View source for Netanya Stadium

{{Short description|Football stadium in Netanya, Israel}}
{{For|the former stadium of Maccabi Netanya|Sar-Tov Stadium}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Miriam Stadium
| nickname = The Diamond Stadium
| image = WikiAir_IL-13-05_A18.JPG
| caption = '''[[UEFA stadium categories|UEFA]]''' {{rating|4|4}}
| location = {{flagicon|Israel}} [[Netanya]], [[Israel]]
| broke_ground = 2005
| opened = 30 October 2012
| owner = [[Netanya|Netanya Municipality]]
| operator = Netanya Municipality
| surface = Grass
| construction_cost = [[Israeli new shekel|₪]] 240 million <ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.one.co.il/Article/207621.html
|title=Netanya new stadium was opened. The cost: 240 million shekel
|publisher=ONE
|language=he
|date=30 October 2012
|access-date=30 October 2011
}}</ref> <br> [[Euro|€]] 55 million
| architect = GAB Architects
| tenants = [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] (2012–present) <br/> [[Hapoel Hadera F.C.|Hapoel Hadera]] (2018–present; temporary) <br/> [[Israel national football team]] (selected matches) <br/> [[Israel national under-19 football team]]{{Unbulleted list|item1_style=background-color:#ccc;|'''Major sporting events hosted'''|[[2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship]]|[[2015 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship]]|[[2018 World Lacrosse Championship]]|[[2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship]]}}
| seating_capacity = 13,610
| publictransit = {{rint|il|rail}} [[Coastal railway line, Israel|Coastal Railway Line]] at [[Netanya Sapir railway station|Netanya Sapir]]
}}

'''Miriam Stadium'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netanya.muni.il/Eng/?CategoryID=1598&ArticleID=2117|title=Netanya Municipality presents: The new Netanya stadium|access-date=5 November 2012}}</ref> ({{langx|he|אצטדיון מרים}}), commonly known as The Diamond Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in [[Netanya]], [[Israel]]. It is used as the permanent home ground of [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]], and it has been used as the temporary homeground of [[Hapoel Hadera F.C.|Hapoel Hadera]]. The stadium also serves the [[Israel national football team]] for some select home matches, as well as the main home ground of the [[Israel national under-19 football team]] as of 2021.

==History==
[[File:Netanya-Stadium_39_(cropped 2).jpg|thumb|Netanya Stadium. The almost exclusively [[friendly matches]] stadium of the [[Israel national football team]]]]
[[File:PikiWiki_Israel_33576_Netanya_Stadium.JPG|thumb|The initial entrance]]
On 30 September 2003, [[Internal Affairs Minister of Israel|Minister of Internal Affairs]] [[Avraham Poraz]] approved the plan to build the stadium in an area called [[Birkat Hanoun]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2773478,00.html
|title=Green light to establish new stadium in Netanya
|publisher=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]]
|date=30 September 2003
|language=he
|access-date=21 December 2011
}}</ref> The plan was for a 24,000-seat stadium, consisting of four separate stands.  The first two stands under construction will be the main east and west grandstands. It will house 36 private boxes, a VIP section and the press areas.  This will be followed by construction of the remaining stands, along with training grounds.

Spread out over 163 [[dunam]]s (16.3 [[hectare]]s), the entire complex was planned to be connected by train and have a parking lot for around 1,000 cars. The architects of the stadium were from GAB (Goldschmidt Arditty Ben Nayin) Architects, one of Israel's leading sport architecture firms based in Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2773478,00.html |title=Building a new stadium in Netanya |publisher=[[Walla!]] |language=he |date=27 March 2005 |access-date=21 December 2011}}</ref> Construction was managed by the Netanya Development Company, who handled planning of the project for three years before construction.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.eufootball.biz/Stadia-Facilities/1329.html
|title=Israeli Maccabi Netanya stadium given go-ahead
|publisher=euFootball.BIZ
|date=1 April 2005
|access-date=16 April 2012
|url-status=usurped
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005846/http://www.eufootball.biz/Stadia-Facilities/1329.html |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref>

The bid for construction run by the Netanya Municipality was won by the company "Ramet", who also built the [[Teddy Stadium]] in Jerusalem. Construction began in 2005. The planned construction completion date was August 2008, but failure to meet scheduling changed the expected opening to March 2009. In 2009, financial disputes emerged between the municipality and the company Ramet, which resulted in the construction being halted.<ref>{{Cite news |last=סרדס |first=עדי |date=2009-03-04 |title=אצטדיון חדש למכבי נתניה? לא בקרוב |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3681281,00.html |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=Ynet |language=he}}</ref> Eventually, Ramet left the project and the work was continued by the company "A. Dori", which was selected in a new bid.

The Sports Betting Council invested approximately 30 million shekels in the construction of the stadium, with the remaining funding coming from the sale of the land of the [[Sar-Tov Stadium]], which was demolished and replaced with residential buildings.

The stadium officially opened on 30 October 2012. The first game was played on 4 November 2012, in front of a sold-out crowd as [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] defeated [[Hapoel Tel Aviv]] 2–1. Netanya's [[Ahmad Saba'a]] became the first player to score a goal in the new stadium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://one.co.il/Article/207864.html|title=ברכת הבית: 1:2 למכבי נתניה על הפועל תל אביב|date=4 November 2012 }}</ref>
The stadium hosted the [[2012–13 Israel State Cup]] finals in front of 8,621 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.walla.co.il/?w=/157/2640602|title=הפועל רמת גן זכתה בגביע המדינה|work=וואלה! ספורט|date=8 May 2013}}</ref> A week later the Youth State Cup finals were held in the stadium in front of 4,600 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.walla.co.il/?w=/3825/2643044|title=מכבי חיפה זכתה בגביע המדינה לנוער|work=וואלה! ספורט|date=18 May 2013}}</ref>

It was one of four venues for the [[2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship]], holding three group matches and a semi-final.
It was also one of four stadiums to host the [[2015 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship|2015 UEFA European women's under-19 Football Championship]] and the final of the tournament.

The stadium played host to two open day and the championship game of the [[2018 World Lacrosse Championship]].

The first [[friendly match]] of the [[Israel national football team]] was played on 6 February 2013. Israel hosted the [[Finland national football team]] and won the match by a score of 2–1.

==Average attendance==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Team
!Average<br/>Attendance
!Season
|-
| rowspan="13" valign="center"|[[Maccabi Netanya]] || 5,046<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210620140427/https://sports.walla.co.il/?w=/157/18/1918/@stat.v9]</ref>|| [[2012–13 Israeli Premier League|2012–13]]
|-
| 3,742 || [[2013–14 Liga Leumit|2013–14]]
|-
| 5,978<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2133&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי|work=וואלה! ספורט}}</ref> || [[2014–15 Israeli Premier League|2014–15]]
|-
| 4,705<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2231&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2015/16 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref> || [[2015–16 Israeli Premier League|2015–16]]
|-
| 2,890 || [[2016–17 Liga Leumit|2016–17]]
|-
| 7,390<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2437&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2017/18 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref> || [[2017–18 Israeli Premier League|2017–18]]
|-
| 5,836<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2506&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2018/19 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref>|| [[2018–19 Israeli Premier League|2018–19]]
|-
| 5,614<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mundial.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2568&stat=18=|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2019/20 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref>|| [[2019-20 Israeli Premier League|2019–20]]
|-
| 1,412 (due to [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]]) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2623&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2020/21 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref> || [[2020-21 Israeli Premier League|2020–21]]
|-
| 6,993<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2690&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2021/22 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref>|| [[2021-22 Israeli Premier League|2021–22]]
|-
| 7,013<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2732&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2022/23 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref>|| [[2022-23 Israeli Premier League|2022–23]]
|-
| 6,074<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2788&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2023/24 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref>|| [[2023-24 Israeli Premier League|2023–24]]
|-
| 6,394<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.walla.co.il/stats?leagueId=2833&stat=18|title=ממוצע קהל ביתי בליגת העל 2024/25 - וואלה! ספורט}}</ref>|| [[2024-25 Israeli Premier League|2024–25]]
|}

==International matches==
[[File:Netanya-Stadium 16.JPG|thumb|View of the east stand]]
[[File:WikiAir Flight IL-13-01 IMG 4760 cropped.JPG|thumb|Netanya Stadium aerial view]]
[[File:PikiWiki_Israel_33578_Golden_Ball_sculpture_in_Netanya_Stadium.JPG|thumb|Golden Ball sculpture in front of the Netanya Stadium]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Date !!  !! Result !! !! Competition  !! Attendance
|-
| 6 February 2013 || {{fb|ISR}} || 2-1 || {{fb|FIN}} || Friendly || 6,150
|-
| 5 March 2014 || {{fb|ISR}} || 1-3 || {{fb|SVK}} || Friendly || 7,200
|-
| 6 June 2017 || {{fb|ISR}} || 1-1 || {{fb|MDA}} || Friendly || 5,000
|-
| 24 March 2018 || {{fb|ISR}} || 1-2 || {{fb|ROM}} || Friendly || 7,925
|-
| 15 November 2018 || {{fb|ISR}} || 7-0 || {{fb|GUA}} || Friendly || 5,900
|-
| 7 September 2020 || {{fb|ISR}} || 1-1 || {{fb|SVK}} || [[2020–21 UEFA Nations League B|2020–21 UEFA Nations League]] || 0
|-
| 18 November 2020 || {{fb|ISR}} || 1-0 || {{fb|SCO}} || [[2020–21 UEFA Nations League B|2020–21 UEFA Nations League]] || 0
|-
| 15 November 2021 || {{fb|ISR}} || 3-2 || {{fb|FRO}} || [[2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification]] || 6,800
|-
| 29 March 2022 || {{fb|ISR}} || 2-2 || {{fb|ROM}} || Friendly || 6,970
|}

==See also==
*[[Sports in Israel]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Netanya Stadium}}
{{reflist}}

{{Israel national football team}}
{{Maccabi Netanya F.C.}}
{{Israeli Premier League}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|32|17|39.6|N|34|51|52.47|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Football venues in Israel]]
[[Category:Maccabi Netanya F.C.]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Central District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Sport in Netanya]]
[[Category:Lacrosse venues]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 2012]]
[[Category:2012 establishments in Israel]]