-fashioned throwback uniforms, in American sports, road teams usually wear a change uniform regardless of a potential colour clash. Further, almost all road uniforms are white in American football, in the National Basketball Association, home uniforms are white or yellow, and visiting teams wear a darker colour. In the United States, color vs. color games are a rarity, most teams choose to wear their color jerseys at home, with the road team changing to white in most cases. White road uniforms gained prominence with the rise of television in the 1950s, a white vs. color game was easier to follow in black-and-white. According to Phil Hecken, until the mid 1950′s, not only was color versus color common in the NFL, even long after the advent of color television, the use of white jerseys has remained in almost every game. The NFLs current rules require that a home jerseys must be either white or official team color throughout the season. If a team insists on wearing its home uniforms on the road, the road team might instead wear a third jersey, such as the Seattle Seahawks Wolf Grey alternate. According to the Gridiron Uniform Database, the Cleveland Browns wore white for home game of the 1955 season. The only times they wore brown was for games at Philadelphia and the New York Giants, in 1964 the Baltimore Colts, Browns, Vikings and Rams wore white regularly for their home games according to Tim Brulias research. The St. Louis Cardinals wore white for several of their home games, until 1964 Dallas had worn blue at home, but it was not an official rule that teams should wear their colored jerseys at home. The use of white jerseys was instigated by general manager Tex Schramm, the Cowboys still wear white at home today
7.
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
8.
Rayo Vallecano
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Often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Founded on 29 May 1924, the club plays in Segunda División. Home games are held at the 14, 708-seater Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas stadium, Rayo has competed in one European competition, the UEFA Cup in the 2000–01 season. The club made it to the quarter-finals before losing to fellow countrymen Deportivo Alavés 4–2 on aggregate, Rayo Vallecano saw the light of day on 29 May 1924 in the hometown of Prudencia Priego, wife of the clubs first president Julián Huerta. However, the shortly thereafter fell on hard times, enduring successive relegations in 2003 and 2004. For 2005–06 manager Míchel, a Real Madrid legend in the 1980s and 90s, was hired, Rayo finished the 2006–07 season in second place in Segunda División B, winning the promotion play-off semifinal but losing in the final to SD Eibar. In the first season back in the tier of Spanish football, Rayo finished comfortably. In 2010–11, Rayo Vallecano ranked in position and returned to the top flight after an eight-year absence. In late March 2012, in support of the 2011–12 Spanish protests, in August 2015, Rayo Vallecano purchased the majority of Oklahoma City FC, a NASL expansion franchise which had yet to officially play a game renaming the club to Rayo OKC. It was the first ever entry of a Spanish club into the American sports market, in May 2016, Rayo Vallecano was relegated to the Segunda División, finishing 18th in the 2015–16 La Liga season. This ended their streak in La Liga, their longest ever stay in the top-flight. Agrupación Deportiva El Rayo Agrupación Deportiva Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid N. B, 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. Head coach, Michel Note, this list includes players that have played at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status, Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas is a football stadium located on Calle Payaso Fofó1, Vallecas. It has a capacity of 14,708 spectators in an all-seated format, additionally, one of the goalends does not have a grandstand, just a big wall with information panels. In June 2009, the announced plans for the construction of a new stadium. Although most people recognise the supporting songs by ska band Ska-P, Rayo Vallecano always plays with bravery, courage and nobility. In every game it gives its heart and chest and aspire to be the best, no one can take the triumph from its hand, when Rayo Vallecano is out to score
9.
Granada CF
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Granada Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation, or simply Granada CF, is a Spanish football club based in Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 14 April 1931, it plays in La Liga. Granada was the third Andalusian football team after Betis and Sevilla to compete in La Liga, the team is located at position 24 of the historical points classification of the First Division, where it has participated in 20 seasons and achieved 6th place twice. Granada was Copa del Rey runner-up in 1959, Granada Club de Fútbol was founded on 14 April 1931, originally as Recreativo de Granada, the first president was Julio López Fernández. The first football match was played against Deportivo Jaén, which resulted in a 2–1 victory, the first goal in the match, and in the clubs history, was scored by Antonio Bombillar. In the 1931–32 season, the won the Tercera Regional – Región Sur championship. After several promotions, in 1941–42 the club made its La Liga debut, in 1959 Granada achieved its greatest sports landmark, being runner-up of the Copa del Generalísimo. In the final, played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the team lost to Barcelona 4–1. In the 1980s, Granada had some appearances in the second division. After four seasons in the division, former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, along with his son Paco. With their help, the Andalusian side was promoted to the third category. In 2006–07, Granada played in Group IV of the level after four seasons in Tercera. Three years later, in July 2009, the club was in financial difficulty that it was on the brink of closing. At the end of the season, Granada won its group then promoted in the play-offs, in 2010–11, Granada finished in fifth position, with most of the players loaned by Udinese still on board. Back in the top-flight after such an absence, it was always going to be difficult. By the end of the 2011–12 season, Granada managed to survive though, 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. After its foundation, the team played its matches at Campo de Las Tablas
10.
Pontevedra CF
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Pontevedra Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. is a Spanish football team based in Pontevedra, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded in 1941 it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 1, holding home matches at Estadio Municipal de Pasarón, having enjoyed its heyday in the 1960s, it even reached the First Division, leading it during November and December 1965. The club was renowned at the top level for its performances against the bigger clubs, Pontevedra Club de Fútbol was founded in 1941, following the merge of the two top teams in the city at the moment, Eiriña and Alfonso C. F. The first president of the new club was Fernando Ponte Conde, Pontevedra promoted to La Liga in 1963 but was relegated a year after, managing to play again in the top flight between 1965 and 1970. Yet, some risked disappearance as they could not face the cost involved in this transformation from private to stock company. In the clubs case this was possible after then president, Nino Mirón, had purchased 52 per cent of the stock options. The subsequent stated main goal of Pontevedra was to back to Segunda División. The club qualified for the playoffs for the following three seasons, but failed to go through on each occasion. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, however, during certain periods white shorts and blue socks were also used, and even a blue and burgundy ribboned shirt for a short period of time. The current colours are the traditional, with the crest of the club on the upper part of the shirt. The name of the sponsor is placed in the centre of the shirt. The crest is a fusion between the coat of arms of the city of Pontevedra and a football, displaying the name of the city/club and the letters CF. The club has a mascot called Roélio, a walking bone dressed in the club colours who is a direct reference to the clubs motto. Pontevedra plays at the Estadio Municipal de Pasarón, the stadium used to have a capacity for 16,500, including standing spectators. However, UEFA regulations dictated that all attendants must be seated and, therefore, – regardless, Pasarón was also in need of a general refurbishment, overdue since 1982. The works were completed for the 2010–11 season, with the new capacity being of 12,000 spectators, Pasarón is located in the north side of the city, at Rua de Luis Otero s/n,36005. The stadium is owned by the city council, the Concello de Pontevedra. Pontevedra CF B, the reserve team, official website Futbolme team profile Unofficial site Furya Granate, ultras blog Furya Granate website
