Liga Alef
Encyclopedia
Liga Alef is the third tier of the Israeli football league system
.
in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga Alef. The 1952–53 season was also not played, and Liga Alef resumed in 1953–54.
The following season, Liga Leumit
came into existence as the new top division, with Liga Alef becoming the second division. In the summer of 1974, restructuring saw the creation of Liga Artzit
as a new second tier, and the second demotion of Liga Alef, as it became the third division. Further restructuring to create the Israeli Premier League in the summer of 1999 saw Liga Alef demoted again, this time to the fourth tier. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Liga Artzit was scrapped as the Premier League and Liga Leumit were expanded to 16 clubs each, with Liga Alef becoming the third tier once more.
, the dividing line between the northern and southern divisions is somewhere between Haifa
and Tel Aviv
, meaning that the southern "half" covers about three-quarters of the country. Although this inequality is partially offset by the fact that there are so few clubs south of Beersheba
(Dimona
, Yeroham, Mitzpe Ramon
and Eilat are the only sizable towns south of the city, and currently only Hapoel Arad are in Liga Alef), the northern clubs tend to be clustered in the Galilee
region, making travel to away matches much less of a chore.
Each division has sixteen clubs, who play each other home and away to make a 30-game season. The club finishing top of each regional division is promoted to Liga Leumit
, whilst the two second-placed teams have a play-off, with the winner playing-off against the third-bottom team in Liga Leumit for a place in that division. The bottom two from each division are relegated to Liga Bet
, the fourth tier. Coming into Liga Alef are the two or three clubs relegated from Liga Leumit and the four clubs promoted from Liga Bet (the winner of each of the four regional divisions). The clubs are then pooled and assigned to the most geographically appropriate of the two divisions.
¹ Maccabi Hadera folded in the summer of 2004. Maccabi Tirat Carmel (who had finished in second place) were promoted in their place.
¹ Although Maxim Lod finished top, they folded and second-placed Hapoel Kfar Shalem were promoted instead.
Israeli football league system
The Israeli football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Israel. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and allows even the smallest club to dream of rising to the very top of the system. There are...
.
History
League football began in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga Alef. The 1952–53 season was also not played, and Liga Alef resumed in 1953–54.
The following season, Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit is the second tier in the Israeli football league system below the Premier League.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the lowest-placed team are relegated to Liga Alef while the highest-placed team from Liga Alef are promoted in their place...
came into existence as the new top division, with Liga Alef becoming the second division. In the summer of 1974, restructuring saw the creation of Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit was the third tier of Israeli football after the Premier League and Liga Leumit, and was run by the Israel Football Association.-Structure:...
as a new second tier, and the second demotion of Liga Alef, as it became the third division. Further restructuring to create the Israeli Premier League in the summer of 1999 saw Liga Alef demoted again, this time to the fourth tier. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Liga Artzit was scrapped as the Premier League and Liga Leumit were expanded to 16 clubs each, with Liga Alef becoming the third tier once more.
Structure
Today, Liga Alef is split into two regional divisions on a north-south basis. Because Israel's northern half is much more densely populated than the desert southNegev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
, the dividing line between the northern and southern divisions is somewhere between Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, meaning that the southern "half" covers about three-quarters of the country. Although this inequality is partially offset by the fact that there are so few clubs south of Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
(Dimona
Dimona
Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
, Yeroham, Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon is a town in the Negev desert of southern Israel. It is situated on the northern ridge at an elevation of 860 meters overlooking a sizable erosion cirque known as the Ramon Crater.-History:...
and Eilat are the only sizable towns south of the city, and currently only Hapoel Arad are in Liga Alef), the northern clubs tend to be clustered in the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
region, making travel to away matches much less of a chore.
Each division has sixteen clubs, who play each other home and away to make a 30-game season. The club finishing top of each regional division is promoted to Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit is the second tier in the Israeli football league system below the Premier League.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the lowest-placed team are relegated to Liga Alef while the highest-placed team from Liga Alef are promoted in their place...
, whilst the two second-placed teams have a play-off, with the winner playing-off against the third-bottom team in Liga Leumit for a place in that division. The bottom two from each division are relegated to Liga Bet
Liga Bet
-History:League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga...
, the fourth tier. Coming into Liga Alef are the two or three clubs relegated from Liga Leumit and the four clubs promoted from Liga Bet (the winner of each of the four regional divisions). The clubs are then pooled and assigned to the most geographically appropriate of the two divisions.
Current members
The following clubs are participating in the 2010–11 season:Liga Alef North
|
Liga Alef South
|
Northern division
| Season | Winner | Relegated |
|---|---|---|
| Third tier | ||
| 1998–99 | Hapoel Ra'anana | Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Hapoel Umm al-Fahm F.C. Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Football Club was an Israeli football club based in Umm al-Fahm.-History:Established in 1968, at the start of the 1990s the club was playing in Liga Alef . At the end of the 1998-99 season they were relegated to Liga Bet North B... , Hapoel Kafr Qasim |
| Fourth tier | ||
| 1999–2000 | Hapoel Majd al-Krum | Maccabi Afula |
| 2000–01 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Kiryat Shmona. The club are currently members of the Israeli Premier League and play at the Ironi Stadium... |
Maccabi Isfiya, Hapoel Iksal |
| 2001–02 | Hapoel Kisra-Sumei | Tzairi Nahf, Hapoel Hurfeish |
| 2002–03 | Hapoel Herzliya Hapoel Herzliya F.C. Hapoel Herzliya is an Israeli football club based in Herzliya. The club is currently in Liga Leumit and play their home matches at the Herzliya Municipal Stadium.-History:... |
Hapoel Hadera Hapoel Hadera F.C. Ironi Sport Eran Hadera–Giv'at Olga F.C. is an Israeli football club from Hadera.The unorthodox name of the team is the result of the union of two city rivals, Hapoel Hadera and Maccabi Hadera.... , Hapoel Tayibe Hapoel Tayibe F.C. Hapoel Tayibe F.C. was an Israeli football club based in Tayibe. In 1996 they became the first ever Israeli Arab club to play in the top division. However, they were relegated at the end of their first season in the top flight, and folded in 2003 after three more relegations.-History:The club was... |
| 2003–04 | Maccabi Hadera¹ | Ironi Shlomi, Migdal HaEmek |
| 2004–05 | Maccabi Tzur Shalom | Hapoel Tuva, Maccabi Tura'an |
| 2005–06 | Hapoel Bnei Tamra Hapoel Bnei Tamra F.C. Hapoel Bnei Tamra Football Club was an Israeli football club based in Tamra.-History:During the 1980s the club played in Liga Alef , but were relegated to Liga Bet in 1988. The following season they dropped into Liga Gimel. In 1995 they were promoted back to Liga Bet, but were relegated again in... |
Hapoel Beit She'an Hapoel Beit She'an F.C. Hapoel Beit She'an was an Israeli football club based in Beit She'an. The club spent several seasons in the top division in the 1990s, but after several relegations, folded in 2006.-History:... , Maccabi Shefa-'Amr |
| 2006–07 | Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi F.C. Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Jadeidi. They are currently in Liga Gimel and play at the Municipal Stadium in Nahariya, which is shared with Hapoel Nahariya, Beitar Nahariya.-History:... |
Hapoel Kisra-Sumei, Hapoel Reineh, Maccabi Ma'alot |
| 2007–08 | Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Hapoel Umm al-Fahm F.C. Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Football Club was an Israeli football club based in Umm al-Fahm.-History:Established in 1968, at the start of the 1990s the club was playing in Liga Alef . At the end of the 1998-99 season they were relegated to Liga Bet North B... |
Beitar Haifa Beitar Haifa F.C. Beitar Haifa F.C. is an Israeli football club based in Haifa. The club currently plays in the North A division of Liga Bet.-History:The club was promoted to Liga Artzit in 1983. In 1985-86 they finished bottom of the league, winning only two league matches all season, and were relegated back to... , Hapoel Ahva Haifa, Hapoel Maka |
| 2008–09 | Ahva Arraba Ahva Arraba F.C. Ahva Arraba F.C. , is an Israeli football team based in Arraba.-History:In 2007–08 the club won the North A division of Liga Bet, and was promoted to Liga Alef North... |
Maccabi Ironi Shlomi/Nahariya, Beitar Ihud Mashhad |
| Third tier | ||
| 2009–10 | Maccabi Ironi Jatt Maccabi Ironi Jatt F.C. Maccabi Ironi Jatt Al-Ahli is an Israeli football club based in Umm al-Fahm. The club is currently in Liga Alef and play their home matches at the HaShalom Stadium.-History:... |
Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi F.C. Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Jadeidi. They are currently in Liga Gimel and play at the Municipal Stadium in Nahariya, which is shared with Hapoel Nahariya, Beitar Nahariya.-History:... , Hapoel Bnei Tamra, Maccabi Ironi Tirat HaCarmel Maccabi Ironi Tirat HaCarmel F.C. Maccabi Ironi Tirat HaCarmel Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Tirat Carmel. They are currently in Liga Alef, the third tier.-History:... |
| 2010–11 | Maccabi Umm al-Fahm Maccabi Umm al-Fahm F.C. Maccabi Umm al-Fahm F.C. are a football club, from the north Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm. The club currently plays in Liga Leumit, the second tier of Israeli football. Home matches are played at the HaShalom Stadium.-Current Squad:... |
Maccabi Kafr Qara, Hapoel Ramot Menashe Megiddo |
¹ Maccabi Hadera folded in the summer of 2004. Maccabi Tirat Carmel (who had finished in second place) were promoted in their place.
Southern division
| Season | Winner | Relegated |
|---|---|---|
| Third tier | ||
| 1998–99 | Hapoel Ironi Dimona | Hapoel Yeruham, Beitar Ramla Beitar Ramla F.C. Beitar Ramla was an Israeli football club based in Ramla.-History:The club spent several seasons in Liga Artzit in the early 1970s and the 1980s, but was relegated to Liga Alef towards the end of the decade.... |
| Fourth tier | ||
| 1999–2000 | Maccabi Ashkelon | Hapoel Or Yehuda |
| 2000–01 | Maccabi Yavne Maccabi Yavne F.C. Maccabi Yavne is an Israeli football club based in Yavne. They currently play in the South Division of Liga Alef.-History:The club was promoted to Liga Leumit for the first time in 1982. In 1985 they won the Toto Cup, beating Beitar Jerusalem 2-1 in the final... |
Tzairi Jaffa, Sektzia Nes Tziona |
| 2001–02 | Maccabi Ramat Amidar Maccabi Ramat Amidar F.C. Maccabi Ramat Amidar was an Israeli football club based in Ramat Gan. The club spent several seasons in the top division in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but in 2005 merged into Hakoah Ramat Gan, which became Hakoah Amidar Maccabi Ramat Gan.-History:... |
Hapoel Lod Hapoel Lod F.C. Hapoel Lod was an Israeli football club based in Lod. The club spent several seasons in the top division in the 1960s and 1980s, and won the State Cup in 1984. After several relegations, they folded in 2002.-History:... , Ma'ale Adumim |
| 2002–03 | Hapoel Tira | Beitar Kiryat Gat, IS Jaffa |
| 2003–04 | Maccabi Be'er Sheva Maccabi Be'er Sheva F.C. Maccabi Be'er Sheva Football Club , is an Israeli football team based in Beersheba. While not nearly as popular as their city rivals, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the club made great strides in recent years including gaining promotion from Liga Bet to the Liga Leumit in just four seasons... |
Hapoel Bat Yam, Mevaseret Zion |
| 2004–05 | Hapoel Bnei Lod | Hapoel Qalansawe, Hapoel Jaljulia |
| 2005–06 | Sektzia Nes Tziona | Maccabi Kafr Qasim, Beitar Givat Ze'ev |
| 2006–07 | Maxim Lod¹ | IS Jaffa, Hapoel Arad |
| 2007–08 | Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam F.C. Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam is an Israeli football club based in Bat Yam. The club is currently in Liga Leumit and plays at the 3,100-capacity Bat Yam Municipal Stadium.-History:... |
Tzafririm Holon Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C. Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C. is an Israeli football club based in the city of Holon. The club was founded in 1985 by a merger of Hapoel Holon and Tzafririm Holon.-Hapoel Holon:... , Maccabi Ironi Amishav Petah Tikva, Ironi Ofakim |
| 2008–09 | Maccabi Be'er Sheva Maccabi Be'er Sheva F.C. Maccabi Be'er Sheva Football Club , is an Israeli football team based in Beersheba. While not nearly as popular as their city rivals, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the club made great strides in recent years including gaining promotion from Liga Bet to the Liga Leumit in just four seasons... |
Ironi Ramla, Hapoel Mashush Shaqib al-Salam |
| Third tier | ||
| 2009–10 | Hapoel Herzliya Hapoel Herzliya F.C. Hapoel Herzliya is an Israeli football club based in Herzliya. The club is currently in Liga Leumit and play their home matches at the Herzliya Municipal Stadium.-History:... |
Beitar Kfar Saba, Hapoel Mevaseret Zion |
| 2010–11 | Hapoel Jerusalem | Tzafririm Holon Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C. Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C. is an Israeli football club based in the city of Holon. The club was founded in 1985 by a merger of Hapoel Holon and Tzafririm Holon.-Hapoel Holon:... , Shimshon Bnei Tayibe |
¹ Although Maxim Lod finished top, they folded and second-placed Hapoel Kfar Shalem were promoted instead.