Miriam Stadium

The stadium stands in Netanya’s southern industrial zone, near Highway 2 and commercial businesses. Its oval structure is enclosed on all sides, with a north–south long axis; the design was intended to provide sightlines from the stands and facilitate spectator entry and circulation.[3]

The venue was built for Maccabi Netanya and later became known as Miriam Stadium. A 2024 report listed its capacity as 13,610 seats. A 2012 preview reported 14,000 seats, reflecting variation in the figures reported at different dates and levels of precision.[1][3]

Netanya Municipality signed an agreement with the Sports Facilities Fund in 2005 to build a new municipal football stadium. The Netanya Development Company, after overseeing three years of planning, was to manage construction, with the finished stadium transferred to the municipality. Initial plans described a 163-dunam site incorporating commercial space, three training grounds, a ring road, and parking for 1,000 cars. They also specified accessibility for people with disabilities and construction to European standards, with the capacity to host international matches.[4]

The project’s reported cost and schedule changed as planning advanced. A 2005 report estimated a cost of NIS 120 million, including NIS 35 million from the Sports Facilities Fund, a NIS 15 million municipal loan, and about NIS 60 million expected from selling the former stadium. When work began in January 2006, the estimated cost was reported as more than NIS 135 million; the stadium itself was then expected to occupy about 66 dunams within the larger complex, with 12,000 seats initially and a possible later expansion to 20,000. Completion was then anticipated for June 2008, after about two and a half years of construction.[4][5]

The opening was delayed beyond the original target. A report around the 2012 inauguration put the final construction cost at NIS 240 million, more than twice the NIS 105 million original budget it said had been approved in 2005. It identified the replacement of the original contractor, Ramat, by A. Dori as the main cause of the increase. Mayor Miriam Feierberg said the two contractors’ work cost NIS 161 million, with additional items bringing the total to NIS 240 million. Other reporting described the cost as about NIS 250 million.[6][1]

The stadium was formally inaugurated on November 4, 2012, when Maccabi Netanya defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 2–1. Ahmed Saba scored the first goal at the ground. The stadium replaced Maccabi Netanya’s former HaKufsa ground, where the club had won five championships during the 1970s and 1980s.[7]

An inauguration ceremony had been held on October 30. A report describing the venue listed 17 private viewing boxes, four large changing rooms, an 80-square-meter electronic scoreboard, and an advanced sound system. It also noted that the November 4 league match against Hapoel Tel Aviv would be the stadium’s first. At the ceremony, former Maccabi Netanya star Motaleh Shpigler said, “I played at HaKufsa, I played in the neighborhood, but today I’m fulfilling a dream and I’m moved.”[8]

The 2012 preview reported 1,200 car-parking spaces and 100 bus spaces beside the stadium. It said the former HaKufsa site was to be sold for residential development, with proceeds going toward the new ground.[3]

Miriam Stadium has served as Maccabi Netanya’s home ground and has also hosted Maccabi Herzliya, Ironi Kiryat Shmona, and Hapoel Hadera. The Israel national team has played there several times.[1]

The stadium hosted matches in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, including the opening fixture between Israel and Norway on June 5. The tournament ran from June 5 to June 18 at venues in Netanya, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Petah Tikva; the final took place at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium.[9]

Thousands of Israeli-Russian fans came to the stadium to support Russia in its match against Germany during the tournament. Germany won 2–1, eliminating both teams. The venue also hosted the 2013 State Cup final, which Hapoel Ramat Gan won 4–2 on penalties against Ironi Kiryat Shmona.[10][7]

In 2024, Netanya’s city council unanimously approved naming the stadium for sitting mayor Miriam Feierberg-Ikar. The initiative had first been proposed by former council member Herzl Keren and was later revived after former Knesset member Efi Oshaya contacted naming committee chair and deputy mayor Adir Binyamini. The proposal cited Feierberg-Ikar’s role in establishing the stadium as a modern replacement for HaKufsa and framed the naming as recognition of her contribution to the city.[11]

Binyamini called Feierberg a “mythological mayor” and said she had served longer than any other mayor since the city’s founding.[1] The new name, Miriam Stadium, was formally unveiled at a ceremony in March 2025, about 13 years after the stadium opened. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar attended.[2][7]

A 2019 stadium ranking identified access as the venue’s main weakness, giving it a score of 6.5 out of 10. The writer said one would expect a train station immediately beside the stadium or, at minimum, a dual-lane access road. The article also described the stadium as having two stands and argued that sharing the venue with other league teams made it feel less like a home ground for Maccabi Netanya.[12]

Published cost figures changed as the project developed. In 2005, the estimated cost was NIS 120 million.[4] When construction began in 2006, the estimate had risen to more than NIS 135 million.[5] A report around the 2012 opening gave a final cost of NIS 240 million, while later reporting described the cost as about NIS 250 million.[6][1]

Capacity plans and reported totals also varied. The 2005 design called for 12,000 seats in the first stage and 20,000 more in the second, for a proposed total of 32,000.[4] In 2006, the plan instead described an initial 12,000 seats and a later total of 20,000.[5] A 2024 account listed 13,610 seats.[1] Around the opening, Globes reported 13,800 seats and a possible future expansion to 24,000, while a Ynet preview rounded the capacity to 14,000.[6][3] These figures reflect successive plans and differing reporting conventions rather than one uniform estimate.