New Unified Football Club Formed in Rehovot After 100 Years, Led by Former Beitar Jerusalem Coach

A historic development in Rehovot marks the establishment of a new municipal football club named Ironi Rehovot, which will begin competing in Liga Alef South. This is the first new city team in Rehovot in 100 years. The club's professional manager will be Benny Ben Zaken, former coach of Beitar Jerusalem. The creation of Ironi Rehovot follows a restructuring plan that saw the local clubs Maccabi Rehovot and Hapoel Sha'arayim relegated to Liga Gimel, the fifth tier of Israeli football.

Rehovot Mayor Matan Dil finalized the agreement shortly after the start of the season at the city's municipal stadium, which hosts teams from the Israeli Premier League and Liga Leumit. The move was driven by criticism over the presence of top-tier teams unaffiliated with Rehovot using the stadium. As part of the deal, Maccabi Rehovot and Hapoel Sha'arayim will receive annual funding of 350,000 shekels each, contingent on proper management approval, while the municipality assumes all their debts.

The city will also maintain the local playing fields, allowing the two clubs to rebuild gradually without financial burdens. Maccabi Rehovot must pay for stadium usage, whereas Sha'arayim is exempt due to owning two registered fields. Last season, Maccabi Rehovot finished 11th in Liga Alef South with 24 points from 22 matches. The new unified club will play home games at the 6,000-seat municipal stadium, with ambitions to eventually reach the Israeli Premier League.