Sektzia Ness Ziona F.C.

Sektzia Ness Ziona was founded in 1955 but ceased operating in 2001, leaving the club dormant for four years before it was revived in 2005.[1] The rebuilding effort gradually bore fruit in the lower tiers: in 2006/07 the club was runner-up in the Toto Cup for Liga Artzit, and it reached the same stage in the equivalent Liga Leumit competition in 2010/11 and again in 2021/22.[1]

The club's first appearance in Israel's top division came in 1968, but that single season ended in relegation.[2] What followed was more than half a century in the lower leagues before Ness Ziona began its modern rise through the divisions.

Ness Ziona secured its long-awaited return to the Premier League with a 1–1 draw away to Hapoel Ramat Gan on the final matchday of the National League season in 2019.[3] Ramat Gan took the lead in the 52nd minute, but Sahar Levi equalized five minutes later from a Raz Stein pass, and the point was enough to confirm promotion.[3] The achievement ended a 51-year absence from the top division, and was all the more remarkable because the club had climbed from Liga Alef to the Premier League in just two seasons.[3]

The Premier League stint proved short-lived, however. After one season in the top flight, Ness Ziona was relegated at the end of 2019/20 and dropped back to the National League.[2]

Ness Ziona earned promotion back to the Premier League in 2022, completing its return two years after relegation at the end of the 2019/20 season.[4] Despite beginning the season with only one win in its first five matches, the team recovered with three consecutive victories and extended its run to nine matches unbeaten. Striker Dudu Biton finished as the National League's leading scorer with 18 goals.[4]

Back in the Premier League for 2022/23, the squad was built largely around veteran players under coach Nir Berkovic, with the core challenge of maintaining top-flight status.[5] Among the players named in the squad were Freddy Plumain, Ness Zamir, Aboubakar Keita, Almog Buzaglo, Uri Magbo, and Tal Kahila.[5] The season produced memorable moments, including a 4–3 home victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in September 2022, in which Almog Buzaglo equalized to make it 3–3 before Levan Kutalia scored the winner twenty minutes later.[6] In May 2023, Ness Ziona drew 1–1 with Bnei Sakhnin, Or Roizman putting the hosts ahead before Basil Khuri equalized before half-time.[7] The club was ultimately relegated at the end of 2022/23, rounding out a total of three Premier League seasons in its history.[2]

One of the club's most celebrated individual results came long before its Premier League return. In the 2016 State Cup round of 32, Ness Ziona was a third-division side sitting second in Liga Alef's southern district when it hosted Premier League club Maccabi Netanya.[8] Yotam Penso scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure a 1–0 victory and send the higher-ranked side out of the competition.[8] Coach Ohad Buzaglo said after the match that he had believed his team could win, and described the performance as excellent across the board. "There isn't such a big difference in quality between these teams," he added.[8]

By 2024 Sektzia Ness Ziona was in severe financial difficulty. Creditors, including unpaid players, sought the association's liquidation, and in August 2024 the Registrar of Associations reported serious governance and financial concerns, including suspected improper transfers of assets and profit distribution.[9] The club disputed the Registrar's interpretation of certain payments to its former general manager and his company, offering explanations including the repayment of a loan and reimbursement of expenses; the Registrar rejected those explanations as inadequately supported.[9] These were reported allegations and disputed accounts, not findings of criminal guilt.

Following the cessation of activity, a court-approved sale transferred the club to the nonprofit Double Punch, with support from the municipality, the football association, and the Registrar of Associations.[10] A September 2024 report confirmed that the senior team would compete in Liga Bet for 2024/25 and that the youth department would continue operating.[10]

The club's relegation from Liga Alef before the 2024/25 season, caused by financial problems that prevented it from registering, meant it entered Liga Bet carrying a 12-point deduction.[1] Progress was extremely difficult: by March 2025, after 25 matches, the team had recorded four wins, four draws, and 17 losses, and had reached zero points only in mid-January after 17 rounds.[1] Ness Ziona was relegated to Liga Gimel for 2025/26.

A turnaround came in April 2026, when the lower leagues' activity was halted and promotion places were determined by standing. Ness Ziona finished second in the Central District standings, two points behind Beitar Mevaseret Zion, but was declared promoted to Liga Bet because its success percentage was higher under the football association's temporary rule.[11] The promotion was reported as subject to appeals.[11]