Kiryat Shmona Stadium Nears Return After Renovations

The return of the Kiryat Shmona soccer team to its home stadium is approaching, with an estimated reopening in late January or early February 2027. The team is expected to resume training in the city around that time, following winter overseeding of the pitch. The stadium's renovation plan, first reported by Sport Channel, involves several upgrades. These include replacing existing seats with folding ones, similar to larger stadiums in Israel, removing iron fences from and around the stands and replacing them with specialized glass, and adjusting the grass surface to improve viewing angles. Access routes to the stadium have been refurbished, LED lighting installed, and future plans include smart turnstiles with barcode scanners and display screens. A significant part of the plan is to expand the stadium's capacity to 10,000 seats, for which approval and funding have been secured. The team's fan organization conducted a tour of the stadium with the mayor, the stadium's project manager, the stadium director, and other municipal representatives. The organization expressed its eagerness to return home but stated its willingness to wait longer for a fully renovated facility rather than a patchwork solution. They were assured that expediting the work without compromising quality is a shared interest, as delays could impact promised government funding and the facility's appearance.