The Yud-Alef Stadium ( he, אצטדיון הי"א, ''Etztadion HaYudAlef'', lit. ''The 11 Stadium'') is a football

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Ashdod Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, that was built for local football sides Maccabi Ashdod, Beitar Ashdod (both merged in 1981 to form Maccabi Ironi Ashdod) and Hapoel Ashdod (merged with Ironi Ashdod in 1999 to create F.C. Ashdod). The stadium was given the name "Yud-Alef" in 1973, after the eleven Israeli athletes murdered in the

Munich massacre The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September, who infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two member ...

( Yud- Alef is used in Hebrew numerals used to represent the number 11). The naming ceremony took place on 17 July 1973, when the stadium hosted the final of the 1973 Maccabiah Games.Mexico Didn't Danger the U20's Gold At All
Shmuel Shohat, Ma'ariv, 18 July 1973, Historical Jewish Press There are four stands in the stadium which is not aesthetically pleasing. The stadium is also thought to be one of the few in the world where the home fans have fewer seats than the visitors. There are a total of 4,000 seats in gates three and four (set aside for visiting supporters). Gates one and two together hold only 3,420 giving the local side a disadvantage when a bigger club comes to town. In a recent article in

Yedioth Ahronoth ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...

, it was found that the stadium was not built properly and is not safe. The only parts that were deemed safe were the locker rooms and showers. In January 2015 the stadium management unveiled a new a revamped VIP stand.An upgrade at the Stadium: Yes, But Only in the VIP Stand
Yair Harush, 7 January 2015, Mynet.co.il On 29 August 2006 the fences surrounding the pitch were removed to make for better sightliness for visitors to the stadium.England in Ashdod: Stadium fences removed
One.co.il

References

Maccabi Ironi Ashdod F.C. Hapoel Ashdod F.C. F.C. Ashdod Football venues in Israel Sports venues completed in 1966 Yud-Alef Sports venues in Southern District (Israel) {{Israel-sports-venue-stub