Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. (Hebrew: הפועל ראשון לציון) is an Israeli football club based in the city of Rishon LeZion, which currently plays in Liga Leumit, Israel's second football division. Home matches are hosted at the Haberfeld Stadium. In 1991, the club changed its name to Hapoel Ironi Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: הפועל עירוני ראשון לציון), and in June 2008 the name was switched back to Hapoel Rishon LeZion following a change in ownership.[1]
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| Full name | Hapoel Rishon LeZion הפועל ראשון לציון | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rishonia | ||
| Founded | 1940 | ||
| Ground | Haberfeld Stadium, Rishon LeZion | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Owner | Amos Luzon | ||
| Manager | Eldad Shavit | ||
| League | Liga Leumit | ||
| 2022–23 | Liga Leumit, 12th of 16 | ||
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History edit
Hapoel Rishon LeZion was one of the first clubs in the history of league football in Israel. The football section of the Sports club was established in 1929,[2] and played several matches since 1933,[3][4] including competing at the Palestine Cup in 1937 and 1939. The club was formally established in 1940.[5][6]
Its best achievements were runner-up of the Israel State Cup in 1946 and 1996. On both occasions it lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Following its cup final in 1996, it played in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, but was eliminated in the qualifying round by Constructorul Chisinau of Moldova on away goals rule (0–1, 3–2).
The club played at the top division in Mandatory Palestine for the first time at the 1941–42 season and after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, became founder members of the Israeli League in 1949. In 1951–52, the club finished second bottom and dropped to the second tier.
Between 1952 and 1994 the club played just three seasons in the top division: 1978–79, 1980–81 (where they finished sixth) and 1981–82. In the 1991–92 season, while playing in Liga Alef, the third tier, it added the word Ironi to its name, and in the next two seasons, made two successive promotions and returned to the top flight once again after winning Liga Artzit in the 1993–94 season.[1] This time the club managed to stay nine consecutive seasons in the top league until it was relegated to the second tier, (Liga Leumit), at the end of the 2002–03 season, and three seasons later dropped further down to Liga Artzit, the third tier at the time.
In 2008–09, after the club changed its name back to Hapoel Rishon LeZion, it was promoted to the second tier (Known as Liga Leumit) .
In 2010–11, the club was promoted to the Israeli Premier League, the top tier. They were relegated back to Liga Leumit the following season.
On 4 December 2012, Hapoel Rishon LeZion won the 2012–13 Toto Cup Leumit.
In 2017–18, the club was just one point short of being promoted to the top tier, The Israeli Premier League, finishing third. In the following year, 2018–19, the club finished twelfth, and narrowly avoided relegation.
| Season | League Tier | League Position | Israeli Cup | Toto Cup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 2 | 6th | Round of 32 | X | |
| 2005–06 | 2 | 11th | Round of 16 | X | No toto cup before 2006-07. |
| 2006–07 | 3 | 2nd | DNP | X | No toto cup in 3rd tier |
| 2007–08 | 2 | 11th | Round of 16 | 9th-10th | |
| 2008–09 | 3 | 4th | Round of 64 | X | No toto cup in 3rd tier |
| 2009–10 | 2 | 8th | Round of 64 | 2nd | |
| 2010–11 | 2 | 2nd | Round of 16 | 5th-8th | |
| 2011–12 | 1 | 15th | Round of 32 | 9th-16th | |
| 2012–13 | 2 | 6th | Semi Finals | 1st | |
| 2013–14 | 2 | 11th | Quarter Finals | X | The Toto Cup was not held that year. |
| 2014–15 | 2 | 10th | Round of 32 | 9th-16th | |
| 2015–16 | 2 | 12th | Round of 16 | 9th-16th | |
| 2016–17 | 2 | 10th | Round of 16 | 9th-16th | |
| 2017–18 | 2 | 3rd | Round of 32 | 5th-8th | |
| 2018–19 | 2 | 12th | Round of 64 | 9-10th | |
| 2019–20 | 2 | 5th | Round of 32 | 3rd-4th | |
| 2020–21 | 2 | 4th | Round of 32 | 5th-6th | |
| 2021–22 | 2 | 14th | Round of 32 | 7th | Won the Promotion/relegation playoff |
| 2022–23 | 2 | 12th | Round of 32 | 1st |
Current squad edit
- As to 12 September 2023
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International former players edit
Europe
Sejad Halilović (had one cap for croatia before Bosnia got their independence)
Yevgeni Kashentsev- Gennadi Tumilovich
Ivan Yaremchuk
Marc Van Der Linden
Dean Racunica
Gábor Márton
Tomasz Cebula
Karol Schulz
Asia
Africa
Central and North America
Israel
Managers edit
Eli Cohen (born 1951)- Arik Gilrovich (2008–09)
- Nissan Yehezkel (2010–12)
- Eyal Lahman (2012–13)
- Sharon Mimer (2013–15)
- Ofir Haim (2015–16)
- Gili Levanda (2016)
- Nir Berkovic (2016–2018)
- Ron Marcus (2018–2019)
- Nir Berkovic (2019)
- Ofer Taselpapa (2019–2020)
- Meni Koretski (2020)
- Ismaeel Amar (2020–2022)
- Amir Nussbaum (2022–2023)
- Yuval Naim (2023-)
Honours edit
League edit
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Second tier | 1 | 1993–94 |
| Third tier | 3 | 1964–65, 1988–89, 1992–93 |
Cups edit
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Toto Cup (second division) | 2 | 2012–13, 2022–23 |
European record edit
| Season | Round | Opponents | Home leg | Away leg | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Qualifying Round |  Constructorul Chişinău
|
3–2 | 0–1 | 3–3 (a) |
References edit
- ^ a b History of Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. Hapoel Rishon LeZion fans Official Site (in Hebrew)
- ^ At the centennial, Rishon LeZion will be at the top (Page 9) Hadshot HaSport, 16 May 1980, archive.football.co.il (in Hebrew)
- ^ At the EIFA Davar, 1 December 1933, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ^ Activities in Liga Bet South division Doar Hayom, 15 December 1933, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ^ The Stadium Hapoel Rishon LeZion Official Site (in Hebrew)
- ^ Club Hapoel Rishon LeZion fans official website (in Hebrew)
External links edit
