Maccabi Yavne F.C.

Maccabi "Zvi" Yavne () is an Israeli football club based in Yavne. They currently play in Liga Alef.

History

The club was founded in 1962 and played in Liga Gimel, the lowest tier of Israeli football, up until the 1971–72 season, when they started their progress and reached Liga Bet for the first time.12 New faces among 64 Liga Bet football teams
Davar, 13 September 1971, Historical Jewish Press In the 1975–76 season, they won Liga Bet South B division and were promoted to Liga Alef. Four seasons later, in the 1979–80 season, they won Liga Alef South division and were promoted to Liga Artzit, the second tier of Israeli football at the time. After 9th-place finish in their debut season in the second tier, they finished 3rd in the 1981–82 season and were promoted to Liga Leumit (then the top division) for the first time in their history. In 1985 they won the Toto Cup, beating Beitar Jerusalem F.C., Beitar Jerusalem 2–1 in the final. After several lower-mid table finishes, Maccabi were relegated at the end of the Liga Leumit 1986-87, 1986–87 season in which they finished 14th.

Maccabi narrowly missed out a return to the top division, on goal difference, in Liga Artzit 1989-90, 1989–90, when they finished third, level on points with second-placed Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C., Hapoel Tel Aviv. In the 1990–91 Liga Artzit, following season they were promoted, but were relegated at the end of the Liga Leumit 1991-92, 1991–92 season, having finished second bottom.

After a narrow escape in the Liga Artzit 1996-97, 1996–97 season, in which they finished one place and one point above the relegation zone, Maccabi were relegated to Liga Alef (then the third tier) at the end of the Liga Artzit 1997-98, 1997–98 season, in which they won only one match and gained eight points throughout the entire season. Due to league restructuring, at the end of the Liga Alef 1998-99, following season, they dropped into the fourth tier.

In 2000–01 Liga Alef, 2000–01 Maccabi won the South Division of Liga Alef and were promoted back to Liga Artzit. However, they finished bottom of the league in Liga Artzit 2001-02, 2001–02 and were relegated back to Liga Alef. At the end of the 2011–12 Liga Alef, 2011–12 season, Maccabi beat Hapoel Asi Gilboa F.C., Hapoel Asi Gilboa on away goals (2–2 on aggregate) in the promotion playoff final and were promoted to Liga Leumit. In the 2015–16 Liga Leumit, 2015–16 season, the club finished second bottom in Liga Leumit and relegated to Liga Alef.

Current squad

; As of 5 November 2024

Honours

Cups

*Toto Cup
**Winners 1984–85 Toto Cup Leumit, 1984–85

Israeli football league system, League

*Second Division:
**Runners-up ''1988–89 Liga Artzit, 1988–89'', ''1990–91 Liga Artzit, 1990–91''
*Third Division:
**Champions 1975–76 Liga Bet, 1975–76, 1979–80 Liga Alef, 1979–80, 2011–12 Liga Alef, 2011–12
**Runners-up ''1972–73 Liga Bet, 1972–73'', ''1973–74 Liga Bet, 1973–74'', ''1974–75 Liga Bet, 1974–75'', ''1976–77 Liga Alef, 1976–77''
*Fourth Division:
**Champions 1970–71 Liga Gimel, 1970–71, 2000–01 Liga Alef, 2000–01

Former notable managers

* Rafi Cohen (footballer, born 1965), Rafi Cohen (born 1965)

References

External links

Maccabi Yavne
Israel Football Association

{{Liga Alef

Football clubs in Israel, Yavne
Maccabi football clubs, Yavne F.C.
Association football clubs established in 1962
1962 establishments in Israel
Sport in Yavne