Back Of The Net: fine football features found online by Aaron› 28 Sep 2012

Any more regular than this, and we'll be touted for international recognition soon - a fourth consecutive Back Of The Net is venturing into seriously uncharted territory, with what is known officially as a haul of blog roundups. Thankfully, the internet is full of stuff for us to discover and present to you in a fine platter of satisfying morsels, to keep you going until the weekend kicks in and we can all forget about work for a day or two.

There's a picture of a classic Seville shirt at the top of the page in tribute to a fine site that we've discovered this week which mentions a legend of the club in one of their daily posts. This Day In Football History does exactly what it says on the tin, digging up interesting facts and stories concerning something that once happened in a match this very day. Earlier this week (Wednesday in fact) TDIFH celebrated the hat-trick that Seville legend Juan Arza scored on his debut for the club in 1943, before going on to become the club's all-time record goalscorer. If that won't win you brownie points in the pub or in the playground, then I don't know what will. Check out today's top fact by heading to the website, and bookmark the site for when you're stuck for what to write in a co-worker's birthday card.

Another important event of note, but very much in the present day, is the start of the latest Kicking Screening football film festival. Starting in London tonight, this year's K S brings a fine collection of films to screens in the capital, including classics like Fever Pitch and new documentaries on football in Africa and India. The festival has a great website which gives you all the details, and the chaps over at The Football Ramble have done a great interview with K S founder Tom Watt about the festival.

Another of our long-term favourites has also been spoiling us with some great articles over the past week or so. In Bed With Maradona is always awash with some insightful pieces that focus on football around the world, and there's a couple of real corkers up there at the moment that will help to pass a decent wedge of time while you pretend to study some spreadsheets at your desk. They've also been exploring football in India in this insightful article , while their piece on the history of Russia's 'Dynamo' clubs and how they connected with the country's cultural history, is a fantastic read.

Coming back to our domestic football scene, and there's certainly no shortage of coverage for the Premier League online. But what about the other 72 league clubs in English football? It's harder to find impartial coverage of the Football League, just as its hard for fans of these clubs to care about the other teams around them when they're so engrossed in the concerns of their own squads. Thank goodness for The Two Unfortunates then, who do examine football as a whole, with a focus on the teams outside of the top division and the big stories that concern then - it's great to see well-written pieces on Port Vale and AFC Wimbledon alongside an exploration of sponsorship in football as part of this week's stories.

Finally this week, after a hefty amount of reading material, there's some nice pictures to look at. Or rather, some maps. Bill Sports Maps create some stat-fuelled maps that'll satisfy even the most hardened football fact-addict. Want a map of all the League One clubs, combined with data on their average attendances and how that relates to their ground capacity? This is the place for you then. Want a breakdown of the 2012 Copa Libertadores? That's here as well. There's more than enough to keep stats fans happy for a very long time here, with years of maps and data to get your teeth into.

That's definitely enough to keep you occupied for a while or so - see you next week for more great stuff we've dug up online....

Category:
Football Stories