Getting back to the games while under fire

Football and basketball leagues across Israel are pushing ahead with plans to complete their seasons as the war continues. (photo credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN) Israeli sports leagues prepare to resume under strict safety guidelines, with empty stadiums and arenas. The professional Israeli sports leagues are gearing up to get back to action in the shadow of war, as both the soccer and basketball competitions are looking to renew their respective leagues over the next few weeks.

The Israeli Professional Football Leagues Administration announced this week that both the Premier League and Leumit League will resume under Home Front Command Guidelines. In the first stage, matches will be held with a minimal number of essential personnel required to conduct the game, as approved by the Home Front Command and without spectators, in order to reduce the amount of people gathered at once. Teams and all participants will be required to operate under strict rules aimed at ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

Stadiums must be approved Home Front Command Stadiums were approved to host matches only after a thorough inspection and confirmation by the Home Front Command that they contain a standard protected space and not merely the “best available protection” as was the case during the Swords of Iron War, capable of accommodating all participants and reachable within the required protection time defined for each stadium’s location. Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv , along with the Netanya Stadium and Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, are all approved facilities. However, there are a number of regularly used stadiums that do not include the Moshava Stadium in Petah Tikva as well as Turner Stadium in Beersheba, among others.

Football and basketball leagues across Israel are pushing ahead with plans to complete their seasons as the war continues. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN) For those stadiums where the standard protected space cannot accommodate all participants, which is the case with more than half of the stadiums, the Administration has launched an expedited operation to procure and install mobile fortified shelters (Mamad units) approved by the Home Front Command. At the Administration’s request, the Ministry of Culture and Sport has mobilized to significantly assist in funding the project.