The coronavirus crisis has made it hard to hold any sporting activity or to be able to maintain a football team in full fitness and activities at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team are being held by “remote control” as each individual worries about their own and their families’ health.

The coaching staff of the under-19 team, Maccabi “Shahar,” have created a weekly work programme for the players and they all keep in touch with each other and monitor progress using the Zoom app, head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon said.

“At the moment we are mainly working on strength and stability and our fitness coach, Tal Volik, is in charge of putting the players through their paces. In the current circumstances it’s very important for the players to be able to maintain their fitness as much as possible,” Ben Aharon said. He added that the players are also engaged in video analysis of their performances in matches this season, and the goalkeepers also have their own training routine. Other ideas are being worked on to keep the players in form and will be added later, he said.

The team hold three online coaching sessions during the week with the staff, while the rest of the time is devoted to individual work when it is up to the players to look after themselves. “We are not policing the players and don’t need them to show us what they are doing, but they know very well that if they don’t work to keep up their fitness, they will fall badly behind when we get back to our regular schedule. I expect the players to all work according to the programme that has been devised, and to work on aspects that require more attention and to build up their physical strength. “Each player who needs help or who has a query can ask an available fitness coach who is available to respond.” Ben Aharon said that dietary issues were also being controlled by the club and that each player knows what they need to eat, and when.

On a personal level, Ben Aharon said that he is using the time to take stock of the season so far and to better himself when play resumes. “I want to improve what I do in every way, and this is a good opportunity to raise my level as a coach. “I must also add that it is very gratifying to see the team do all it can to maintain fitness levels and it is a good sign that the culture that our coaches have created at the Academy is gaining the response from the players almost without exception. It’s also good to see that the players’ families are involved,” Ben Aharon said.

He called on all coaches and players to adopt the same approach and continue to train and keep fit as much as possible so that when the time comes to return to action, it will be much easier for everybody.

“Maccabi Tel Aviv is a family that stays united as it aims to remain the best youth academy even in these trying times,” he said.

The current state of affairs has us all confined to our homes and this was a chance for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team midfielder Nadav Nidam to give us a glimpse of his daily life. It’s on the Academy’s Instagram account and you can watch it here.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy has stopped operating in their regular mode because of the coronavirus pandemic but the players and the coaching staff are continuing to work independently from home much with the help of video communications. The person responsible for ensuring that everybody keeps in touch is Eliel Horovitz, the manager of the club’s youth teams.

Horovitz came to Israel from Argentina at age six and has always been surrounded in football. Although he was never a player, he knew that he would have a career in the Beautiful Game which he loves dearly. Before coming to Maccabi, he was involved in football TV production and at a player agency. He has qualified as a coach and holds a UEFA-A licence.

“I have been a Maccabi fan ever since I started watching football, and I remember Avi Nimni wearing a bandage around his head, although I can’t remember if that is accurate, it has remained etched in my mind,” Horovitz said. He jumped at the opportunity to work for Maccabi after four previous years’ of involvement in football, “I didn’t have to think twice when the opportunity arose,” he said.

“(Maccabi Tel Aviv) is the best place in Israel to advance and to learn about the job,” he added. Horovitz began as a coach with youngsters and had great success, and after a season, he was offered a position on the administrative side to manage the club’s youth teams.

Among his responsibilities are ensuring that all the elements among the youth outfits, the coaching staff and players, know what they are supposed to do and when. Horovitz is in charge of creating schedules as befits a club with the aspirations and size of Maccabi Tel Aviv. It can involve ensuring that players who have recently been drafted into the military receive the help to secure time off for training and matches, and looking after foreign players and ensuring they are welcomed and made to feel at home.

“It’s very hard to define the role in a narrow sense, as it involves many aspects, and I have to be ready to respond to any situation that may arise at any time. That is never easy when you work for a large club like Maccabi.”

With the players and coaches currently confined to their homes because of the cornonavirus outbreak, the club faces a previously unknown challenge. Horovitz is in the same predicament as everybody else.

“The past days and most likely the coming weeks will be particularly tough for everybody. This is certainly true in our field too. We have all been operating under strict rules from day one and we are passing on instructions to the players about their need to behave responsibly while continuing to train as much as possible and at the same time, keep up their morale. The fitness coaches are in continual contact with the players and are monitoring their health situation so that they can carry out their fitness training alone at home. Let’s hope that this situation will be as short as is feasibly possible.”

Horovitz is the one charged with ensuring that the younger players know the rules that will help them in the future. “I’m the ‘bad policeman’ who keeps constant watch to ensure that the players are following instructions, are carrying out their tasks and are behaving correctly and in line with what the club expects of them. It is important for the players to set an example as befits Maccabi Tel Aviv, and as individuals.”

Horovitz is also the go-to guy to assist the players and sort out problems. “Balancing between the two roles is what the job is all about,” he says.

On a personal level, Horovitz says that the challenges of the job are a constant learning experience and he’s improving day to day in everything he does.

“There is a lot of pressure and things change all the time. It’s different to anything else I have known in a normal job, but working at a place I believe in and am proud of makes it a calling. I know I want to give more of myself and improve.”

While he looks ahead, for the foreseeable future, Horovitz still sees himself in the role for at least the coming year, because making longer-term plans are irrelevant, he said.

And while he continues to develop in the role, he doesn’t forget the fun side of the job and the importance of keeping a smile and laughing “because without the humour, there wouldn’t be much point in choosing such a profession.”