ABOUT US
More Than a Club. A Movement.
Hapoel Jerusalem FC is unique in professional sports - we're Israel's first fan-owned soccer club, where nearly 1,000 supporters don't just fill the stands; they own the team. For over 100 years, we've been Jerusalem's heartbeat, but since 2007, we've been something revolutionary: a nonprofit professional club where every goal scored funds goals achieved in our community.
While our men's and women's teams compete at Israel's highest levels, our true victories happens off the field. In a city where invisible lines divide neighborhoods—Jewish from Arab, secular from religious, rich from poor—we've created something unprecedented: shared spaces where Jerusalem's children play as teammates, not rivals.
We're not just changing the game. We're changing lives.
OUR STORY
When Fans Saved More Than a Club
Picture this: It's 2007, and Hapoel Jerusalem is struggling. Mismanagement has left us broke, relegated to the third division, with fans protesting in the streets. Most clubs would have folded. But our supporters had a different idea - they didn't just want to save their team; they wanted to redefine what a soccer club could be.
They created "Hapoel Katamon," Israel's first fan-owned professional club. Today, those supporters have built something remarkable: both our men's and women's teams compete in Israel's Premier League, consistently outperforming privately funded rivals with deeper pockets. But every transfer fee, every sponsorship dollar, every ticket sale gets reinvested into addressing Jerusalem's most pressing social issues.
Then October 7th changed everything.
Among the 1,200 murdered that day, we lost one of our own: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a dedicated fan taken hostage at the Nova festival. His friend Aner Shapira, another passionate supporter, died fighting Hamas terrorists face-to-face. For eleven months, Hersh's empty seat became our symbol of hope. When Hamas murdered him in captivity, that hope transformed into something even more powerful - purpose.
Understanding Jerusalem is understanding our mission.
This city is where communities live just blocks apart but feel worlds apart. It's a place of incredible beauty and deep complexity, where tensions that have lasted for centuries can erupt into daily headlines. But watch what happens on our training grounds twice a week: over 750 kids from more than 50 teams across East and West Jerusalem show up wearing the same jerseys, following the same rules, chasing the same ball. Arab and Jewish children, religious and secular, from wealthy neighborhoods and struggling ones—all discovering they have more in common than they ever imagined.
This is our strength: we took soccer—the universal language—and transformed it into systematic social change. One program, one player, one community at a time.
OUR LEADERSHIP
OUR PARTNERS
