Is That All? Reasons Why Hapoel Be'er Sheva Fails to Attract More Fans in Europe
Fewer than 200 Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans are expected at the stadium in Szombathely, Hungary, tonight. Experts point to the team's recent performance slump and logistical challenges as the primary reasons for the low turnout.
As in the previous week, this evening (Tuesday, 20:30, Sport3) fewer than 200 Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans are expected to be in the stands of the team's home stadium in the city of Szombathely, Hungary. By all accounts, this is too low a number. However, those who compare Hapoel Be'er Sheva to Hapoel Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem are mistaken.
The comparison between the number of fans brought by Hapoel Be'er Sheva and the quantities brought by the two other teams to their matches in Europe is out of place. First, because of the fan base. Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv are national clubs that hold a larger fan base than that of Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Furthermore, it is highly doubtful that in the southern cities adjacent to Be'er Sheva you will find a numerical advantage for Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans over the fans of the other major teams in the country.
And yet, as we noted in the opening, it is too low a number. It should be emphasized that it also stems from the fact that Hapoel Be'er Sheva did not start this season at its peak. In fact, the decline began at the end of last season, when it lost in the State Cup final. It started the current season with a loss in the Champion of Champions match and a loss in Iceland, while presenting poor ability in both games.
Even after taking all these reasons into account, it is too low a number, but there are additional explanations. Hapoel Be'er Sheva has already secured at least a place in the Conference League, unlike Beitar Jerusalem, which fails season after season in its attempt to qualify for a league stage, and certainly unlike Hapoel Tel Aviv, which has not been close to Europe for 12 years. Fans are calculating when it is worth it for them to fly, considering the economic expenses and the high cost of flights in August.
In addition to all these, one must note the location of Hapoel Be'er Sheva's matches. It is quite clear that if it had played, for example, in a city like Batumi, more fans would have arrived.
"A direct flight to a city that has quite a few attractions attracts more fans," say sources in the club. "To get to the place where we are playing, you have to fly to Vienna, Budapest, or Bratislava and travel for another two hours or more. A great many people feel that it is difficult and frustrating to make this journey."
Either way, this is the situation, and with this support, Hapoel Be'er Sheva will have to take the pitch this evening against Red Star Belgrade and try to achieve a good result ahead of the return leg next week in Serbia.
