Maccabi Rishon LeZion (handball)

Maccabi Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: מכבי ראשון לציון) is a professional handball club from the city of Rishon LeZion, Israel. They compete in the Israeli Handball League, within the Israeli first division.

Rishon LeZion

Location of Maccabi Rishon LeZion

מכבי ראשון לציון‎ Maccabi Rishon LeZion
Full name	Maccabi Rishon LeZion
Founded	1950
Arena	Beit Maccabi Sport Centre
Capacity	1,500
President	Arik Alcalay
League	Winner League
Club colours
Home Away

History

Maccabi Rishon Lezion was founded in 1950 by Danny Reingold, Mishka Davidson, Mena Davidson, Prof. Arnon Sofer and Motella Rosenstein. He won his first championship in 1959. In 1964, the club disbanded for one season and was re-established a season later. The team's biggest achievement in the European Cups was on its first appearance there in 1983 when it reached the EHF Cup Winners' Cup semifinal, losing to the Spanish team FC Barcelona. After some bad years in the 1990s, the team returned to success: between 2003 and 2007 it won three championships and four cups. During its history, it won 18 national championships (in 1959, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023), 12 national cups (1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2019). Their biggest rival is Hapoel Rishon LeZion, another great Rishon LeZion team. The derby games between them have been very tense throughout the last two decades.

Crest, colours, supporters

Kits

HOME
2022–23

AWAY
2022–23

Sports Hall information

Home hall: Beit Maccabi Sport Centre

• Arena: - Beit Maccabi Sport Centre
• City: - Rishon LeZion
• Capacity: - 1500
• Address: - Golda Meir 21. 25002 Rishon LeZion, Israel

Team

Current squad

Squad for the 2023–24 season^[1]

Maccabi Rishon LeZion
Goalkeepers 01 Gradimir Čanevski 16 Eitan Elbaz 27 Tal Yossi Ilioukhine Left Wingers 09 Aviv Leifer 20 Ravid Noyman 24 Nadav Nizri Right Wingers 14 Alon Shulman 18 Idan Mena 55 Guy Gera Line Players 13 Itay Yakov Schvaifel 33 Gal Azriel 79 Adi Cohen Central Backs 11 Noy Fayerman 19 Pavel Atman 29 Ivan Karačić 35 Itay Shalma Left Backs 10 Yizhak Meloul Right Backs 08 Yermiyahu Sidi

Technical staff

• Physiotherapist: Nelly Aminov

Transfers

Transfers for the 2023–24 season

Joining Aviv Leifer (LW) from Hapoel Ashdod Alon Shulman (RW)

Leaving Moshe Elimelech (GK) to Handball Club Holon Amit Motola (RW) Sharon Peres Shalem (LW) Kesem Amiel (LW) Yonatan Hadar (RB) Gafar Hadžiomerović (LP) to HSC Kreuzlingen[2]

Previous squads

2018–2019 Team
Shirt No	Nationality	Player	Birth Date	Position
2	Israel	Snir Natsia	(1999-08-26) 26 August 1999 (age 25)	Line Player
3	Israel	Yoav Neeman	(1980-01-06) 6 January 1980 (age 45)	Right Winger
5	Israel	Omer Gera	(1992-07-28) 28 July 1992 (age 33)	Line Player
7	Israel	Bar Masuri	(1990-10-23) 23 October 1990 (age 34)	Left Winger
8	Israel	Yermiyahu Sidi	(1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 31)	Right Back
9	Croatia	Marko Matić	(1988-01-25) 25 January 1988 (age 37)	Left Back
10	Israel	Vladislav Kofman	(1988-04-16) 16 April 1988 (age 37)	Central Back
11	Serbia	Rastko Stojković	(1981-07-12) 12 July 1981 (age 44)	Line Player
12	Romania	Vasile Iulian Strat	(1975-01-01) 1 January 1975 (age 50)	Goalkeeper
13	Israel	Yonatan Rosental	(1989-08-18) 18 August 1989 (age 35)	Left Winger
14	Israel	Dan Tepper	(1994-03-04) 4 March 1994 (age 31)	Goalkeeper
18	Israel	Daniel Andres Friedmann	(1990-11-19) 19 November 1990 (age 34)	Right Winger
22	Israel	Ram Turkenitz	(1995-09-26) 26 September 1995 (age 29)	Left Back
24	Israel	Amit Stelman	(1993-01-09) 9 January 1993 (age 32)	Right Winger
29	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Ivan Karačić	(1985-05-26) 26 May 1985 (age 40)	Central Back
32	Israel	Eldar Shikloshi	(1990-03-05) 5 March 1990 (age 35)	Goalkeeper
55	Israel	Rotem Segal	(1999-06-29) 29 June 1999 (age 26)	Right Back
89	Israel	Kesem Amiel	(2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 25)	Left Winger

2016–2017 Team
Shirt No	Nationality	Player	Birth Date	Position
3	Israel	Yoav Neeman	(1980-01-06) 6 January 1980 (age 45)	Right Winger
5	Israel	Omer Gera	(1992-07-28) 28 July 1992 (age 33)	Line Player
7	Croatia	Robert Markotić	(1990-03-07) 7 March 1990 (age 35)	Right Back
9	Israel	Gal Moshe Avraham	(1981-08-15) 15 August 1981 (age 44)	Left Winger
10	Israel	Vladislav Kofman	(1988-04-16) 16 April 1988 (age 37)	Central Back
11	Israel	Dor Pinhas Kalderon	(1995-07-28) 28 July 1995 (age 30)	Central Back
12	Romania	Vasile Iulian Strat	(1975-01-01) 1 January 1975 (age 50)	Goalkeeper
15	Israel	Dor Geva	(1990-03-12) 12 March 1990 (age 35)	Left Winger
16	Israel	Raz Zecharia	(1997-07-31) 31 July 1997 (age 28)	Goalkeeper
18	Israel	Daniel Andres Friedmann	(1990-11-19) 19 November 1990 (age 34)	Right Winger
19	Israel	Roee Biton	(1990-10-02) 2 October 1990 (age 34)	Left Winger
23	Slovenia	Rok Praznik	(1980-03-15) 15 March 1980 (age 45)	Central Back
24	Israel	Amit Stelman	(1993-01-09) 9 January 1993 (age 32)	Right Winger
26	Israel	Tal Gera	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 29)	Line Player
29	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Ivan Karačić	(1985-05-26) 26 May 1985 (age 40)	Central Back
32	Israel	Eldar Shikloshi	(1990-03-05) 5 March 1990 (age 35)	Goalkeeper
55	Israel	Rotem Segal	(1999-06-29) 29 June 1999 (age 26)	Right Back
91	Israel	Matan Golz	(1994-01-10) 10 January 1994 (age 31)	Central Back
99	Serbia	David Rašić	(1986-12-04) 4 December 1986 (age 38)	Left Back

Titles

• Winner League
  • Winner (18) : 1959, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2023
• Israel Handball Cup
  • Winner (12) : 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2019

EHF ranking

As of 6/3/2024^[3]

Rank	Team	Points
110	SKA Minsk	44
111	MT Melsungen	44
112	BK-46	44
113	Maccabi Rishon LeZion	43
114	Handball Käerjeng	42
115	RK Vogošća	42
116	Dinamo Viktor Stavropol	42

Former club members

Notable former players

• Ivan Karačić (2016–)
• Robert Markotić (2016–2017)
• Marko Matić (2018–2019)
• Milorad Krivokapić (2014–2015)
• Radivoje Ristanović (2017–2018)
• Silviu Băiceanu (2011)
• Pavel Atman (2022–)
• Rok Praznik (2016–2017)
• Renato Vugrinec (2015–2016)
• Luis Felipe Jiménez Reina (2017–2018)
• Branko Kankaraš (2021–2022)
• Duško Milinović (2008–2009)
• Rastko Stojković (2018–2019)