Vasermil Stadium
Encyclopedia
The Arthur Vasermil Municipal Stadium, commonly known as the Vasermil Stadium, is a football stadium in Beersheba
, Israel
. The stadium is designed as an open bowl (though a small part of one side has cover), and formerly had a running track, though this has now been bricked over. The stadium is all-seated, and the capacity is 13,000.
It is the home stadium of Hapoel Be'er Sheva. During the 2005–06 season, it was also the home ground of Maccabi Be'er Sheva
who had been promoted to Liga Leumit
at the end of the previous season and were not allowed to play matches at their home ground due to its small capacity. After their relegation back to Liga Artzit
, Maccabi returned to their home ground.
The stadium has hosted European football, as Hapoel played in the UEFA Cup in 1994–95 and 1995–96 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
in 1997–98. By far the most illustrious visitors were Barcelona
, who left the Vasermil Stadium with a 7–0 victory.
50 million.
However, current mayor Ruvik Danilovich
has decided to cancel plans to build a new stadium, because of financial considerations, choosing instead that it would be cheaper to renovate the existing Vasermil Stadium. The mayor's decision has angered some Beersheba residents, especially Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans. This is shown by dozens of soccer fans who brought a city council meeting to a halt, protesting against the city council's plans.
However, according to The Jerusalem Post
, a survey of Beersheba residents has found that the overwhelming majority would prefer the city to renovate the old stadium and upgrade the appearance of the city, rather than dedicating all its funds to the building of a new stadium.
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The stadium is designed as an open bowl (though a small part of one side has cover), and formerly had a running track, though this has now been bricked over. The stadium is all-seated, and the capacity is 13,000.
It is the home stadium of Hapoel Be'er Sheva. During the 2005–06 season, it was also the home ground of Maccabi Be'er Sheva
Maccabi Be'er Sheva F.C.
Maccabi Be'er Sheva Football Club , is an Israeli football team based in Beersheba. While not nearly as popular as their city rivals, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the club made great strides in recent years including gaining promotion from Liga Bet to the Liga Leumit in just four seasons...
who had been promoted to Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit is the second tier in the Israeli football league system below the Premier League.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the lowest-placed team are relegated to Liga Alef while the highest-placed team from Liga Alef are promoted in their place...
at the end of the previous season and were not allowed to play matches at their home ground due to its small capacity. After their relegation back to Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit was the third tier of Israeli football after the Premier League and Liga Leumit, and was run by the Israel Football Association.-Structure:...
, Maccabi returned to their home ground.
The stadium has hosted European football, as Hapoel played in the UEFA Cup in 1994–95 and 1995–96 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
in 1997–98. By far the most illustrious visitors were Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, who left the Vasermil Stadium with a 7–0 victory.
Current status
The city council has plans to demolish the stadium and build a 32,000-seat stadium (initially holding 12,000) and sports complex, at the cost of US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50 million.
However, current mayor Ruvik Danilovich
Ruvik Danilovich
Ruvik Danilovich is an Israeli politician. In 2008, he was elected mayor of Beersheba, Israel, after serving as deputy mayor under Yaakov Turner.-Career:...
has decided to cancel plans to build a new stadium, because of financial considerations, choosing instead that it would be cheaper to renovate the existing Vasermil Stadium. The mayor's decision has angered some Beersheba residents, especially Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans. This is shown by dozens of soccer fans who brought a city council meeting to a halt, protesting against the city council's plans.
However, according to The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
, a survey of Beersheba residents has found that the overwhelming majority would prefer the city to renovate the old stadium and upgrade the appearance of the city, rather than dedicating all its funds to the building of a new stadium.
