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| Full name | Maccabi Kiryat Gat Football Club מועדון כדורגל מכבי קריית גת | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 2020 | ||
| Ground | Municipal Stadium,Kiryat Gat | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Manager | Roman Zolo | ||
| League | Liga Alef South | ||
| 2024–25 | Liga Alef South B, 1st of 16 (promoted) | ||
| Website | https://web.archive.org/web/20110225213458/http://www.mkg.co.il/ | ||
Maccabi Kiryat Gat F.C. (Hebrew:מכבי קריית גת) was an Israeli football team based in the southern city ofKiryat Gat. The club's best achievement has been promotion to thePremier League asLiga Leumit runners-up in 2001, after beatingHapoel Beit She'an on the final day of the season. However, in their first season in the top division, they finished at the bottom of the table, six points from safety, and were relegated back to the second tier.
As a result of the overspending while in the top division, the club suffered financial difficulties, and was demoted to thefourth division by theIFA in 2004, where they played for a decade until 2014, when they were promoted to Liga Leumit.
The club was established as Maccabi Kiryat Gat in 1961[1] by Yehuda Ivanir who also served as chairman. In 1969, he bought the Kfar Gavirol F.C., and Maccabi took its place in theLiga Bet.
In the1978–79 season, the club reachedLiga Alef, for the first time in its history, and finished in the second place. however at the end of the season, the club lost in promotion play-off toHapoel Herzliya, and remained in Liga Alef, up until the1980–81 season, where the club won Liga Alef South division, and achieved historic promotion toLiga Artzit, the second tier ofIsraeli football at the time, but dropped, after one season, to Liga Alef, where the club played until 1994 when it made a return to Liga Artzit.
After seven seasons in the second division, Maccabi finished second in the2000–01 season of Liga Leumit (Liga Leumit replaced Liga Artzit as the new second tier of Israeli football in the 1999–2000 season), and for the first time in history, promoted to thePremier League.
The club has played the2001–02 season in the Premier League under the management ofGili Landau, and during the season, recorded their biggest win in their history, when Maccabi won 4–0 againstMaccabi Haifa, inKiryat Eliezer Stadium. The club finished last in that season and returned to theLiga Leumit. Maccabi remained in the Second Division, Liga Leumit, until 2004, when the club was forced to relegated toLiga Alef due to heavy financial debts.
In 2006, the club merged withBeitar Kiryat Gat F.C. to one municipal club, thus after lengthy negotiations. For years Maccabi was the only Football Club inKiryat Gat (except short period with the existence ofF.C. Kiryat Gat since 2009 until 2012 when the club was merged into Maccabi).
At the beginning of season 2012–13 the Maccabi changed its name to Ironi Kiryat Gat and after a while returned to the former name: Maccabi Kiryat Gat. Since 2013, the club's sponsor is aHamei Yoav baths.
In the2013–14 season, Maccabi won Liga Alef South division, and promoted to Liga Leumit.
In the2015–16 season, the club finished bottom in Liga Leumit and relegated to Liga Alef.
The Women's section of the club won theIsraeli Women's Cup in 2016 and theLigat Nashim championship in 2016–17, 2017–2018, 2020–21, 2021–22.
