Israeli Noar Premier League

Israeli Noar Premier League

Country	Israel
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1994
Number of teams	16
Level on pyramid	1 (for youth leagues)
Relegation to	Israeli Noar Leumit League
Domestic cup(s)	Israel Youth State Cup
Current champions	Maccabi Haifa F.C. (2015–16)
Most championships	Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv (8 titles)
Website	http://football.org.il
2015–16 Israeli Noar Premier League

The Israeli Noar Premier League (Hebrew: ליגת העל לנוער‎‎, Ligat Ha'al LeNoar, lit. Youth Super League) is the top division in the Israeli football league system for teenagers between the ages 18–20. From 1994 to 2011, it was called Israeli Noar Leumit League. The league is a continuation of the previous youth league system, established in 1941.

History

A youth football league was established during the British mandate, in 1941, and was played for three seasons. The league resumed for the 1947–48 season, during which the state of Israel was established, and the league was partly finished afterwards.^[1]

Following the establishment of Israel, the league was reorganized, and was divided into regional divisions, with the champions of each division playing a championship play-off to determine the nationwide champions. In 1982, the IFA decided to form a nationwide division, at the top of the league system, called Liga Leumit (similar to the seniors' top division).^[2] In 1994, the IFA re-established the league as the Liga Illit (Hebrew: ליגה עילית‎‎, lit. Super League).

Number of foreigners

Teams are limited to two foreign players per team. Special circumstances such as Druze players from the Golan (no citizenship), such as Weaam Amasha. or cases such as that of Toto Tamuz, who did not had full Israeli citizenship, do not count against the foreign player limit.

Current Noar Premier League clubs (2015–16)

• Beitar Jerusalem
• Beitar Nes Tubruk
• Bnei Sakhnin
• Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv
• F.C. Ashdod
• Hapoel Be'er Sheva
• Hapoel Haifa
• Hapoel Ra'anana
• Hapoel Rishon LeZion
• Hapoel Tel Aviv
• Ironi Kiryat Shmona
• Maccabi Haifa
• Maccabi Netanya
• Maccabi Petah Tikva
• Maccabi Tel Aviv
• Sektzia Nes Tziona

Champions

Season Champions Pre-Independence 1941–42 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1943–44 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1944–45 Hapoel Tel Aviv 1947–48 Maccabi Tel Aviv Regional Leagues 1954–55 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1955–56 Hapoel Haifa 1956–57 Hapoel Jerusalem 1957–58 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1958–59 Gadna Oded Gadna Yehuda Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Jerusalem Maccabi Tel Aviv ^1 1959–60 Gadna Yehuda 1960–61 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1961–62 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1962–63 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1963–64 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1964–65 Gadna Yehuda 1965–66 Hapoel Tel Aviv 1966–67 Maccabi Netanya 1967–68 Maccabi Netanya 1968–69 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1969–70 Shimshon Tel Aviv 1970–71 Maccabi Netanya 1971–72 Beitar Jerusalem 1972–73 Maccabi Netanya 1973–74 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1974–75 Maccabi Haifa 1975–76 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1976–77 Hapoel Ramat Gan 1977–78 Hapoel Tel Aviv 1978–79 Maccabi Haifa 1979–80 Maccabi Netanya Hapoel Petah Tikva Beitar Jerusalem ^1 1980–81 Maccabi Haifa Hapoel Tel Aviv Beitar Jerusalem ^1 1981–82 Hapoel Jerusalem

Season Champions Liga Illit 1982–83 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1983–84 Maccabi Haifa 1984–85 Maccabi Haifa 1985–86 Hapoel Petah Tikva 1986–87 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1987–88 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1988–89 Bnei Yehuda 1989–90 Hapoel Tel Aviv 1990–91 Maccabi Haifa 1991–92 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1992–93 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1993–94 Hapoel Kfar Saba Israeli Leumit Noar League 1994–95 Maccabi Netanya 1995–96 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1996–97 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1997–98 Gadna Tel Aviv Yehuda 1998–99 Maccabi Haifa 1999–2000 Hapoel Petah Tikva 2000–01 Maccabi Tel Aviv 2001–02 Maccabi Tel Aviv 2002–03 Maccabi Haifa 2003–04 Maccabi Haifa 2004–05 Maccabi Tel Aviv 2005–06 Hapoel Haifa 2006–07 Beitar Jerusalem 2007–08 Beitar Jerusalem 2008–09 Maccabi Haifa 2009–10 Maccabi Haifa 2010–11 Maccabi Tel Aviv Israeli Premier Noar League 2011–12 Maccabi Tel Aviv 2012–13 Maccabi Haifa 2013–14 Maccabi Haifa 2014–15 Maccabi Tel Aviv 2015–16 Maccabi Haifa

¹ No playoff was played.

Total championships (from 1994)

Rank	Club	Titles	Winning seasons
1	Maccabi Tel Aviv	8	1995–96, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014-15
1	Maccabi Haifa	8	1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015-16
3	Beitar Jerusalem	2	2006–07, 2007–08
4	Maccabi Netanya	1	1994–95
5	Gadna Tel Aviv Yehuda	1	1997–98
6	Hapoel Petah Tikva	1	1999–2000
7	Hapoel Haifa	1	2005–06

References

• 100 Years of Football 1906–2006, Elisha Shohat (Israel), 2006, pp. 350–351

1. Let the young men now arise, and play before us. David Ovic, 28 January 2012
2. Mini-Empire, The History of the Youth Sector in Maccabi Haifa Itzik Haberman, 18 March 2005, Maccabi Haifa (Hebrew)

External links

• Israel Football Association