Hapoel Haifa

Hapoel share it with their neighbours from across town.

The club itself grew out of the labour movement, not a boardroom. On 24 April 1924, during Passover, 36 delegates tied to the Histadrut trade union gathered in a house in Haifa's Hadar district and founded the first workers' football club in Palestine. A week later, on May Day, the new side beat a team of Haifa railway workers 3-1 in its first fixture. It had started inside Maccabi's sporting federation, but broke away within two years to help found the rival Hapoel movement.

Money nearly finished what history had started. Two of the goals that won it, in the deciding match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, belonged to Oren Zeituni. Shapira's death by suicide preceded years of turmoil: from 2001 to 2004 the club existed under temporary liquidators after bankruptcy, still standing on paper but run from the outside, until businessman Yoav Katz bought it in 2004.

European nights produced their own moments — Amir Turgeman scoring twice against Club Brugge in the UEFA Cup, Đovani Roso finding the net in Champions League qualifying against Beşiktaş.

None of it carries the weight of the Haifa derby. Now both sides walk out onto the same Sami Ofer pitch to play them.