Hapoel Ahva Haifa F.C.

Hapoel Ahva Haifa
Full name	Hapoel Ahva Haifa Football Club; הפועל אחוה חיפה
Founded	1959
Ground	Avi Ran, Haifa
Chairman	Issa Houri
League	Liga Gimel Samaria
2015–16	9th
Home colours	Away colours

Hapoel Ahva Haifa (Hebrew: הפועל אחוה חיפה) is an Israeli football club based in Haifa. The club currently plays in Liga Gimel Samaria division and play home matches at the Avi Ran Ground in Haifa. Their main rivals are Beitar Haifa.^[1]

History

The club was founded in 1959 and was one of the first Arab-Israeli football clubs in Israel. According to the club's founder and chairman, Issa Houri, "Following the dissolution of Ahva Notzrit Haifa (in 1956),^[2] Ahva (which means "brotherhood" in Hebrew) was founded in the meaning of brotherhood of people. The club is proud in a squad consisting of Christians, Muslims and Jews".^[3]

Ahva Haifa played mostly in the lower divisions of Israeli football. The club reached Liga Bet (then the third tier), for the first time in the 1971–72 season and finished ninth in North B division. However, in the following season they were relegated back to Liga Gimel after second bottom finish. 28 years later, in the 2001–02 season, the club returned to Liga Bet (now as the fifth tier),^[4] and in the 2005–06 season, they won Liga Bet North B division and were promoted to Liga Alef.^[5] In the 2007–08 season, the club finished second bottom in Liga Alef North and relegated back to Liga Bet. The club suffered further relegation at the end of the 2012–13 season, after they lost in the Liga Bet North A relegation play-offs to Hapoel Ihud Bnei Sumei and Hapoel Sakhnin and relegated to Liga Gimel, now the fifth and lowest tier of Israeli football, where they play today.

Honours

League

Honour	No.	Years
Fifth tier	1	2005–06

Cups

Honour	No.	Years
Liga Bet divisional State Cup	1	2009–10

References

^ Derby of the suburbs walla.co.il, 9.4.2010 (in Hebrew)
^ Teams dissolved – Teams founded Maariv, 30.12.1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
^ New at website: Weekly journey following the amateur leagues Archived 2014-10-23 at the Wayback Machine Israel Football Association, 3.12.2009 (in Hebrew)
^ Liga Bet North B Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine One (in Hebrew)
^ Liga Bet North B Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine One (in Hebrew)

External links

Hapoel Ahva Haifa Sayid Houri Archived 2014-10-19 at the Wayback Machine Israel Football Association (in Hebrew)

[1] Derby of the suburbs walla.co.il, 9.4.2010 (in Hebrew)

[Teams_dissolved_-_Teams_founded-2] Teams dissolved – Teams founded Maariv, 30.12.1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)

[New_at_website:_Weekly_journey_following_the_amateur_leagues-3] New at website: Weekly journey following the amateur leagues Archived 2014-10-23 at the Wayback Machine Israel Football Association, 3.12.2009 (in Hebrew)

[4] Liga Bet North B Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine One (in Hebrew)

[5] Liga Bet North B Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine One (in Hebrew)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Liga Gimel
Upper Galilee	Bnei Maghar Hapoel Ihud Bnei Sumei F.C. Beit Jann Hapoel Mi'ilya Hapoel Nahef Hapoel Fassuta Ihud Bnei Majd al-Krum Tzeirei Sakhnin
Lower Galilee	Beitar Kafr Kanna Beitar Kiryat Ata Bnei Kafr Yasif F.C. Kabul F.C. Kafr Yasif Hapoel Bnei Dir al-Asad Hapoel Ironi Ibli'in Maccabi Basmat Tab'un Maccabi Ihud Bnei Ibtin Tzeirei Kafr Manda
Jezreel	Beitar Umm al-Fahm Bnei Daburiyya Bnei Umm al-Fahm F.C. Kafr Kama F.C. Mash'ad Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel Hapoel Ein as-Sahala Hapoel Ramot Menashe Megido Hapoel Reineh Hapoel Tzeirei Nazareth Maccabi Ironi Barta'a Tzeirei Iksal
Samaria	Beitar Pardes Hanna F.C. Kababir F.C. Kiryat Haim F.C. Pardes Hanna-Karkur F.C. Or Akiva F.C. Karmel Haifa Hapoel Bnei Jasr a-Zarqa Hapoel Ihud Bnei Jatt Hapoel Kiryat Haim Maccabi Barkai Tzeirei Haifa Tzofey Haifa
Sharon	Beitar Kfar Saba Beitar Mate Binyamin Beitar Tubruk Bnei Jaljulia Bnei Tira F.C. Bnei Ra'anana F.C. Bnei Zemer F.C. Giv'at Shmuel F.C. Kafr Qasim Nibrass F.C. Ironi Ariel Hapoel 1928 Kfar Saba Hapoel Oranit Hapoel Pardesiya Ironi Rosh HaAyin Maccabi Ironi Kfar Yona Maccabi HaSharon Netanya Shimshon Bnei Tayibe
Tel Aviv	Agudat Sport Holon Beitar Ezra Beitar Jaffa Bnei Herzliya Bnei Yehud Dizengoff Tel Aviv Elitzur Jaffa Tel Aviv Elitzur Yehud Yotel F.C. Tel Aviv Hakoah Gil Ramat Gan Hapoel Neve Golan Hapoel Ramat Yisrael Hapoel Tzafririm Holon Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel Maccabi Hashikma Ramat Hen Maccabi Ironi Or Yehuda Maccabi Pardes Katz Maccabi Spartak Ramat Gan Maccabi Yehud-Monosson Shikun Vatikim Ramat Gan
Central	Ashdod City Beitar Gan Yavne Beitar Gedera Bnei Ramla Bnei Yeechalal Rehovot Beitar Ironi Ma'ale Adumim F.C. Be'er Ya'akov F.C. Rishon LeZion Hapoel Mevaseret Zion Hapoel Tirat Shalom Ihud Tzeirei Abu Gush Ironi Beit Shemesh Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov Maccabi Bnei Abu Gush Macccabi Kiryat Ekron Tzeirei Lod
South	Bnei Yeruham F.C. Be'er Sheva F.C. Be'er Sheva Haim Levy F.C. Meitar Hapoel Bnei Kuseife Hapoel Rahat Maccabi Ashkelon Maccabi Be'er Sheva Maccabi Ironi Hura Otzma Be'er Sheva Tzeirei Rahat
Seasons (fifth tier)	1958–59 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
Seasons (sixth tier)	1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09