HaMoshava Stadium

The stadium sits at 12 Derekh Em HaMoshavot in northern Petah Tikva, several hundred meters from Hapoel Petah Tikva's former ground.[4][1] It was designed by the Jerusalem firm Goldschmidt, Arditi, Ben Naim, which specializes in sports facilities.[1] Israel David Engineers served as structural engineer, while the construction consortium comprised Manrav Engineering and Building (49%) and Danya Cebus (51%).[4]

The structure features two large stands covered by canopies of steel trusses and gray sheet metal, giving the building a visual character that one architecture article compared to nearby office buildings.[1] Architect Yossi Ben Naim stated that building the stadium at its current scale was preferable to constructing a smaller, less impressive venue.[5] The sheet-metal roof was described by Calcalist as "Made in Israel" and said to give the structure the appearance of a spaceship.[5] The stadium is open on two sides and includes locker rooms, referee and management rooms, press facilities, and viewing suites.[5]

Access to the stadium benefits from a nearby train stop and major roads, though the site's geography — an existing exit to the west, the Maccabit highway to the east, and a railway station and tracks to the north — constrains parking and egress options.[5][6] A small dignitary parking area held only 55 spaces plus several spaces for disabled visitors at the time of opening.[6]

Plans for the stadium were reported as early as 2007, when the project was described as a covered venue of 11,000 seats on a 60-dunam site, using prefabricated elements.[4] Work was expected to begin in late June 2007 and take two years, subject to budget approval, a building permit, and a financing agreement.[4] The venue was eventually inaugurated in December 2011 after delays and problems.[2]

The total construction cost was approximately NIS 200 million.[3] NIS 50 million came from the Council for the Regulation of Sports Betting, with the remainder funded by Petah Tikva Municipality.[3] By 2020, an architecture review noted that at least NIS 200 million had been invested in the build, with additional millions spent on maintenance.[1]

Reported seating capacity has varied across sources and time. Early plans cited 11,000 seats.[4] A 2020 architecture review described 11,500 seats in two stands, while a 2012 report cited about 12,000 places and noted a future expansion option that could bring capacity to 20,000.[1][3] On April 28, 2026, Walla Sports reported that the city had issued a tender for a southern stand that would add roughly 2,000 seats to approximately 11,000 then-existing seats, together with additional audience amenities and services.[7] The report situated the stadium within a sports district that also includes training fields, a skatepark, padel courts, and gymnastics facilities.[7] A June 2, 2026, Calcalist Corporate article, by contrast, described the venue as having about 15,000 seats.[8] The sources do not reconcile the difference.

The stadium's inauguration ceremony took place in December 2011, with the first competitive match scheduled between Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Acre.[2] The opening period was accompanied by a series of disputes and logistical difficulties that attracted significant local media coverage in the weeks that followed.[6]

Spectator seats behind the teams' benches were found to have obstructed views of the pitch. After the problem was publicized, the benches were removed and the players sat in the front rows of the stand.[6] Post-match traffic was a more persistent issue: at major games, thousands of vehicles were funneled through a single exit route, and some spectators reportedly waited close to an hour to leave the stadium area.[6] Municipal officials discussed opening additional access routes and creating more parking, but the stadium's location limited practical options.[6]

On the technology side, a new automated entry-control system was installed at a cost of approximately NIS 700,000.[9] The system used one-time barcode tickets at turnstiles, directed fans to the correct entrances, and gave managers real-time crowd-level data by stand; backup computers and local controllers were included for cases of failure.[9] At the first match where the system was used, entry took one to two seconds per person and the system recorded a 100% success rate, with no unread tickets and no spectators stuck at turnstiles.[9]

A 2012 comparison of stadium conditions before and after the move from the previous Orva Stadium showed measurable improvements. Hapoel Petah Tikva's average attendance rose from 3,270 in its final two seasons at Orva to 4,350 in its first season at HaMoshava, an increase of 33 percent.[10] Maccabi Petah Tikva's average climbed from 1,900 to 2,180, a 15 percent rise.[10] The same review noted that Hapoel supporters had previously endured poor conditions at Orva and counted the club's fans among the clearest beneficiaries of the move.[10]

Goal averages per match also shifted upward. Hapoel Petah Tikva's matches averaged 1.96 goals per game in the final two years at Orva, rising to 2.3 at HaMoshava; Maccabi Petah Tikva's average moved from 2.2 to 2.8.[10] The article described the stadium as beautiful while criticizing its exit route.[10]

In 2019, Petah Tikva Municipality, through the Petah Tikva Development Company, put the stadium's naming and branding rights out to tender. Shlomo Insurance won the contract for four years for approximately NIS 2.5 million, with an option for a further four years; the deal covered both interior and exterior branding.[11] At that point the stadium served as the home venue of five teams — Hapoel Petah Tikva, Maccabi Petah Tikva, Sektzia Ness Ziona, Hapoel Kfar Saba, and Hapoel Ra'anana. It contained approximately 8,000 square meters of commercial space and received around 300,000 visitors annually.[11]

A 2020 architecture review noted that the initial ambition was for the venue to host performances and municipal or national events as well as football, while arguing that stadiums of this type often remained unused for much of the year.[1] In 2021, a collaboration between Aluma Infrastructures Fund and Cellcom, following a tender by the Petah Tikva Development Fund, was announced to make the Shlomo Insurance Stadium Israel's first smart 5G stadium.[12] The network was expected to cost up to NIS 3.5 million, with proposed experiments including player-worn cameras allowing spectators to watch from players' perspectives and 3D viewing for at-home viewers who purchased tickets.[12]

A June 2026 Calcalist Corporate article promoted the venue as joining Israel's large-scale concert circuit.[8] The announced series was scheduled to begin with an Omer Adam performance for Bank Leumi customers on June 8, followed by a Ben Tzur performance on June 11. The article highlighted access by light rail, Israel Railways, and major transport routes.[8]

Several controversies surrounded the stadium's opening. The most visible was the dispute over its name: at the December 2011 inauguration, close to 600 people gathered outside, including Hapoel Petah Tikva supporters who objected to the name "HaMoshava" and called for it to be renamed "Rosh HaZahav" — Hebrew for "Golden Head" — in honor of Nahum Stelmach, described as the club's greatest player.[2] Neighborhood residents who joined the protest expressed frustration over what they saw as misplaced municipal spending priorities and neglect of their area.[2]

A group of approximately 50 rabbis, including heads of yeshivas and kollels, wrote to the municipality asking that the stadium not open on the Sabbath, warning that doing so risked widespread Sabbath desecration.[2] Club official Avi Luzon responded that matches would take place only after the Sabbath concluded.[2] Former Hapoel Petah Tikva player and local resident Idan Hillel voiced a broader concern about priorities, saying: "First and foremost, there should be education, and after that football."[2]