The Arab Palestine Sport Federation (APSF; ar, الإتحاد الرياضي العربي الفلسطيني, al-Ittihad al-Riadi al-'Arabi al-Filastini) was a governing body of sport activities for

Palestinian Arabs Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

. The federation was active between 1931 and 1937 and between 1944 and 1948. It organized a variant of activities in various sports, mostly in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

, and

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...

History

Sporting events among the Arab populace of

Ottoman Palestine Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south ...

started at the beginning of the 20th century. The first Arab football club, St. George School was established in 1908, and in 1911 a social athletic club, Circle Sportive (al-Muntada al-Riyadi) was established in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

's Old City, which organized several events, including a 1,800 meter street race in Jerusalem. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, further clubs were established in Jerusalem,

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

, Gaza and

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 ...

, as well as in Arab villages throughout the country, numbering at about 20 around 1930 In 1928, the Palestine Football Federation was established. This governing body was initiated by the Jewish clubs, and later turned into the

Israel Football Association The Israel Football Association (IFA; he, ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל, ''HaHit'aḥdut leKaduregel beIsrael'', literally "The Association of Football in Israel") is the governing body of football in Israel. It organizes a variet ...

. The dominance of the Jewish clubs in the PFA, and the disenfranchisement of the Arab clubs led the Arab clubs to establish its own organization. In March 1931 a national Arab-Palestinian football team was organized to meet a visiting team from

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

, and three months later, at a meeting held in Jaffa, the Arab Palestine Sports Federation was established. In the following years, and until the 1936 revolt, the APSF organized several football tournaments along with the

Youth Congress Party The Youth Congress Party was a Palestinian political party that was established by Yaqub al-Ghusayn. It was formed in 1932 in the British Mandate of Palestine and quickly grew to become the largest nationalist association of the early 1930s, counti ...

, and in 1935 the federation organized a sports festival in Jaffa, in which more than 5,000 athletes competed in track and field events, sword fighting and horseback riding. The existence of the APSF encouraged sport activities among the Arab populace, and led to the establishment of several Arab football clubs. However, due to the revolt, the APSF ceased its activities in late 1937. After the dissolution of the APSF, Arab teams and athletes were forced to arrange activities by themselves. Some football clubs re-joined the Jewish-controlled PFA competitions. However, after a controversial decision which eliminated Shabab al-Arab from the

1942 Palestine Cup The 1942 Palestine Cup ( he, הגביע הארץ-ישראלי, ''HaGavia HaEretz-Israeli'') was the thirteenth season of the Israeli Football Association's nationwide football cup competition. This edition of the competition is notorious for two d ...

competition, Arab clubs once again quit the PFA. In December 1942 a football association was established in Jaffa, and a similar association was formed in Haifa in November 1943. In a meeting in September 1944 in Jaffa, the APSF was re-established. The reborn APSF was divided into six regions –

Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...

, Gaza,

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...

and

. By the start of 1945, the APSF had 25 member clubs. The federation arranged a national football league, and a national Arab-Palestinian football team, and tried to set competitions between the national team and nearby national teams. However, as the federation wasn't affiliated to FIFA, as the Jewish PFA was, such arrangements were proved difficult. In 1946, supported by the

Lebanese Football Federation The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) ( ar, الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم, Al-Ittiḥād Al-Lubnānī Likurat Al-Qadam; french: Fédération Libanaise de Football) is the governing body of association football in Lebanon. ...

and the

Egyptian Football Association The Egyptian Football Association ( ar, الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction for the Egyptian football lea ...

, the APSF applied for membership in FIFA, however, the bid was rejected due to the existence of PFA, and the lack of willing to accept another member for the same territory. The federation also arranged

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

meets in 1946 and 1947, including a sports exhibition in Jaffa, where several events, including running events (

sprints Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle * Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint ...

middle-distance running Middle-distance running events are Track and field#Running, track races longer than Sprint (running), sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be clas ...

and

relay races A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, oriente ...

), jumping events (

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

and

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

) and throwing events (

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

and discus).

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, and

events were also organized by the ASPF during these times. By 1948, the APSF membership had risen to 55 clubs, but as the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

progressed, and as the state of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

was established on most of the territory of

, with the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

taken by

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

taken by

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, the APSF was disestablished.

Palestine Premier League

Under the APSF, a national football league was established in 1945. The competition was divided to six regional leagues, which included a top division and lower divisions. The divisions' champions played a play-off competition to set the champions.

League play-off winners

* 1945 Palestine Premier League: Islamic Sport Club Jaffa * 1946 Palestine Premier League: Shabab al-Arab Haifa *

1947 Palestine Premier League The 1947 Palestine Premier League was the third edition of the first tier in the Arab Palestinian football league system, organized by the APSF. The champion was Shabab al-Arab Haifa, defeating Islamic Sports Club Jaffa 5–1 in the final, whic ...

: Shabab al-Arab Haifa

References

{{Football in Palestine Sport in Mandatory Palestine Sports organizations established in 1931 Organizations disestablished in 1937 Sports organizations established in 1944 Organizations disestablished in 1948 1931 establishments in Mandatory Palestine 1944 establishments in Mandatory Palestine Organizations based in Mandatory Palestine

History

Palestine Premier League

League play-off winners

See also

References