F.C. Bnei Jaffa Ortodoxim ( he, מועדון ספורט בני יפו אורתודוקסים), ''Moadon Sport Bnei Jaffa Ortodoxim'', lit. ''Bnei Jaffa Orthodox Sport Club'' (or in short he, מ.ס. בני יפו אורתודוקסים ''Mem Samekh Bnei Jaffa Ortodoxim'', lit. ''F.C. Bnei Jaffa Orthodox'') is an

Arab-Israeli 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 ...

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 ...

club based in

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 ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. The club is the result of the merger of F.C. Bnei Jaffa and Hapoel F.C. Ortodoxim Jaffa. They are currently in

Liga Bet Liga Bet ( he, ליגה ב', lit. ''League B'') is the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into four regional divisions. History League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of ...

South A division.

History

The club was founded in 2012 by

s as the result of the merger of F.C. Bnei Jaffa and Hapoel F.C. Ortodoxim Jaffa, which at the time, were both playing in Liga Bet South A division.

F.C. Bnei Jaffa

The club was founded in 1963 as Hapoel Ihud Tzeirei Jaffa. Tzeirei Jaffa played in

Liga Alef Liga Alef ( he, ליגה א', , League A) is the third tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into two regional divisions, north and south. History League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declar ...

, the third tier of Israeli football (the fourth from 1999 to 2009), in two different spells, which ended in relegation to

in both 1984–85 and 2000–01 seasons. their best placing was the third place in Liga Alef South at the 1983–84 season. The club folded in 2001 due to major financial problems, and re-established in 2003 under a new name, Hapoel Ihud Bnei Jaffa, since it was impossible to use the original name, due to its deep debts. Hapoel Ihud Bnei Jaffa played with that name until the 2007–08 season, in which they finished fifth in Liga Gimel Tel Aviv division. Prior to the 2008–09 season, they merged with Liga Bet club, A.S. Ramat Eliyahu, which already merged after the 1999–2000 season with Maccabi Jaffa. The merged club became F.C. Bnei Jaffa and inherited Ramat Eliyahu's spot in Liga Bet South A division.

Hapoel F.C. Ortodoxim Jaffa

The club, which was also known as HaTzofim HaOrtodoxim, was founded in 1970 as part of the sports activities of

Christian Orthodox Scout Association The Orthodox Scout Association was founded in 1968. As of 2011, the Orthodox Scouts maintain a membership of approximately 2,500, ages 7 to 18. They are aligned to the Arab and Druze Scouts Movement. The emblem features the wreath from the flag of ...

, which was founded in 1966. The club played in

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 ...

, the lowest tier of Israeli football up until the 2006–07 season, when they finished runners-up in Liga Gimel Tel Aviv division and were promoted to

.Liga Gimel Tel Aviv – 2006/2007
The Israel Football Association

After the merger

The merger between F.C. Bnei Jaffa and Hapoel F.C. Ortodoxim Jaffa was signed on 29 July 2012.

The first season ''The First Season'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1989. The film stars Kate Trotter as Alex Cauldwell, a woman in British Columbia who, following the death of her fisherman husband Frank (Dwight Koss), tries to support herself and her dau ...

of the merged club was successful, as they finished fifth in

South A division and qualified for the promotion play-offs, where they lost in the first round 2–3 to F.C. Kafr Qasim, which were eventually promoted to

. The following season ended in ninth-place finish.

Honours

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

¹As Hapoel Ihud Tzeirei Jaffa

External links

F.C. Bnei Jaffa Ortodoxim
Israel Football Association

References

Football clubs merged
Jaffa Portal, 1.8.2012 {{Liga Bet Arab Israeli culture in Tel Aviv Christianity in Tel Aviv Jaffa Ortodoxim Football clubs in Tel Aviv Association football clubs established in 2012 2012 establishments in Israel Arab-Israeli football clubs