Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League (Hebrew: ליגת העל, Ligat Ha`Al, lit. The Super League), officially The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange League (Hebrew: ליגת הבורסה לניירות ערך) for sponsorship purposes,[1] is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with its second division Liga Leumit. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing between 33 and 36 matches each, totalling 240 matches in every season. Five matches are played on Saturdays, with one match played on Sundays and the last one on Mondays.
 The Israeli Premier League logo | |
| Organising body | Israel Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Country | Israel |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 14 (from 2013–14) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga Leumit |
| Domestic cup(s) | Israel State Cup Toto Cup (Al) Israel Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League |
| Current champions | Maccabi Tel Aviv (5th title) |
| Most championships | Maccabi Haifa (7 titles) |
| TV partners | Charlton Sport, Sport5.co.il |
| Website | football.co.il |
 | |
The competition formed in 1999 following the decision of the Israel Football Association to form a new league. It is also ranked 23rd in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years, ahead of the Belarusian Premier League and Kazakhstan Premier League.[2]
Since 1923, a total of 14 clubs have been crowned champions of the Israeli Football League. Of the twenty-eight clubs to have competed since the inception of the Israeli Premier League in 1999, seven have won the title: Beitar Jerusalem (twice), Hapoel Be'er Sheva (three times), Hapoel Tel Aviv (twice), Maccabi Haifa (seven times), Maccabi Tel Aviv (five times), and Ironi Kiryat Shmona (once). The current champions are Maccabi Tel Aviv, who won the 2018–19 season.
Background
The Israeli Premier League was founded in 1999 to replace its predecessor Liga Leumit (which became the second division) when the Israel Football Association decided to reshuffle all the leagues in hopes of improving competition. In its first season there were 14 clubs; the top thirteen clubs from the 1998–99 season and the top place club from the Liga Artzit (then, the third division). That season three clubs were relegated and one from Liga Leumit was promoted.
Competition
There are 14 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Liga Leumit while two highest-placed teams of Liga Leumit are promoted in their place. For the 2012–13 season the league was decreased from 16 to 14 clubs as a result of reforms passed by the IFA on 27 June 2011.[3]
The participating clubs first play a conventional round-robin schedule for a total of 26 matches.
Following this, the top six teams play in a championship playoff, where they meet each other twice. Upon its conclusion, the first place team wins the Israeli championship and qualifies to participate in the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. The runners-up and the third-placed teams qualify for the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.
In addition, the Israeli State Cup winners qualify for the second qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. If the State Cup winners are also one of the teams to finish in the league's top three places then the fourth-placed team will also play in Europa League. In case the State Cup winners also win the Israeli Premier League then the fourth-placed league team will play in first qualifying round.
In addition, the bottom eight teams will play each other once to avoid two relegation spots.
Clubs
A total of 29 clubs have played in the Israeli Premier League from its inception in 1999 and the start of the 2019–20 season. For a list of winners and runners-up of the Israeli Premier League since its inception, and top scorers for each season, see List of Israeli football champions.
Three clubs have been members of the Israeli Premier League for every season since its inception. This group is composed of Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Haifa, and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Members for 2019–20
The following 14 clubs will compete in the Israeli Premier League during the 2019–20 season.
a: Never been relegated from the Israeli Premier League
b: One of the original Israeli Premier League teams
Sponsorship
In recent years, the league has been sponsored. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:
- 1999–2002: Pelephone – a mobile phone company (Ligat Pelephone)[4]
- 2005–2010: Toto Winner Organization – the Israeli Sports Betting Board (Ligat Toto)
- 2010–2016: Toto Winner Organization – the Israeli Sports Betting Board (Ligat Winner)[5]
- 2016–2018: Toto Winner Organization – the Israeli Sports Betting Board (Ligat Ha'al)[6]
- 2018–2019: Japanika – Asian restaurant (Ligat Japanika)[7]
- 2019–present: Tel Aviv Stock Exchange – Stock Exchange (Ligat Habursa Leniyarot Erech)[1]
Number of foreigners
Teams are limited to six foreign players per team. Special circumstances such as Druze players from the Golan (no citizenship) or cases such as that of Toto Tamuz, do not count against the foreign player limit. In addition, players who play in the league for 6 consecutive years do not count against the foreign player limit. Also, Jewish players and players who are married to Israelis are exempt from these restrictions, as they are entitled to Israeli citizenship.
Broadcast Rights
Television
Israeli Premier League games are broadcast live on Sport 1, Sport 1 HD, and Sport 2 channels, with the big match of the week which is reserved to be shown by Sport 5 and Channel 1 HD network television. There is also a league review show on Saturday nights at Sport 5 channel.
Abroad, rights to broadcasting in Hebrew are owned by The Israeli Network which broadcasts the matches in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Panama, Costa Rica and in Europe.
In the United Kingdom, William Hill broadcasts matches live with English commentary on their online television service, William Hill TV.
Radio
The rights of broadcasting on the radio belongs to Radio Tel Aviv since 2011, which broadcast alongside Radio Haifa, Radio Darom, Radio Galei Zahal and Radio Darom 101.5 in a show called Saturday of Football which also broadcasts live on ONE TV channel.
Internet
The big match of the week is shown on the Channel 1 website. Since 2010, games summaries are shown online by Ynet, ONE and Sport 5.
Cellular
Since 2012, ONE owns the broadcasting rights, which was previously owned by Sport 5.
Revenue
Main sources of revenue for the clubs:
- Television
- Ticket sales
- Merchandise
- Toto Winner – The Israeli Sports Betting Council
- Sponsorship
UEFA league ranking
In European Leagues:
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
List of champions
For the complete list read the main article.
Israeli Premier League (1999–present)
When the Israeli Premier League became the top division of Israeli football in 1999–2000, Liga Leumit became the second division. Since then, only six clubs have won the title; Hapoel Tel Aviv, Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem are sometimes referred to as the "Big Four" of Israeli football.[8]
Having won seven titles in the league's 17 seasons, the most successful club during this period is Maccabi Haifa; during the same period Maccabi Tel Aviv have added four to their total while Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv have won two championships each. Although Hapoel Tel Aviv have only finished top of the league twice since 1999—in 1999–2000 and ten years later in 2009–10—they have won the double on both occasions.
This achievement was matched by Beitar Jerusalem in 2007–08. Ironi Kiryat Shmona won their first championship during the 2011–12 season, thereby becoming the first northern title-winners. Maccabi Tel Aviv then won three titles in a row, including a Treble in 2014–15.
- Key
 |
Champions also won the Israel State Cup during the same season. |
 |
Champions also won the League Cup during the same season. |
 |
Champions also won both cups during the same season. |
| (titles) | A running tally of the total number of championships won by each club is kept in brackets. |
"Big Four" dominance
| Season | BJ | HT | MH | MT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2000–01 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2001–02 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2002–03 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003–04 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2004–05 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| 2005–06 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 2006–07 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| 2007–08 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| 2008–09 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 2009–10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2010–11 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2011–12 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 2012–13 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 2014–15 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| 2015–16 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| 2016–17 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 2 |
| 2017–18 | 3 | – | 10 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
Since the past few seasons, the Big Four Dominance has been challenged by 3 successive championships for Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
Top scorers by season
| Season | Player | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | |
27 | Maccabi Petah Tikva |
| 2000–01 | |
25 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2001–02 | |
18 | Maccabi Petah Tikva |
| 2002–03 | |
18 | Hapoel Kfar Saba |
|
18 | Ironi Rishon LeZion / FC Ashdod | |
| 2003–04 | |
16 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
|
16 | FC Ashdod | |
| 2004–05 | |
19 | Maccabi Haifa |
| 2005–06 | |
18 | FC Ashdod |
| 2006–07 | |
15 | FC Ashdod |
| 2007–08 |  |
15 | Hapoel Kfar Saba |
| 2008–09 | |
14 | Beitar Jerusalem |
|
14 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | |
|
14 | Bnei Yehuda | |
| 2009–10 | |
28 | Maccabi Haifa |
| 2010–11 | |
21 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 2011–12 | |
20 | Maccabi Netanya |
| 2012–13 | |
22 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2013–14 | |
29 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2014–15 | |
27 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2015–16 | |
35 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2016–17 |  |
19 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2017–18 | |
24 | Maccabi Netanya |
| 2018–19 | |
15 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
All-time table
The All-time Israeli Premier League table is a cumulative record of all match results, points and goals of every team that has played in the Israeli Premier League since its inception in 1999. The table that follows is accurate as of the end of the 2018–19 season. Teams in green are part of the 2019–20 Israeli Premier League. Numbers in bold are the record (highest) numbers in each column.
| Pos. | Club | S | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GFPG | GA | GAPG | GD | Pts | 1° | 2° | 3° | R | Avg. Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Haifa | 20 | 697 | 366 | 167 | 164 | 1134 | 1.627 | 671 | 0.963 | 463 | 1265 | 7 | 5 | 63.25 | ||
| 2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 20 | 700 | 365 | 167 | 168 | 1125 | 1.607 | 616 | 0.88 | 509 | 1262[nb 2] | 5 | 4 | 4 | 63.1 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 19 | 652 | 303 | 186 | 163 | 980 | 1.503 | 644 | 0.988 | 336 | 1081[nb 3] | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 56.89 |
| 4 | Beitar Jerusalem | 20 | 691 | 285 | 184 | 222 | 944 | 1.366 | 816 | 1.181 | 128 | 1039[nb 4] | 2 | 5 | 51.95 | ||
| 5 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 19 | 648 | 229 | 186 | 233 | 740 | 1.157 | 781 | 1.205 | –41 | 873[nb 5] | 1 | 1 | 2 | 45.95 | |
| 6 | Bnei Yehuda | 18 | 622 | 212 | 167 | 243 | 713 | 1.146 | 792 | 1.273 | –79 | 803 | 1 | 2 | 44.61 | ||
| 7 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 14 | 484 | 223 | 119 | 142 | 720 | 1.488 | 567 | 1.171 | 153 | 788 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 56.38 |
| 8 | F.C. Ashdod | 19 | 646 | 200 | 177 | 269 | 750 | 1.161 | 911 | 1.41 | –161 | 777 | 1 | 1 | 40.89 | ||
| 9 | Maccabi Netanya | 18 | 584 | 203 | 162 | 219 | 736 | 1.26 | 787 | 1.348 | –51 | 771 | 2 | 3 | 44.88 | ||
| 10 | Bnei Sakhnin | 15 | 510 | 155 | 152 | 213 | 524 | 1.027 | 664 | 1.302 | –140 | 607[nb 6] | 2 | 41.43 | |||
| 11 | Hapoel Haifa | 14 | 482 | 183 | 144 | 187 | 567 | 1.176 | 621 | 1.288 | –54 | 597 | 1 | 3 | 43.08 | ||
| 12 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 11 | 378 | 146 | 109 | 123 | 478 | 1.265 | 421 | 1.114 | 57 | 547 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 49.73 |
| 13 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 13 | 448 | 135 | 115 | 198 | 548 | 1.223 | 678 | 1.513 | –130 | 508[nb 7] | 1 | 3 | 39.08 | ||
| 14 | Hapoel Acre | 8 | 270 | 72 | 81 | 110 | 288 | 1.067 | 389 | 1.441 | –101 | 295[nb 8] | 2 | 36.88 | |||
| 15 | Hapoel Ra'anana | 7 | 236 | 64 | 70 | 102 | 224 | 0.949 | 305 | 1.292 | –81 | 262 | 1 | 37.43 | |||
| 16 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 7 | 237 | 56 | 76 | 105 | 237 | 1 | 349 | 1.473 | –112 | 241[nb 9] | 4 | 48.2 | |||
| 17 | Hapoel Rishon LeZion | 5 | 180 | 41 | 41 | 98 | 195 | 1.083 | 316 | 1.756 | –121 | 164 | 2 | 32.8 | |||
| 18 | Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon | 3 | 106 | 32 | 23 | 51 | 97 | 0.9 | 154 | 1.5 | –57 | 119 | 1 | 39.67 | |||
| 19 | Maccabi Herzliya | 3 | 105 | 25 | 24 | 56 | 113 | 1.076 | 180 | 1.714 | –67 | 99 | 2 | 33 | |||
| 20 | Hapoel Ashkelon | 3 | 101 | 20 | 25 | 56 | 80 | 0.792 | 159 | 1.574 | –79 | 85 | 2 | 28.33 | |||
| 21 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 3 | 103 | 19 | 29 | 55 | 95 | 0.922 | 161 | 1.563 | –66 | 82[nb 10] | 2 | 27.33 | |||
| 22 | Hapoel Nof HaGalil | 2 | 66 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 71 | 1.076 | 93 | 1.409 | –22 | 80 | 1 | 40 | |||
| 23 | Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | 2 | 66 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 58 | 0.879 | 100 | 1.515 | –42 | 57 | 2 | 28.5 | |||
| 24 | Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 2 | 68 | 15 | 13 | 40 | 73 | 1.074 | 143 | 2.103 | –70 | 55[nb 11] | 2 | 27.5 | |||
| 25 | Hapoel Hadera | 1 | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 43 | – | 59 | – | –16 | 42 | 42 | ||||
| 26 | Maccabi Kiryat Gat | 1 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 34 | 1.03 | 58 | 1.758 | –24 | 27 | 1 | 27 | |||
| 27 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 1 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 0.846 | 82 | 2.103 | –49 | 24 | 1 | 24 | |||
| 28 | Hapoel Tzafririm Holon | 1 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 25 | 0.658 | 85 | 2.237 | –60 | 16 | 1 | 16 | |||
| 29 | Sektzia Nes Tziona | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
League or status at 2019–20:
| Ligat HaAl | |
| Liga Leumit | |
| Liga Alef | |
| Liga Bet | |
| Liga Gimel | |
| Clubs that no longer exist |
Player records
Top scorers
- As of matches played 29 April 2018
Most appearances
| Rank | Nat | Name | Years | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Arik Benado | 1991–2011 | 573 | 12 |
| 2 | |
Rafi Cohen | 1988–2010 | 546 | 0 |
| 3 | |
Walid Badir | 1992–2013 | 531 | 71 |
| 4 | |
Alon Harazi | 1990–2009 | 526 | 34 |
| 5 | |
Gidi Damti | 1968–1989 | 519 | 143 |
| 6 | |
Liran Strauber | 1992–2012 | 513 | 0 |
| 7 | |
Shlomo Iluz | 1978–1996 | 509 | 0 |
| 8 | |
Menachem Bello | 1964–1982 | 498 | 1 |
| 9 | |
Yigal Antebi | 1993–2014 | 494 | 14 |
| 10 | |
Alon Hazan | 1984–2004 | 483 | 66 |
Notes
- Maccabi Haifa's final match of the 2000–01 season, at home against Maccabi Tel Aviv, was abandoned after 82 minutes with Maccabi Haifa 3–2 ahead when supporters attempted to invade the pitch, resulting in a crush which injured 41 people. Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded a 2–0 victory.[9][10]
- Maccabi Tel Aviv were deducted 7 points and had 0-0 tie without points
- Hapoel Tel Aviv were deducted 13 points and had 0-0 tie without points
- Beitar Jerusalem were deducted 9 points
- Maccabi Petah Tikva were deducted 3 points
- Bnei Sakhnin were deducted 2 points
- Hapoel Petah Tikva were deducted 12 points
- Hapoel Ironi Acre were deducted 2 points
- Hapoel Kfar Saba were deducted 3 points
- Hapoel Ramat Gan were deducted 4 points
- Maccabi Ahi Nazareth were deducted 3 points
References
- Ben Shimol, David (28 May 2019). "שמה החדש של ליגת העל: ליגת הבורסה לניירות ערך" [The New Name of the Premier League: The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange League]. ynet (in Hebrew).
- "UEFA ranking of European leagues". UEFA. 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- "This season will have no halving of points" (in Hebrew). . ONE. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- }Daskal, Oriel (7 August 2013). "80 מיליון שקל על ליגת העל, לא הגזמנו?" [80 million shekel for the Premier League, haven't we exaggerated?]. Calcalist (in Hebrew).
- "ליגת העל בכדורגל היא מהיום "ליגת ווינר"" [The Football Premier League is from now on "Winner League"]. Maariv (in Hebrew). 1 July 2010.
- Blech, Dor (18 July 2016). "כך ייראה הסכם השיווק הבא של ליגת העל" [This is how the next sponsorship deal of the Premier League will look]. Haaretz (in Hebrew).
- "ליגת העל תיקרא מעתה "ליגת ג'פניקה"" [The Premier League will be called "Japanika League" from now on]. ynet (in Hebrew). 23 August 2018.
- Sinai, Allon (2011-07-20). "Local Soccer: Season schedule released". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- Bleicher, Yaniv (2001-09-13). "Israel 2000/01". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- Adar, Shaul (October 2010). "Walid objection". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- "Israel Football Association". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
External links
- Official website IPFL
- Israel Football Association
- Soccerway
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