Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Full name	Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Camels The Reds from the South
Short name	HBS
Founded	1 May 1949; 76 years ago (1949-05-01)
Ground	Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva
Ground Capacity	16,126
Owner	Alona Barkat
Chairman	Guy Primor
Manager	Ran Kozuch
League	Israeli Premier League
2021–22	Israeli Premier League, 2nd of 14
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva) is a professional football club from Be'er Sheva, Israel. They play in the top Israeli league, the Israeli Premier League. The club started in 1949. Since 2007, a businesswoman named Alona Barkat has owned and managed the club. Hapoel Be'er Sheva also has youth teams and a women's team. They even have a football academy for young players.

The team's home colors are red and white. They played in the old city stadium until 1959. In 1960, they moved to Vasermil Stadium. Since the 2015–16 season, their home ground is the Turner Stadium.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva started winning major titles in the 1970s. They have won five championships in the top league. They also won the Israel State Cup three times. Other trophies include four Toto Cups and four Israel Super Cups. Be'er Sheva was one of the first Israeli teams to play in a European competition. They were also one of the first to play in the UEFA Cup.

Club History: Key Moments

How it All Began

The team started in 1949. A footballer named Zalman Caspi wanted to find young talents. He looked for players in the Be'er Sheva area. In April 1950, the club officially formed.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva played their first game on May 1, 1950. They won 5–4 against Hapoel Mefalsim. The club joined the league in 1954. They slowly moved up through the divisions. In the 1958–59 season, they reached Liga Alef, which was the second division.

Moving Up and First Major Successes

In the 1959–60 season, Hapoel Be'er Sheva moved to the Vasermil Stadium. They also started playing against international teams. In the 1964–65 season, they won their league. This meant they moved up to the National League for the first time! Key players like Eliyahu Offer and Haim Cohen helped them achieve this.

The team stayed in the top league for five years. In the 1966–68 season, Abraham Noma was named Israeli Footballer of the Year.

Winning the Championship: The Golden Years

The first championship celebrations at Vasermil Stadium

The 1974–75 season was special. Amazia Levkovich became the coach. He brought in a new attacking style of play. The team had many young, talented players. They won the Liga Leumit championship for the first time! This was a huge moment for the club. Most of the players were from Be'er Sheva. Uri Benjamin was named Footballer of the Year.

In the summer of 1975, they won the Super Cup. They beat Hapoel Kfar Saba 2–1.

The 1975–76 season was even better. Hapoel Be'er Sheva won their second championship in a row! They secured the title on the very last day. This made them one of the strongest teams in Israel.

In 1976, Hapoel Be'er Sheva played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. They were one of the first Israeli teams to play in Europe.

Ups and Downs in the 1980s and 1990s

The 1980s saw the team have mixed results. They often finished in the middle or top half of the league. In the 1981–82 season, they reached the semi-finals of the Israel State Cup. They also won the Lilian Cup in 1988. In the 1988–89 season, they won the Toto Cup for the first time.

The 1990s brought more changes. Foreign players were allowed in the Israeli league. Hapoel Be'er Sheva had some strong attacking seasons. In the 1993–94 season, they finished third. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup. They played against famous teams like FC Barcelona in 1995.

In the 1996–97 season, they won their first Israel State Cup. They beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–0 in the final. However, in the 1997–98 season, the team faced problems. Many key players left. Despite a great effort from young player Yossi Benayoun, they were relegated to the second division.

The New Millennium and Alona Barkat's Era

Hapoel Be'er Sheva returned to the top league in the 2000–01 season. They won the second division title. They reached the Israel State Cup final in 2002–03 but lost. In 2004–05, financial problems caused them to drop to the second division again.

In July 2007, businesswoman Alona Barkat bought the team. This marked a new beginning. Sadly, in August 2007, player Chaswe Nsofwa passed away during a training match. His number 6 jersey was retired in his honor.

Under Alona Barkat, the team worked hard to improve. In the 2008–09 season, they returned to the Premier League. They also won the Toto Cup for the second division.

Return to the Top and More Championships

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with players from Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Be'er Sheva in August 2016.

The club continued to grow. In the 2013–14 season, they finished second in the league. This was their best finish in years. It also earned them a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.

The 2015–16 season was historic. With Barak Bakhar as the new coach, the team played incredibly well. They won their third championship after 40 years! They had an amazing run of 29 games without a loss. The team also started playing in their new home, the Turner Stadium.

The success continued in the 2016–17 season. They won the Israel Super Cup. They also did very well in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. They even reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. They beat famous teams like Inter Milan. On April 29, they won their second championship in a row!

In the 2017–18 season, Hapoel Be'er Sheva won the Israel Super Cup again. They also won their fifth championship, making it three in a row!

More recently, they won the Israel State Cup in the 2019–20 season. They won it again in the 2021–22 season. This shows their continued strength in Israeli football.

Home Grounds: Where They Play

Vasermil Stadium in 2013–14.

Since 1949, Hapoel Be'er Sheva has played in three different stadiums. They started in the old city stadium.

In 1959, the municipal stadium opened. It was later named Vasermil Stadium. This was to honor Arthur Vasermil, a boy who died in the Holocaust. The stadium was renovated over the years. It got plastic seats and other improvements. The last game at Vasermil Stadium was on May 30, 2015.

On September 16, 2015, the new Turner Stadium opened. It's a modern stadium built in the city. The first official game there was on September 21, 2015. It's now the team's main home.

Vasermil Training Compound

The old Vasermil Stadium area is now a training compound. It's mainly used by Hapoel Be'er Sheva's youth teams. It has five training fields, including one with artificial turf. There's also a modern building with computer rooms, dressing rooms, and more. This helps the young players develop their skills.

Fans: The Heart of the Club

Hapoel Be'er Sheva has a huge fan base across Israel. They are known for their strong support. In the 2012–13 season, their fans won an award for being the "fair audience of the year."

Ultras Organization – UltraSouth

UltraSouth is a special group of fans. They formed in 2014. They are known for creating amazing displays at games. They use flags and signs to cheer on the team. They also help organize travel for fans to away games.

UltraSouth focuses on supporting the team, not politics. They work hard to make the stadium atmosphere exciting. They even raised money to buy special equipment for their displays.

Club Crest: What it Means

Club crest from 1995–96 to 2015–16.

The club's crest (logo) has changed over the years. When the club first started, it had "Hapoel Be'er Sheva" written on it. This was used until 1993.

From 1993 to 1995, the crest included a camel. The team is often called "The Camels." This crest had a camel hump and a soccer ball.

From 1995 to 2016, the crest had a soccer ball at the bottom. The top part showed a chimney, which represents the city. It also had the words "the pride of the Negev." The Negev is the desert region where Be'er Sheva is located.

The current crest was introduced in 2016. It's similar to the previous one. It has a soccer ball and the chimney symbol. It also shows the club's name in Hebrew and English. A star is now on the crest. This star means the club has won five championships.

Team Gear: Kits and Sponsors

Kit Manufacturers

Hapoel Be'er Sheva's home jerseys are usually red and white. Their third kit is blue. In the past, they sometimes wore purple. This was because of a sponsor called "Forum Club." The most famous jerseys are the red and white striped ones from their first championship seasons.

Since the 2019–20 season, the team's uniforms are made by Kelme. Over the years, many different companies have made their kits. These include Kappa, Adidas, Nike, Diadora, Lotto, Puma, and Umbro.

Here are the kit manufacturers since 1975:

Sponsors

Sponsors are companies that support the team financially. In return, their names are shown on the jerseys or in the stadium. Some past sponsors include Solel Boneh and Kia.

As of 2020, the main sponsor is Mahsanei HaShuk. Other sponsors include Metropoline, Fattal Hotels, Kelme, and Eurotec group.

Here are the main sponsors since 2012:

Trophies and Records

Honours (Trophies Won)

• Premier League (Top League):
  • Winners (5): 1974–75, 1975–76, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
  • Second Place (3): 2013–14, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Second League (Second Division):
  • Winners (3): 1964–65, 1970–71, 2000–01
• State Cup:
  • Winners (3): 1996–97, 2019–20, 2021–22
  • Runners-up (4): 1983–84, 2002–03, 2014–15, 2023–24
• Super Cup (Played between league and cup winners):
  • Winners (4): 1975, 2016, 2017, 2022
  • Runners-up (3): 1976, 2018, 2020
• Super Cup (Second League):
  • Winners (1): 1970–71
• Toto Cup (Another cup competition):
  • Winners (3): 1988–89, 1995–96, 2016–17
  • Runners-up (5): 1985–86, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Toto Cup (Second League):
  • Winners (1): 2008–09
  • Runners-up (1): 2005–06
• Lilian Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1988
  • Runners-up (2): 1982, 1983

Team Records

• Most seasons in the top division: 50 (including 2023–24)
• First Israeli team to play in a European competition (1976–77)
• First Israeli team to play in the UEFA Cup (1994–95)
• Biggest win in a State Cup semi-final: 7–0 (against Hapoel Afula, 2014–15)
• Longest unbeaten streak in the league: 29 games (2015–16)
• Most wins in a season: 26 (2016–17)
• Most goals scored in a season: 73 (2016–17)
• Fewest goals conceded in a season: 18 (2016–17)
• Most points in a season: 85 (2016–17)

Player Records

• Most league appearances: Shlomo Iluz, 509 games
• Top league scorer: Shalom Avitan, 100 goals
• Most goals in one season: Hisham Zuabi, 17 goals (1992–93)
• Most assists in one season: Maor Buzaglo (2013–14) and Maor Melikson (2015–16), 14 assists
• Most goals in European competitions: Anthony Nwakaeme, 8 goals
• Most European appearances: Loai Taha, 39 games

Most Games Played

Most League Goals Scored

Top Scorer in the Premier League

Footballer of the Season Award Winners

• These players won the "Footballer of the Year" award while playing for Hapoel Be'er Sheva:

Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Europe

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1976	Intertoto Cup	Group stage	Hertha BSC	3–3	1–5	3rd
			Standard Liège	0–0	1–3
			Køge BK	2–1	1–1
1994	Intertoto Cup	Group stage	Young Boys	–	1–0	2nd
			Extensiv Craiova	1–3	–
			Karlsruhe	1–1	–
			Häcken	–	6–1
1994–95	UEFA Cup	P	Aris Thessaloniki	1–2	1–3	2–5
1995–96	UEFA Cup	P	SK Tirana	2–0	1–0	3–0
		R1	Barcelona	0–7	0–5	0–12
1997–98	Cup Winners' Cup	Q	Žalgiris Vilnius	2–1	0–0	2–1
		R1	Roda	1–4	0–10	1–14
2004	Intertoto Cup	R1	Vllaznia	0–3	2–1	2–4
2014–15	Europa League	Q2	RNK Split	0–0	1–2	1–2
2015–16	Europa League	Q2	Thun	1–1	1–2	2–3
2016–17	Champions League	Q2	Sheriff Tiraspol	3–2	0–0	3–2
		Q3	Olympiacos	1–0	0–0	1–0
		PO	Celtic	2–0	2–5	4–5
	Europa League	Group stage	Inter Milan	3–2	2–0	2nd
			Southampton	0–0	1–1
			Sparta Prague	0–1	0–2
		Round of 32	Beşiktaş	1–3	1–2	2–5
2017–18	Champions League	Q2	Honvéd	2–1	3–2	5–3
		Q3	Ludogorets Razgrad	2–0	1–3	3–3 (a)
		PO	Maribor	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
	Europa League	Group stage	FC Lugano	2–1	0–1	4th
			Viktoria Plzeň	0–2	1–3
			Steaua București	1–2	1–1
2018–19	Champions League	Q1	Flora	3–1	4–1	7–2
		Q2	Dinamo Zagreb	2–2	0–5	2–7
	Europa League	Q3	APOEL	2–2	1–3	3–5
2019–20	Europa League	Q1	Laçi	1–0	1–1	2–1
		Q2	Kairat	2–0	1–1	3–1
		Q3	IFK Norrköping	3–1	1–1	4–2
		PO	Feyenoord	0–3	0–3	0–6
2020–21	Europa League	Q1	Dinamo Batumi	3–0	N/A	3–0
		Q2	Laçi	N/A	2–1	2–1
		Q3	Motherwell	3–0	N/A	3–0
		PO	Viktoria Plzeň	1–0	N/A	1–0
		Group Stage	Bayer Leverkusen	2–4	1–4	3rd
			Slavia Prague	3–1	0–3
			Nice	1–0	0–1
2021–22	Europa Conference League	Q2	Arda	4–0	2–0	6–0
		Q3	Śląsk Wrocław	4–0	1–2	5–2
		PO	Anorthosis Famagusta	0–0	1–3	1–3
2022–23	Europa Conference League	Q2	Dinamo Minsk	2–1	1–0	3–1
		Q3	Lugano	3–1	2–0	5–1
		PO	Universitatea Craiova	1–1	1–1	2–2 (p)
		Group Stage	Villarreal	15 Sep	27 Oct
			Austria Wien	3 Nov	8 Sep
			Lech Poznań	13 Oct	6 Oct
Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate

• Legend:
  • P = preliminary round
  • Q = qualification round
  • R = round
  • PO = Play-off round

Hapoel Be'er Sheva has played in several European competitions. These include the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. They have faced teams from all over Europe. Playing in these competitions helps the club gain experience and recognition.

Players and Staff

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Ofir Marciano 2 DF Guy Mizrahi 3 DF Matan Baltaxa 4 DF Miguel Vítor (captain) 5 DF Or Blorian 7 MF Antonio Sefer 8 MF Roei Gordana 10 MF Dan Bitton 11 FW Eylon Almog 12 FW Paul Garita 15 MF Tomer Yosefi 16 MF Amir Ganah 17 FW Alon Turgeman 18 DF Eitan Tibi

No. Position Player 19 MF Shay Elias 20 MF Kings Kangwa 21 FW Zahi Ahmed 22 DF Hélder Lopes 24 FW Guy Badash 25 MF Lucas Ventura 26 MF Eliel Peretz 27 MF Yoni Stoyanov 30 DF Or Dadia 35 DF Mariano Bareiro 45 GK Ben Gordin 55 GK Niv Eliasi 70 MF Samer Farhud 77 FW Rotem Hatuel

Retired Numbers

No. Position Player 6 FW Chaswe Nsofwa

The number 6 jersey was retired to honor Chaswe Nsofwa. He was a player who sadly passed away in 2007.

Foreign Players for 2024–25 Season

Israeli clubs can have up to six non-Israeli players in their squad. Only five can play at the same time. Some players might count as Israeli citizens if they have Jewish ancestry, are married to an Israeli, or have played in Israel for a long time.

• Antonio Sefer
• Lucas Ventura
• Kings Kangwa
• Hélder Lopes
• Paul Garita

Professional Staff

Elyaniv Barda is the head coach.

Position	Staff
Manager	Ran Kozuch
Assistant manager	Ben Binyamin
Goalkeeping coach	Sheila Miara
Fitness coach	Michael Brosh

• Last updated:21 September 2024

Youth Department

Hapoel "Hashlosha" Be'er Sheva has one of the biggest youth football departments in Israel. They help train young players.

The club has always focused on developing young talent. In 1969, their youth team won the first Israeli Youth Championship. Another youth group, Hapoel "Hashlosha," was formed. It was named after three factory workers who died in an accident. This group became very successful. It won four State Youth Championships.

In recent years, the club has invested a lot in its youth teams. This helps them find and train future stars.

Youth Department Teams

The professional director of the Youth Department is Shmulik Hanin.

Team name	League	Head coach
Hapoel "Hashlosha" Be'er Sheva	Youth Premier League	Uri David
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U17 Premier League	Oren Fahima
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U16 Premier League	Eli Hayat
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U15 Premier League	Nir Danon
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U14 Center Premier League	Bar Harush
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U13 Center Premier League	Adi Peretz
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U12 Center Premier League	Michael Cherniak
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U11 Center Premier League	Shlomi Sasson
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U10 Center Premier League
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	U09 Center Premier League	Assaf Zalmanov

Youth Honours

• Youth Israeli champions:
  • Winners (4): 1969–70, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1984–85
• Youth Super Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1984–85

Images for kids

• 

  Hapoel Be'er Sheva logo

• 

  The first championship celebrations at Vasermil Stadium

• 

  Vasermil Stadium in 2013–14

• 

  Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with players from Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Be'er Sheva in August 2016.

• 

  Club crest from 1995–96 to 2015–16.

• 

  Elyaniv Barda is the head coach.

See also

In Spanish: Hapoel Be'er Sheva para niños