Maccabi Sha'arayim F.C.

Maccabi Sha'arayim
Full nameMaccabi Sha'arayim Football Club
Founded1950
GroundMaccabi Sha'araim Stadium, Rehovot
Capacity500
ChairmanSimcha Gad
ManagerDoron Maman
LeagueLiga Alef South
2023–24Liga Alef South, 12th of 16
Maccabi Sha'araying's crest used in 2016–17 season
Maccabi Sha'araying's crest used from 2016-2022

Maccabi Sha'arayim (Hebrew: מכבי שעריים) is an Israeli football club from the city Rehovot, currently playing in Liga Alef.

The club spent the past seven seasons in the top division from 1963 to 1969, and a single season in 1985–86.

History

The club was promoted to Liga Leumit (then the top division) for the first time in 1963. In their first season in the league they finished 11th out of 15. The following season the club finished sixth, which remains their highest ever league position.

In the 1965–66 season they narrowly avoided relegation, finishing one place above the relegation zone. In 1969 Maccabi reach the cup final for the first (and to date only) time, but lost 1–0 to Hakoah Ramat Gan.[1] In the same season they finished second bottom of the league and were relegated back to Liga Alef.

The final match of the 1971–72 season saw the club have a chance to return to the top flight, but they lost 2–1 to Hapoel Marmorek, which were promoted instead.[2] Two years later they qualified for the promotion/relegation play-offs, but failed to win any of their five matches and finished bottom of the group.

At the end of the 1977–78 season they finished bottom of Liga Artzit (the second division) and were relegated to Liga Alef (now the third tier).

At the end of the 1983–84 season they won Liga Alef South division and returned to Liga Artzit, and won a second consecutive promotion in the following season, returning to Liga Leumit for the first time in 16 years. However, they finished bottom, and were relegated back to Liga Artzit.

The club dropped back into the third tier at the end of the 1992–93 season, and were relegated to the fourth tier at the end of the 2000–01 season, before dropping into Liga Bet, the fifth tier, at the end of the 2005–06 season. At the end of the 2011–12 season the club returned to Liga Alef (now the third tier), following a victory of 2–1 against Hapoel Azor in the promotion play-off.[3]

In the 2015–16 season, the club won Liga Alef South division and promoted to Liga Leumit. Thus, the club returned to the second tier of Israeli football after 23 years.

Current squad

As of 12 February 2024
No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Israel ISR Gal Baruch
2 DF Israel ISR Habtamao Rette
3 DF Israel ISR Ariel Blasson
4 DF Israel ISR Ousmane Cisse
6 MF Israel ISR Re'em Astubi
7 MF Israel ISR Asher Mashasha
9 FW Israel ISR Ben Ozlabo
12 MF Israel ISR Daniel De Wahdelaer
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF Israel ISR David Morally
17 MF Israel ISR Adir Fibnik
18 MF Israel ISR Tasao Worknach
19 DF Israel ISR Avraham Masias
23 FW Israel ISR Ofek Manster
29 DF Israel ISR Akalo Maketa
55 GK Israel ISR Raz Rahamim

Honours

See also

References