Rugby team
Dimona
Club · Israel · Liga Alef
«Hapoel Dimona»
Yossi Benayoun took his first football steps in Dimona, joining the youth ranks of Hapoel Dimona between 1989 and 1992 before a career that carried him to Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United. A new club rose the following year, and though it registered under the name F.C. Dimona, supporters and journalists never stopped calling it Hapoel Dimona.
Two promotions out of Liga Bet South B, in 2016 and again in 2020 after a relegation two years earlier, mark the club's practical history. What people bring up first, though, is a semi-final in May 2024, against Shimshon Tel Aviv, that would not end. Extra time left it 2-2, and the penalty shootout that followed went to 56 kicks, both sides scoring 28 each before Dimona finally won it 23-22, the longest shootout football has recorded. The run stopped there: Dimona reached the promotion final and lost 0-2 to MS Tira.
Rivalries stay local, fought mainly against Maccabi Kiryat Gat and Beitar Ironi Kiryat Gat, other clubs drawn from the Negev. Matches are played at the Municipal Stadium in Dimona, a ground that holds 1,140 people, in a town whose football has always been sized to fit it.
Latest results
All matches| 9 Sep | Liga Alef |
Maccabi Yavne
H
|
1:0 | W |
| 3 Sep | Liga Alef |
Nordia Jerusalem
A
|
2:0 | W |
| 24 Apr | Liga Alef |
Holon Yermiyahu
A
|
||
| 17 Apr | Liga Alef |
Nordia Jerusalem
H
|
||
| 10 Apr | Liga Alef |
Maccabi Ashdod
A
|
||
| 3 Apr | Liga Alef |
Hapoel Herzliya
H
|
Standing
Liga AlefGroup stage · Liga Alef , South
| # | Team | M | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Maccabi Kiryat Gat
|
21 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 53:18 | 55 |
| 2 |
 FC Jerusalem
|
22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 45:29 | 37 |
| 3 |
Dimona
|
22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 29:30 | 37 |
| 4 |
Maccabi Yavne
|
22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 42:28 | 36 |
| 5 |
 Maccabi Kiryat Malachi
|
22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 27:27 | 35 |
Team statistics
matches counted: 191| Metric | Total | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 191 | 95 | 96 |
| Scored | 287 | 152 | 135 |
| Conceded | 212 | 101 | 111 |
| Scored per game | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Conceded per game | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Difference | +75 | +51 | +24 |
Fixtures of Dimona
-
9 Sep
Maccabi Yavne
H
1:0
W
-
3 Sep
Nordia Jerusalem
A
2:0
W
-
24 Apr
Holon Yermiyahu
A
-
17 Apr
Nordia Jerusalem
H
-
10 Apr
Maccabi Ashdod
A
-
3 Apr
Hapoel Herzliya
H
-
27 Mar
Maccabi Kiryat Malachi
A
-
20 Mar
Beitar Yavne
H
Honours of Dimona
- Liga Bet South B 2016, 2020 2