Ahva Notzrit Haifa ( he, אחוה נוצרית חיפה, lit. Christian Brotherhood Haifa), also known as Ahvat Notzrim Haifa ( he, אחוות נוצרים חיפה), was an Israeli football club based in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

. The club was the first

Israeli Arab The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

club to play in the second tier of Israeli football league system.Impure league, For ever
Ron Amikam, Globes, 31.1.2013

History

The club was founded in 1949 and played their first season in Liga Meuhedet, the temporary second tier in the 1949–50 season, where they finished seventh out of nine in the Samaria division and relegated to

Liga Gimel Liga Gimel ( he, ליגה ג', lit. ''League C'') is the fifth and bottom division of Israeli Football League, a position it has held since 2009. From Liga Alef and downwards to this, each league is separated by region as well. History Liga Gimel ...

. In the 1951–52 season, the club won

Haifa division and was promoted to Liga Bet, the second tier at the time.Football league kicks off at February 21st
Al Hamishmar, 8.2.1953, Historical Jewish Press In the 1953–54 season, the club finished fourth in Liga Bet North division, and in the following season, reached their best placing ever, when they finished runners-up, four points behind the league winners, Hapoel Kiryat Haim. Thanks to their high placing, Ahva Notzrit were placed in Liga Alef, which became the new second tier in the 1955–56 season, following restructuring of the Israeli football league system. In Liga Alef, the club finished ninth, and went to compete in the

Relegation play-offs In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

against the tenth placed club,

Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים, Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply as Beitar (), is an Israeli football club based in the city of Jeru ...

and the regional winners of Liga Bet,

Maccabi Sha'arayim Maccabi Sha'arayim ( he, מכבי שעריים) is an Israeli football club from the city Rehovot, currently playing in Liga Alef. The club spent the past seven seasons in the top division from 1963 to 1969, and a single season in 1985–8 ...

and Maccabi Hadera. Ahva Notzrit lost 1–2 to Maccabi Hadera and 0–3 to Beitar Jerusalem, and in the last match, drew 1–1 with Maccabi Sha'arayim and relegated to Liga Bet. Following relegation, Ahva Notzrit was dissolved, and all the club players were released.Teams dissolved – Teams founded
Maariv, 30.12.1956, Historical Jewish Press

Honours

* Second tier: ** ''Runners-up'' (1): 1954–55 * Third tier: ** Winners (1): 1951–52

References

{{Football in Israel Defunct football clubs in Israel Football clubs in Haifa