Maccabi Rishon LeZion
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Wikipedia - 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.
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.
The team's home arena is the Beit Maccabi Rishon LeZion Sports Hall, which has a seating capacity of 1,500 spectators. The team's colors are blue and white, which are also the colors of the Israeli flag.
Maccabi Rishon LeZion has a strong roster of talented players, including Israeli national team members and international players from countries such as Serbia, Croatia, and Spain. The team is known for its fast-paced and aggressive style of play, with a focus on quick transitions and strong defense.
Off the court, Maccabi Rishon LeZion is involved in various community outreach programs, including youth handball clinics and charity events. The team has a dedicated fan base and is widely regarded as one of the top handball teams in Israel.