| Full name | Football Section Ness Ziona | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1955; 70 years ago (1955) | |||
| Ground | Ness Ziona Stadium,Ness Ziona,Israel | |||
| Capacity | 3,500 | |||
| Chairman | Eli Cohen | |||
| Manager | Yossi Hakim | |||
| League | Liga Gimel Center | |||
| 2024–25 | Liga Bet, 16 of 16 (relegated) | |||
Sektzia Ness Ziona (Hebrew:סקציית כדורגל נס-ציונה,Sektziyat Kaduregel Nes Tziona,lit. 'Football Section Ness Ziona') was a professionalfootball club from theIsraeli city ofNess Ziona. It most recently played in theLiga Alef South, the third tier of domestic football. Home matches were previously played at theNess Ziona Stadium. Upon their promotion to theIsraeli Premier League for the 2019–20 and 2022–23 seasons, the club moved its home matches to theHaMoshava Stadium inPetah Tikva. It announced its disbandment on September 5th, 2024, due to unresolved financial difficulties.
The club was founded as F.S. Nes Ziona in 1955, following a merger of the local football clubs inNess Ziona,Israel.[1] In their second season of existence they were promoted fromLiga Gimel toLiga Bet.[1][2] In the1962–63 season, they won Liga Bet South B division and were promoted toLiga Alef. Three season later, in the1965–66 season, they won Liga Alef South division and were promoted toLiga Leumit, then the top division. The1966–68 season was played over two years and involved a 4-round (60 match) competition. However, the club managed only eight wins and were relegated. This was to be their only appearance in the top division to date.
During the mid-1990s the club played inLiga Artzit, then the second tier. In the1998–99 season the club finished second from bottom and had four points deducted for breaking budget rules.[3] They were due to be relegated to the third tier, but were demoted to the fourth tier,Liga Alef, as their budget for the 1999–2000 season was not approved by theIsrael Football Association.[4] After finishing bottom of Liga Alef in2000–01, they folded.
In the2004–05 season,Liga Bet club from Ness Ziona, Maccabi Ben Zvi, became Ironi Ness Ziona[5] or Maccabi Ben Zvi\Ironi, as recognized by the Israel Football Association.[6] Ironi finished as runners-up toHapoel Arad, and promoted to Liga Alef after successful promotion play-offs againstHapoel Azor andBeitar Giv'at Ze'ev.[6] Ironi Ness Ziona was renamed in the summer of 2005, becoming Sektzia Ness Ziona (an alternative Hebrew transliteration for "Section"), and the club was reborn. at the end of the2005–06 season, the club won Liga Alef South and promotion toLiga Artzit.[citation needed]
The club won Liga Artzit in2008–09, the last season of Liga Artzit as the third tier ofIsraeli football, and was promoted toLiga Leumit. In the2012–13 season, the club finished second bottom in Liga Leumit and relegated to Liga Alef, where they play today. After a few seasons in Liga Leumit, they became 2nd league champions in 2018–19, and started in theIsrael Premier League in 2019–20.
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