Israeli football league system

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 6 levels, containing a total of 16 divisions. It is run by the Israel Football Association (IFA).

tructure

The top division of Israeli football is the Israeli Premier League. Liga Leumit is the second tier, followed by Liga Artzit as the third tier. These three divisions all operate at the national level.

Below Liga Artzit the divisions are split into regionalised leagues. Liga Alef is the fourth tier, and is split into north and south divisions. Liga Bet, the fifth tier, is divided into four regionalised leagues. Liga Gimel, the bottom division of Israeli football, is split into seven regionalised leagues, four in the north and three in the south.

Current System

League restructuring

On June 23 2008 the IFA decided to reform the league structure. [ [http://football.org.il/Archive/Articles/Pages/%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%9D%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%97%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%93%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9D23608.aspx June 23rd IFA meeting summary] He icon] From the 2009-10 season, the Israeli Premier League and Liga Leumit will be expanded to 16 clubs and Liga Artzit will be abolished.

In the Premier League, playoff games will be added. The teams will play each other once, with the points gained in the regular league being cut in half.

*The top six teams will go into the championship and UEFA Cup playoffs. The top team will win the championship and a place in the Champions league qualifiers, and the second and third place will win a place in UEFA Cup qualifiers.
*The four teams ranked between seventh and tenth will play ranking playoffs. The team ranked highest will receive the highest ranking grant. The second ranked team will receive the second highest grant etc.
*The last six teams will fight against relegation to Liga Leumit.

About the Leagues

Premier League

The Israeli Premier League ( _he. ליגת העל, "Ligat HaAl"), is the highest league in Israeli football and has 12 member clubs. Winning the Premier League is the top prize in Israeli football and guarantees a berth in the UEFA Champions League.

The league was created in 1999 as the IFA aimed to realign the leagues to improve competition. The move from sixteen clubs to twelve was criticized by some football pundits who saw it as damaging the clubs that would be relegated, clubs that had years of history. Each season the bottom two clubs are relegated and replaced by two from the Liga Leumit.

Current Premier League clubs

* Beitar Jerusalem
* Bnei Sakhnin
* Bnei Yehuda
* F.C. Ashdod
* Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan
* Hapoel Petah Tikva
* Hapoel Tel Aviv
* Ironi Kiryat Shmona
* Maccabi Haifa
* Maccabi Netanya
* Maccabi Petah Tikva
* Maccabi Tel Aviv

Liga Leumit

Liga Leumit (Hebrew: ליגה לאומית, "National League") is the second tier of Israeli football, a position it has held since 1999, having originally been the top division prior to the Premier League's creation. It has 12 member clubs, the top two of which are promoted to the Premier League and the bottom two relegated to Liga Artzit at the end of each season.

Current Liga Leumit clubs

* Hapoel Acre
* Hapoel Be'er Sheva
* Hapoel Bnei Lod
* Hapoel Haifa
* Hapoel Jerusalem
* Hapoel Kfar Saba
* Hapoel Ra'anana
* Hapoel Ramat Gan
* Ironi Ramat HaSharon
* Maccabi Ahi Nazareth
* Maccabi Kiryat Ata
* Maccabi Herzliya

Liga Artzit

Liga Artzit (Hebrew: ליגה ארצית, "State League") is the third tier of Israeli football, a position it has held since 1999, having been the second tier since its creation in 1974. Like the two divisions above it, Liga Artzit has 12 member clubs, the top two of which are promoted at the end of the season to the Liga Leumit and the bottom two clubs are relegated at the end of the season to Liga Alef.

Current Liga Artzit clubs

* Beitar/Shimshon Tel Aviv
* Bnei Tamra
* Hapoel Ashkelon
* Hapoel Bnei Jadida
* Hapoel Nazareth Illit
* Hapoel Marmorek
* Hapoel Umm al-Fahm
* Ironi Rishon LeZion
* Maccabi Kafr Kanna
* Maccabi Bat Yam
* Maccabi Tirat Carmel
* Sektzia Nes Tziona

Liga Alef

Liga Alef (Hebrew: ליגה א, "A League") is the fourth tier of Israeli football, a position it has held since 1999. Between 1974 and 1999 it was the third tier after Liga Artzit, and between 1949 and 1974 it was the second division. Liga Alef consists of two divisions and has 28 member clubs. The divisions are based on the clubs' geographical position in the country and are split into a north and south category. The top club from each division is promoted at the end of the season to Liga Artzit and the bottom two clubs (from each division) are relegated at the end of the season to Liga Bet.

Liga Bet

Liga Bet (Hebrew: ליגה ב, "B League") is the fifth tier of Israeli football, a position it has held since 1999. Between 1974 and 1999 it was the fourth tier after the creation of Liga Artzit, and between 1949 and 1974 it was the third division. Liga Bet consists of four divisions and has 64 member clubs. The divisions are based on the clubs' geographical position in the country and are split into two north categories and two south categories. The top club from each division is promoted at the end of the season to the Liga Alef and the bottom two clubs (from each division) are relegated at the end of the season to Liga Gimel (if there are enough clubs coming up to replace them).

Liga Gimel

Liga Gimel (Hebrew: ליגה ג, "C League") is the sixth and bottom tier of Israeli football, a position it has held since 1999. Between 1974 and 1999 it was the fifth tier after the creation of Liga Artzit, and between 1949 and 1974 it was the fourth division. Liga Gimel consists of seven divisions of varying size, four in the north and three in the less-populated south. At the start of the 2006-7 season there were a total of 91 member clubs. If they meet criteria laid down by the IFA, the top club from each division is promoted at the end of the season to the Liga Bet. As it is the lowest division, no clubs are relegated.

Football clubs in Israel

"For a full list of clubs see List of football clubs in Israel."

References


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