Eilat is advancing a major sports strategy led by Mayor Eli Lankri and the municipal economic company, aimed at branding the city as an international sports hub. At the center is the Eilat International Sports City, a flagship municipal project built in stages with long-term planning and major investment in modern facilities.
The complex covers 180 dunams and was designed by V5 Architects, led by Meidad Gandler. It already includes three regulation football fields, support buildings, a FIFA-standard synthetic pitch and a dedicated training field. The second phase is nearing completion and permit approval, and it has added a main stand and a professional team house with locker rooms, a press room, referees’ rooms, treatment and briefing rooms, and a space for team bonding and relaxation.
Next to the sports complex stands one of Israel’s most advanced sports medicine centers, with a doctor’s room, rehabilitation and injury-maintenance rooms, a physiology lab, physiotherapy rooms, ice baths, saunas and a professional gym. Future plans include a 4,000-seat arena, an Olympic pool, professional tennis courts and additional facilities.
The city says its climate, short mild winters, abundant sunshine, Ramon Airport and hotel capacity make it attractive for professional teams from colder European countries. The site has already hosted clubs such as Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Netanya and Bnei Sakhnin, as well as international events including Ghana’s under-21 team and youth tournaments. It also hosts major mass events such as the Sportiada for about 3,000 athletes, the Mechuziada, Maccabi championships, and other competitions in baseball, softball, volleyball and grass handball.
Beyond elite sport, the complex opened its gates during the war in Gaza to children evacuated from Israel’s south and north, providing a stable activity framework. In routine times it is home to Maccabi Bnei Eilat and Maccabi Haifa’s soccer academy, giving local children and teenagers access to high-level training facilities.
