HaMakhtesh Stadium
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The HaMakhtesh Stadium (Hebrew: אצטדיון המכתש, Etztadion HaMakhtesh) is a multi-use stadium in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan. The name "HaMakhtesh" translates into English as "The Crater".
Though the stadium is defined as multi-use, it is in reality used almost entirely for football. It is the home stadium of Hapoel Ramat Gan, who play in Liga Artzit, the third tier of Israeli football. Despite Hapoel playing in the UEFA Cup in 2003-4, the stadium has never witnessed European football, as due to a UEFA ban on matches being played in Israel because of security concerns, Hapoel's home match against Levski Sofia was played in Dunajská Streda, Slovakia.
The stadium was originally opened in 1927 and nowadays has an all-seated capacity of around 5,500, though there are only two stands; one behind a goal and the other down the side of the pitch. The record attendance is 9,000 for the championship-deciding match between Hapoel Ramat Gan and Hapoel Petah Tikva on 28 March 1964, which was won by the home side.
