Sports and Recreation Center at Tel Aviv Port

The Background

It may be hard to imagine that, only several years ago, one of the city’s most striking and popular centers for commerce, dining, and leisure stood practically derelict. Built in 1938, the Port of Tel Aviv (Namal), located in the northwest section of the city, was Tel Aviv’s first port. It closed down in 1965 when the Port of Ashdod was opened. For many years, the majority of the buildings in the port were used either as storage facilities or small factories.

In 2001, the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai, launched a creative initiative to re-develop the area and turn it into a high-end commercial, cultural, entertainment, and recreational precinct. This ambitious plan successfully transformed the area into a vibrant hub for leisure activities for residents and visitors to Tel Aviv. Under the rubric of this project, the dilapidated factories became trendy restaurants, fashion houses, and nightclubs. Radio Tel Aviv set up its headquarters in the newly renovated Port, and a boardwalk, complete with shaded seating areas, was developed. Parking lots were also built to accommodate the crowds.

Today, 60,000-100,000 people come to the port on a daily basis to shop, dine and enjoy the recreational facilities. On weekends, this number swells to over 300,000 with visitors from around the country. As part of the refurbishment, Israel’s largest wooden deck was built along the coast, designed in a wavy pattern inspired by the undulating sand dunes upon which the young city of Tel Aviv was originally established. This magnificent seaside promenade has become one of Tel Aviv’s most popular hotspots. People flock to the port to enjoy the ambiance, the scenery, and the action. With the addition of the outdoor sports and recreation facility, the Port has become a welcoming and attractive destination for children and their families to enjoy.

The Sports and Recreation Center

In the last decade, the Port of Tel Aviv has become a popular leisure and recreational attraction for young and old alike. In line with the Municipality’s focus on encouraging
residents to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a decision was made to add an intergenerational sports and recreation center to the port’s already impressive array of facilities and services. The site chosen for this center is in the heart of the port area, where the old Maccabiah
Originally built in 1932, the Maccabiah Stadium was demolished in April 2012 to pave the way for the Municipality’s re-development blueprint for the coastline, which encompassed the area of the Port of Tel Aviv, the old exhibition grounds, and the banks of the Yarkon River. The magnificent outdoor sports and recreation center is a palm-tree enclosed area of 15,000 square meters. It includes a state-of-the-art playground with age-appropriate play equipment for toddlers and children, as well as fun and challenging sports equipment for teenagers and adults. The ground is padded for safety, well-lit, beautifully landscaped, and wheelchair-accessible. Due to its vast size, hundreds of people can utilize this state-of-the-art outdoor gym at any given time. Since its inauguration, tens of thousands frequent the area each month.

The Investment

The total cost of the Tel Aviv Port Sports and Recreation Center is $3,700,000
City of Tel Aviv Matching Funds $1,850,000
Requested Donation $1,850,000

The outdoor sports and recreation area will be named according to the donor’s request.