Vasermil Stadium

Vasermil Stadium
אצטדיון וסרמיל
Full name Arthur Vasermil Municipal Stadium
האצטדיון העירוני ע"ש ארתור וסרמיל
Location Beersheba, Israel
Opened 1960
Renovated 2001
Surface Grass
Capacity 13,000
Tenants
Hapoel Be'er Sheva (1960-present)
Maccabi Be'er Sheva (2005-present)

The Arthur Vasermil Municipal Stadium, commonly known as the Vasermil Stadium, is a football stadium in Beersheba, Israel. 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 13,000.

It is the home stadium of Hapoel Be'er Sheva. During the 2005–06 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, Maccabi returned to their home ground.

The stadium has hosted European football, as Hapoel played in the UEFA Cup in 1994–95 and 1995–96 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1997–98. By far the most illustrious visitors were Barcelona, who left the Vasermil Stadium with a 7–0 victory.

Contents

Current status

The city council has plans to demolish the stadium and build a 32,000-seat stadium (initially holding 12,000) and sports complex, at the cost of US$50 million.[1] However, current mayor Ruvik Danilovich has decided to cancel plans to build a new stadium, because of financial considerations, choosing instead that it would be cheaper to renovate the existing Vasermil Stadium.[2] The mayor's decision has angered some Beersheba residents, especially Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans. This is shown by dozens of soccer fans who brought a city council meeting to a halt, protesting against the city council's plans.[2] However, according to The Jerusalem Post, a survey of Beersheba residents has found that the overwhelming majority would prefer the city to renovate the old stadium and upgrade the appearance of the city, rather than dedicating all its funds to the building of a new stadium.[2]

In film

The 2007 film Vasermil is named after the stadium, as the film is set in Beersheba.[3]

References

  1. ^ Be'er-Sheva Stadium GAB Architects
  2. ^ a b c "Soccer fans out of bounds in council protest". The Jerusalem Post. http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1235898314027&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull. Retrieved 2009-08-10. 
  3. ^ Vasermil IMDB page

External links

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