The mayor is leading a revolutionary plan for the area of the old stadium, the youth department pitches and the adjacent bus parking lot. This morning Saar said: “Today the dream is starting to come true”
Posted on: 23.2.22 11:31
Everyone is familiar with the outdated Levita Stadium in Kfar Saba, the distance of the pitch from the stands, its terrible acoustics and the uncomfortable viewing conditions. Hapoel Kfar Saba fans have been longing for a new and modern stadium for many years, and now the news may be coming. Mayor Rafi Saar is leading an initiative in cooperation with the Israel Land Authority, to which the area belongs, to build a new stadium, next to the existing stadium.
The plan, which was initiated by Saar and is in the process of being formulated among the parties involved, includes the area of the existing stadium, which is relatively large, the area of the youth department facilities, and the area of the bus parking lot south of the youth fields. It should be noted that Levita Stadium sits relatively on a large area, due to the areas located behind the gates.
Rafi Ser. Photo by Ilan Safra, Kfar Saba Municipality
The program was presented by Rafi Saar this morning at a special press conference, which was also attended by Deputy Mayor Oren Cohen, sports portfolio holder, Deputy Mayor Degani Harush, director of the Sports Authority, Shaul Mittelberg, and Yitzhak Shom and Shlomo Sharaf who welcomed the program. According to the plan, on the bus parking lot and youth department facilities, and probably also on a small part of the existing stadium area, a new stadium will be built, with about 8,000 seats, surrounded by stands on all four sides, what is called in football language “All Around Stadium”. It is a stadium at a European level with commercial areas like in the big cities in Europe. Next to it, high-level youth department plots will be built. A huge underground car park will also be built. On the rest of the area, a new residential building is planned, with an estimated 500 housing units. This is a neighborhood that will be in demand since it will be located next to Kfar Saba Park.
Levita Stadium Photo by Ezra Levy
Saar said: “A city with such a worthy team in the Premier League deserves a worthy stadium. From the day I took office 3 years ago, I promised that we would build a worthy stadium in the city of Kfar Saba and today the dream begins to form, this is an important step in the project.”
Shlomo Sharaf said: “I congratulate Mayor Rafi Saar on this important initiative. This is real news for the residents, a stadium is finally being built here. “Now our excellent players who have played in other stadiums will be able to play in their municipal home stadium, which will be built for the glory of the city.”
Levita Stadium officially has about 5,800 seats. According to Wikipedia, “Plans to build the stadium began in 1966, when Hapoel Kfar Saba played in the orchard on Tchernichovsky Street in the city, near Meir Hospital. Several years later, the municipality approved the plan to build it. Construction of the stadium was postponed due to funding difficulties. In 1976, construction of the stands began about three years later, after which the works were suspended for several years due to budgetary difficulties, and construction was completed in 1986. The stadium was inaugurated on October 11, 1986. On October 26, the first gate in the stadium was occupied by a Hapoel Kfar Saba player. , Meir Nazhar, who scored in his team’s 0-2 victory over Maccabi Netanya.
The stadium’s spectator record was set on April 18, 1987, when 9,000 spectators watched the victory of Betar Jerusalem, which won the national championship that season, over Hapoel Kfar Saba by a score of 2-3. 2,000 of the spectators who watched the game were transferred to a dirt embankment on the east side of the field. The West was completely filled in. In 2000, it was decided to name the stadium after Yair Levita, who was the chairman of Hapoel Kfar Saba for 30 years. In his youth, Levita served, among other things, as a goalkeeper for Hapoel and Maccabi Kfar Saba. “In 2006, extensive renovations were completed in the area of the stadium, which included the construction of an organized parking lot in the area of the stadium, the improvement of access roads to it and the renovation of the locker rooms and the referees’ rooms.”
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