Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C.

Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל הפועל כפר סבא, Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Kfar Saba) is an Israeli football club based in Kfar Saba. The club competes in the Liga Leumit and plays home matches at Levita Stadium.

Hapoel Kfar Saba
Full nameHapoel Kfar Saba Football Club
Nickname(s)The Greens from the Sharon
Founded1928 (1928)
GroundLevita Stadium, Kfar Saba, Israel
Capacity5,800
OwnerItzhak Shum
ManagerItzik Baruch
LeagueLiga Leumit
2022–23Liga Leumit, 7th of 16
WebsiteClub website

History

The club was established in 1928. In 1951–52 they won the South Division of Liga Bet to win promotion to Liga Alef (then the top division). Three years later they finished third from bottom and had to take part in promotion/relegation play-offs with the two top clubs from the second tier. They were unbeatnd during the play-offs and retained their place in Liga Leumit (which had replaced Liga Alef as the top division). However, in 1955–56, they finished bottom and were relegated.

Hapoel made an immediate return to Liga Leumit. They finished bottom in 1957–58, but avoided the drop as no clubs were relegated. However, they finished bottom again the following season and were relegated. The club returned to Liga Leumit in 1968. In 1975, they reached the State Cup final for the first time, beating Beitar Jerusalem 1-0. After several mid-table finishes, they were relegated at the end of the 1976–77 season. They made an immediate return to the top division, finishing third in Liga Artzit (the new second tier). In 1980, they reached the State Cup final again, beating Maccabi Ramat Amidar 4–1.

In 1980–81 they narrowly avoided relegation, finishing two points and one place above the relegation zone. The following season the club won the title for the first (and only) time under the management of Dror Kashtan. However, they finished bottom the season after, and returned to Liga Artzit.

They finished as runners-up to Hapoel Haifa in 1983–84 to make another immediate return to Liga Leumit. In 1990, the club reached the State Cup final for a third time, beating Shimshon Tel Aviv 1–0 after extra time. The following season they were relegated again after finishing bottom of the table. In 1992, under the management of Avram Marchinsky, the club signed its first American player, Michael Winograd, out of Lafayette College. The club returned to the top division the following season.

In 1999–2000 they were relegated to Liga Leumit (now the second tier). They won the league in 2001–02 to return to the top division, but were relegated at the end of the following season. The club won Liga Leumit again in 2004–05, and avoided relegation on goal difference the following season. However, two seasons later they were relegated on goal difference.

For the 2010–11 season, a new owner, Harel Raihman, came on after almost 15 years of Eli Tabib's era. At the end of the regular season, the club finished on top of the league, with an advantage of thirteen points over the third place. However, in the Top playoff, where all the points obtained during the regular season were halved (and rounded up), the club failed to record a win, and finished the league in the third place, behind Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon and Hapoel Rishon LeZion which were promoted. As the third placed club, Kfar Saba went to play in the Promotion play-off against the 14th-placed club in the Israeli Premier League, Hapoel Petah Tikva, and lost both games, 1-4 and 0-1. Thus, the club remained in Liga Leumit.

In the 2012–13 season the club have entered administration, and as a result, were deducted nine points. The club finished bottom and relegated to Liga Alef, the third tier of Israeli football. With a new owner, Stav Shaham, together with former club captain, Eli Yani, and the supporters trust, "The Green Heart", the club recovered in the following season, and made an immediate return to Liga Leumit, after finishing on top of Liga Alef North division. In the following season, the club made their second successive promotion, following runners-up finish in Liga Leumit. Thus, the club returned to the Israeli Premier League after seven years.

In 2015-16 season, the team finished at 10th, but one season after (2016–17), the team finished 13th and relegated to the Liga Leumit.

Players

Current squad

As of 29 January 2024
No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Israel ISR Dor Hebron
3 DF Israel ISR Raz Baruchian
5 DF Israel ISR Ofek Fishler
6 DF Israel ISR Yehoshua Strimling
7 DF Israel ISR Tom Shelach
8 MF Israel ISR Ari Cohen
10 FW State of Palestine PLE Ali El-Khatib
11 FW Israel ISR Dudu Biton
12 DF Israel ISR Daniel Mor Yosef
14 DF Israel ISR Hagay Goldenberg
16 MF Israel ISR Roi Maman
17 FW Israel ISR Roy Fadida
18 GK Israel ISR Netanel Daloya
19 MF Israel ISR Awajo Asefa
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Israel ISR Liam Malka
22 MF Liberia LBR David Tweh
23 MF Israel ISR Tal Naim
24 MF Israel ISR Alon Demol
26 MF Israel ISR Mustapha Sheikh Yosef
29 FW Israel ISR Alon Buzorgi
30 DF Sierra Leone SLE Jarjue Abdoulie
47 FW Ukraine UKR Daniel Joulani
55 GK Israel ISR Ariel Bardugo
70 FW Israel ISR Lior Inbrum
77 FW Israel ISR Daniel Elmaleh
80 FW Israel ISR Ronen Hanchis
95 FW Nigeria NGA Benjamn Kuku
99 FW Israel ISR Tom Berkovic

Out on loan

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Israel ISR Shon Krendi (at Maccabi Sha'arayim until 30 June 2022)
FW Israel ISR Yahav Afriat (at F.C. Tira until 30 June 2022)

Foreigners 2023–24

Only up to six non-Israeli nationals can be in an Israeli club squad (only five can play at the same time). Those with Jewish ancestry, married to an Israeli or have played in Israel for an extended period of time, can claim a passport or permanent residency which would allow them to play with Israeli status.

  • Nigeria Benjamin Kuku
  • Suriname Roscello Vlijter
  • Sierra Leone Jarjue Abdoulie

Former players

  • Poland Jerzy Wijas
  • Shmuel Kozokin (born 1987), Israeli footballer

Staff

Position Staff
Owner Israel Itzhak Shum

Israel The supporters trust "Halev Hayarok" ("The green heart")

CEO Israel Idan Shum
Board Member Israel Sharon Shum
Head coachIsrael Ravid Gazal
Goalkeeping coachIsrael Tvrtko Kale
Technical managerIsrael Reuven Avital
Fitness coachIsrael Ran Goldig
PhysioIsrael Dafna Cohen
Club doctorIsrael Dr. Jonathan Koch
LogisticsIsrael Jacob Serolovich
Manager Youth DepartmentIsrael Amnon raz

Honours

League

Honour No. Years
Israeli Championships 1 1981–82
Second tier 5 1951–52, 1956–57, 1966–68, 2001–02, 2004–05
Third tier 1 2013–14

Cup competitions

Honour No. Years
State Cup 3 1974–75, 1979–80, 1989–90
Super Cup 1 1982

Managers

  • Israel Haim Reich (1951–54)
  • Israel Edmond Schmilovich (1954–55)
  • Israel Emmanuel Scheffer (1955)
  • Israel Moshe Poliakov (1955–56)
  • Israel Israel Weiss (1956–57)
  • Israel Zvi Erlich (1957–58)
  • Israel Yair Levita (1958–59)
  • Israel Eliezer Spiegel (1959)
  • Israel Yair Levita (1959)
  • Israel Eliezer Spiegel (1959)
  • Israel Emmanuel Scheffer (1959)
  • Israel Yair Levita (1959–60)
  • United Kingdom Harry Gibbons (1960)
  • Israel Moshe Varon (1960–61)
  • Israel Edmond Schmilovich (1961–62)
  • Israel Yair Levita (1962)
  • Israel Arie Koch (1962–63)
  • Israel Lonia Dvorin (1963)
  • Israel Gershon Meller (1963–64)
  • Israel Arie Koch (1964–65)
  • Israel Arie Radler (1965–68)
  • Israel Ya'akov Grundman (1968–70)
  • Israel Rehavia Rosenbaum (1970–72)
  • Israel Nahum Stelmach (1972–73)
  • Israel Shlomo Scharf (1973–76)
  • Israel Arie Radler (1976)
  • Israel Dror Kashtan (1976–77)
  • Israel Amnon Raz (1977–78)
  • Israel Shlomo Scharf (1978–80)
  • Israel Avraham Marchinski (1980–81)
  • Israel Dror Kashtan (1981–83)
  • Israel Itzhak Shum (1983–85)
  • Israel Nissim Bachar (1985–87)
  • Israel Shimon Shenhar(1987–88)
  • Israel Avraham Marchinski (1988–89)
  • Poland Wojciech Łazarek (1989–90)
  • Israel Asher Messing (1990–91)
  • Israel Avraham Marchinski (1991–93)
  • Israel Adir Shamir (1994)
  • Israel Nissim Bachar (1994)
  • Israel Eli Yani (1994–95)
  • Israel Avi Cohen (1996–98)
  • Israel Shimon Shenhar (1998)
  • Israel Moshe Sinai (1998–99)
  • Israel Eyal Lahman (1999)
  • Israel Avi Cohen (1999–2000)
  • Israel Elisha Levy (2000)
  • Israel Motti Ivanir (2000–01)
  • Israel Uri Elkabetz (2001)
  • Israel Miro Ben Shimon (2001)
  • Israel Itzhak Shum (2001–02)
  • Israel Tamir Ben Haim (2002–03)
  • Israel Michael Kadosh (2003–04)
  • Israel Elisha Levy (2004–06)
  • Israel Eli Ohana (2006–08)
  • Serbia Israel Slobodan Drapić (2008–09)
  • Israel Tomer Kashtan (2009–11)
  • Israel Guy Azouri (2011)
  • Israel Moshe Hershko (2011–12)
  • Israel Asi Domb (2012)
  • Israel Alon Mizrahi (2012)
  • Israel Ran Goldig (2013)
  • Israel Idan Shum & Tamir Ben Haim (2013)
  • Israel Yehoshua Feigenbaum (2013)
  • Israel Felix Naim (2013–15)
  • Israel Sharon Mimer (2016–2017)
  • Israel Eli Cohen (2017)
  • Israel Felix Naim (2017)
  • Israel Messay Dego (2017–2018)
  • Lithuania Raimondas Žutautas (2018)
  • Israel Haim Shabo (2018)
  • Israel Erez Benodis (2018–2019)
  • Israel Ofir Haim (2019–2020)
  • Israel Amir Turgeman (2020–)

See also

References

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