Hapoel Acre F.C.

Hapoel Acre
Full nameHapoel Acre Football Club
מועדון כדורגל הפועל עכו
Founded1946; 78 years ago (1946)
GroundAcre Municipal Stadium, Acre, Israel
Capacity5,000
OwnerDan Lobalski
ChairmanHaim Parboznik
ManagerYaron Hochenboim
LeagueLiga Leumit
2023–24Liga Leumit, 9th of 16

Hapoel Acre Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל הפועל עכו, Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Akko) is an Israeli professional football club based in Acre. Incorporated in 1946 the club competes in Liga Leumit.

History

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Founded in 1946, the club dwelt in the lower leagues until they won Liga Bet North A in the 1962–63 season and promoted for the first time to Liga Alef, the second division by then. In 1973–74, they won Liga Alef North division. However, the Israel Football Association decided that season on promotion play-off, involving the top 2 clubs in each Liga Alef division, and the bottom two clubs in Liga Leumit. after finishing in 5th position (out of 6), they were not promoted.

After second-place finish in the 1974–75 season, Hapoel won Liga Alef North division in the 1975–76 and were promoted to the top division for the first time. After finishing 11th (out of 16) in their first season, they won only two matches the next season, and were relegated to Liga Artzit, which was the new second division at the time. This proved to be their last appearance in the top division for the next 31 years.

In 1982–83 the club had dropped into Liga Alef, the third tier at the time. They promoted back to Liga Artzit at the end of the 1984–85 season, after winning the Promotion play-offs against Lazarus Holon,[1] and remained there seasons at the second tier, until the 1987–88 season, where they finished bottom, and relegated to Liga Alef for the second time.

In 1998–99 they were promoted to Liga Artzit (the new third tier, due to the creation of the Israeli Premier League that summer). However, in 2003–04, the club finished as runners-up, and were promoted back to Liga Leumit. In 2005–06, the club won their first ever piece of silverware, picking up the second division's Toto Cup after beating Hapoel Be'er Sheva 5–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.[2] In 2008–09, the club finished as runners-up, and promoted to the Premier League.

In the 2010–11 season, the club achieved its best placing to date, when they finished eighth in the Israeli Premier League.

On 3 June 2013, an agreement was signed between Hapoel Acre association and the municipality of Acre, and as a result, a new association was appointed by the municipality.[3]

In the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, the club finished at the bottom of the league at the end of the regular season. However, they avoided relegation in both occasions, following a strong finish of the bottom play-offs. In the 2015–16 season, the club finished second bottom and relegated to Liga Leumit, after seven successive seasons in the top division.

Stadium

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The youth academy's home ground of Hapoel Akko

The club's traditional ground was the 5,000-seat Napoleon Stadium in Acre.[4] Whilst the ground was being refurbished, the club played in Nazareth Illit at Green Stadium shared with Hapoel Nazareth Illit in the 2009–10 and the 2010–11 seasons. In the 2011–12 season the club played in the first month at Ilut Stadium in Ilut, located near Nazareth in northern Israel, before moving to their new Acre Municipal Stadium.

The club's traditional ground was the 5,000-seat Napoleon Stadium in Acre.[5] Whilst the ground was being refurbished, the club played in Nazareth Illit at Green Stadium shared with Hapoel Nazareth Illit in the 2009–10 and the 2010–11 seasons. In the 2011–12 season the club played in the first month at Ilut Stadium in Ilut, located near Nazareth in northern Israel, before moving to their new Acre Municipal Stadium.

Current squad

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As of 27 September 2024[6]
No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Israel ISR Nikola Đurković
3 DF Israel ISR Ali Khatib
4 DF Israel ISR Ofek Atias
5 MF Israel ISR Shon Weiss
6 MF Israel ISR Iham Shehade
7 FW Israel ISR Bar Nawi
8 MF Israel ISR Danny Rozeblit
9 FW Israel ISR Shahaf Sapir
10 FW Israel ISR Amit Zenati
11 MF Israel ISR Oren Sitbon
12 DF Nigeria NGA Philip Ipole
14 DF Israel ISR Dan Sirkis
15 FW Israel ISR Eden Ben Simon
17 MF Israel ISR Mohammed Abu Fani
18 FW Israel ISR Idan Golan
20 DF Israel ISR Loai Taha (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 GK Israel ISR Yonathan Shabi
23 MF France FRA Romain Habran
24 DF Israel ISR Noam Marelly
25 FW Nigeria NGA Peter Onyekachi
26 MF Israel ISR Ari Porat
27 DF Israel ISR Ashraf Rabah
28 DF Israel ISR Aviv Bitton
30 MF Ivory Coast CIV Claude Kouakou
33 DF Israel ISR Muflah Shalata
44 DF Israel ISR Nitay Bitan
51 FW Israel ISR Yuval Oren
66 GK Israel ISR Ariel Bardugo
70 FW Israel ISR Oded Chekol
77 DF Israel ISR Hanan Biton
99 FW Israel ISR Ilay Biton
FW Brazil BRA Marco Túlio

Managers

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References

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  1. ^ Hapoel Acre Maariv, 30.6.1985, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
  2. ^ Hapoel Acre won the Leumit Toto Cup nrg.co.il, 31.1.2006 (in Hebrew)
  3. ^ Hapoel Acre: Agreement was signed between the municipality and the association walla.co.il, 3.6.2013, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
  4. ^ Life down under: Expect the unexpected Haaretz
  5. ^ Life down under: Expect the unexpected Haaretz
  6. ^ "Hapoel Acre" (in Hebrew). Football.org.il (Israel Football Association). Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
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