Friday Night Football Pilot Sees Mixed Fan Turnout
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
A pilot program to reintroduce Friday night Israeli Premier League games has shown inconsistent fan attendance, with an average of nearly 12,000 spectators per match across seven games. However, individual game turnouts varied widely, from over 23,000 down to just over 1,000. Maccabi Tel Aviv, which has not played on a Friday in over 20 years, is set to host Maccabi Petah Tikva this Friday. The league management considers the pilot program successful.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Seven Friday night Israeli Premier League games averaged 11,904 fans, part of a pilot program.
- Attendance varied greatly, with one game drawing 23,100 and another only 1,188.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv is playing a Friday night game for the first time in over 20 years.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Maccabi Petah Tikva on Friday at 2:00 PM.
- The league management deemed the Friday night pilot program successful.
A pilot program to bring Israeli Premier League games back to Friday evenings has seen varied success in terms of crowd attendance. In the seven previous Friday matches analyzed, a total of 83,328 spectators attended, averaging approximately 11,904 per game. However, attendance figures fluctuated significantly between matches.
The lowest turnout was recorded for the November 2024 game between Hapoel Kiryat Shmona and Hapoel Haifa, which drew only 1,188 fans. In contrast, the February 2026 match between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem attracted 23,100 supporters, and a later game between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Be'er Sheva in May 2026 brought 22,700 to Bloomfield Stadium. The Jerusalem derby in February 2025 between Beitar and Hapoel Jerusalem saw a respectable 16,536 fans, while Hapoel Jerusalem versus Maccabi Haifa in November 2024 had 12,576 attendees.
Other Friday games included Maccabi Netanya hosting Hapoel Jerusalem in January 2026 with 3,812 spectators, and Hapoel Jerusalem playing Hapoel Petah Tikva later that month before 3,416 fans. These figures are part of an effort by the league management to revive Friday night games, a move described as a successful pilot from the previous season.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, a prominent club, has not played on a Friday in over two decades. Their last Friday night fixture was on February 24, 2006, a 1-1 draw against Hapoel Nazareth Illit at Bloomfield Stadium. That game was marked by a red card for Maccabi Tel Aviv's Alvin Kiri, a missed penalty by Liran Strauber, and a rebound goal by Avishai Jano to equalize. Eyal Berkovic was also sent off in that match, leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv with nine players.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is scheduled to host Maccabi Petah Tikva on Friday as part of the tenth round of the Premier League, with the game commencing at 2:00 PM at Bloomfield Stadium.
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