Vasermil Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Vasermil Stadium is a multi-use stadium in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva. 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 around 13,000.
Though the stadium is defined as multi-use, it is in reality used almost entirely for football. It is the home stadium of Hapoel Be'er Sheva, who play in Liga Leumit, the second division of Israeli football. During the 2005-6 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 (the third division), Maccabi returned to their home ground.
The stadium has hosted European football, as Hapoel played in the UEFA Cup in 1994-5 and 1995-6 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1997-8. By far the most illustrious visitors were Barcelona, who left the Vasermil Stadium with a 5-0 victory.
The city council has plans to eventually demolish the stadium and build a 24,000-seat stadium.
