Maccabi Kiryat Gat F.C.

Maccabi Kiryat Gat
עירוני קריית גת
Full name	Maccabi Kiryat Gat Football Club; מועדון כדורגל מכבי קריית גת
Founded	1961; 2020
Ground	Municipal Stadium, Kiryat Gat
Capacity	3,500
Website	https://web.archive.org/web/20110225213458/http://www.mkg.co.il/
Home colours	Away colours

Maccabi Kiryat Gat F.C. (Hebrew: מכבי קריית גת) was an Israeli football team based in the southern city of Kiryat Gat. The club's best achievement has been promotion to the Premier League as Liga Leumit runners-up in 2001, after beating Hapoel Beit She'an on the final day of the season. However, in their first season in the top division, they finished at the bottom of the table, six points from safety, and were relegated back to the second tier.

As a result of the overspending while in the top division, the club suffered financial difficulties, and was demoted to the fourth division by the IFA in 2004, where they played for a decade until 2014, when they were promoted to Liga Leumit.

History

The club was established as Maccabi Kiryat Gat in 1961^[1] by Yehuda Ivanir who also served as chairman. In 1969, he bought the Kfar Gavirol F.C., and Maccabi took its place in the Liga Bet.

In the 1978–79 season, the club reached Liga Alef, for the first time in its history, and finished in the second place. however at the end of the season, the club lost in promotion play-off to Hapoel Herzliya, and remained in Liga Alef, up until the 1980–81 season, where the club won Liga Alef South division, and achieved historic promotion to Liga Artzit, the second tier of Israeli football at the time, but dropped, after one season, to Liga Alef, where the club played until 1994 when it made a return to Liga Artzit.

After seven seasons in the second division, Maccabi finished second in the 2000–01 season of Liga Leumit (Liga Leumit replaced Liga Artzit as the new second tier of Israeli football in the 1999–2000 season), and for the first time in history, promoted to the Premier League.

The club has played the 2001–02 season in the Premier League under the management of Gili Landau, and during the season, recorded their biggest win in their history, when Maccabi won 4–0 against Maccabi Haifa, in Kiryat Eliezer Stadium. The club finished last in that season and returned to the Liga Leumit. Maccabi remained in the Second Division, Liga Leumit, until 2004, when the club was forced to relegated to Liga Alef due to heavy financial debts.

In 2006, the club merged with Beitar Kiryat Gat F.C. to one municipal club, thus after lengthy negotiations. For years Maccabi was the only Football Club in Kiryat Gat (except short period with the existence of F.C. Kiryat Gat since 2009 until 2012 when the club was merged into Maccabi).

At the beginning of season 2012–13 the Maccabi changed its name to Ironi Kiryat Gat and after a while returned to the former name: Maccabi Kiryat Gat. Since 2013, the club's sponsor is a Hamei Yoav baths.

In the 2013–14 season, Maccabi won Liga Alef South division, and promoted to Liga Leumit.

In the 2015–16 season, the club finished bottom in Liga Leumit and relegated to Liga Alef.

Players

Notable former players

Notable former coaches

Gili Landau

Women's section

The Women's section of the club won the Israeli Women's Cup in 2016 and the Ligat Nashim championship in 2016–17, 2017–2018, 2020–21, 2021–22.

Honours

Domestic

League

Ligat Nashim
- - Winners***

External links

Ironi Kiryat Gat The Israel Football Association (in Hebrew)

References

^ 12 New teams registered for Liga Gimel so far (Page 3) Hadshot HaSport, 27 September 1961, archive.football.co.il (in Hebrew)

[12_New_teams_registered_for_Liga_Gimel_so_far-1] 12 New teams registered for Liga Gimel so far (Page 3) Hadshot HaSport, 27 September 1961, archive.football.co.il (in Hebrew)

[1]

v t e Liga Bet
North A	Ahi Acre Ahli Tamra Ahva Kafr Manda Beitar Nahariya Bnei Maghar F.C. Bnei M.M.B.E. HaGolan VeHaGalil F.C. Shefa'-Amr F.C. Tzeirei Tamra Hapoel Bnei Bi'ina Hapoel Ihud Bnei Sumei Hapoel Karmiel Hapoel Kaukab Ironi Bnei Kabul Maccabi Abu Sna'an Maccabi Ahva Sha'ab Maccabi Bnei Jadeida Maccabi Ihud Bnei Ibtin
North B	Beitar Haifa Bnei Qalansawe F.C. Mashhad Hapoel Bnei Ar'ara 'Ara Hapoel F.C. Sandala Gilboa Hapoel Qalansawe Hapoel Ramot Menashe Megiddo Hapoel Tirat HaCarmel Hapoel Yafa Ihud Bnei Baqa Maccabi Ahi Iksal Maccabi Ahva Fureidis Maccabi Neve Sha'anan Eldad Maccabi Tirat HaCarmel Tzeirei Haifa Tzofey Haifa
South A	Beitar Kfar Saba Beitar Petah Tikva Beitar Ramat Gan Beitar Tel Aviv Bnei Jaffa F.C. HaMakhtesh Giv'atayim Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan Hapoel 1928 Kfar Saba Hapoel Azor Hapoel Bik'at HaYarden Hapoel Hod HaSharon Hapoel Kafr Qasim Shouaa Hapoel Kiryat Ono Hapoel Mahane Yehuda Ironi Beit Dagan Maccabi Gi'vat Shmuel Maccabi Ironi Amishav Petah Tikva
South B	Beitar Yavne Beitar Ironi Ma'ale Adumim Beitar Kiryat Gat Bnei Eilat F.C. Ramla F.C. Sderot F.C. Shikun HaMizrah Hapoel Ar'arat an-Naqab Hapoel Bnei Ashdod Hapoel Gedera Hapoel Segev Shalom Hapoel Yeruham Ironi Beit Shemesh Maccabi Be'er Sheva Maccabi Ironi Netivot Maccabi Kiryat Gat Maccabi Ramla
Seasons (fourth level)	1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Israeli Premier League
Clubs	Beitar Jerusalem Bnei Sakhnin F.C. Ashdod Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Hadera Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Jerusalem Ironi Kiryat Shmona Ironi Tiberias Maccabi Bnei Reineh Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Petah Tikva Maccabi Tel Aviv
Stadiums	Bloomfield Stadium Doha Stadium Green Stadium HaMoshava Stadium Netanya Stadium Sammy Ofer Stadium Teddy Stadium Turner Stadium Yud-Alef Stadium
Former clubs	Bnei Yehuda Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan Hapoel Acre Hapoel Ashkelon Hapoel Kfar Saba Hapoel Nof HaGalil Hapoel Petah Tikva Hapoel Ra'anana Hapoel Ramat Gan Hapoel Ramat HaSharon Hapoel Rishon LeZion Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tzafririm Holon Maccabi Akhi Nazareth Maccabi Herzliya Maccabi Kiryat Gat Sektzia Ness Ziona
Competition	Champions Foreign players Players with 100+ goals Records All-time table
Associated competitions	Israel Super Cup Toto Cup Israel State Cup UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League
Seasons	1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25