Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-19 team striker Ronen Hanchis is stuck at home with the rest of the country and has used the Youth Academy’s official Instagram account to share his feelings with us all. Watch here

Like almost all other footballers around the world, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth (under-19) team is facing an unusual period, and all contact is taking place via video link. The team’s fitness coach, Tal Volik, told us about the day-to-day activities he has devised, and the importance of keeping the players focused.

Volik is an all-round sportsman, having played amateur football in Germany, trained with the national rugby squad, basketball in amateur tournaments, handball and beach volleyball. He is currently completing his degree in physical education at Wingate Institute with an emphasis on working with elite athletes.

Volik joined Maccabi’s Youth Academy three years ago and began working with the under-19s this year.

“This has been an important career landmark for me. I am working at the best youth academy in the country that has young players who have the greatest potential, and with quality coaching colleagues. Most of my work with the team concerns fitness, as I try to raise their athletic abilities to the highest possible level so that they will be able to perform at their best and reduce the risk of injury,” Volik said.

Until this last period, naturally, all the training was done on the pitch, both as a team and individually, but with the coronavirus pandemic now preventing that option, the training staff is relaying its instructions through video link.

“This is not an easy situation and it challenges both the players and the coaches, but we try not to think about the shortcomings and just get on with the positives and the opportunities that are presented. We are doing our best we can in the current circumstances.

“Personal contact with the players is very important to me and this is one of the problems at the moment, but at least we are able to be in touch via the Zoom app and the players also get in touch with me individually, so I’m available for them 24/7,” he said.

The work schedule has changed because of the lockdown and Volik keeps in regular touch with team coach Eliezer Ben Aharon. The two have formulated the best possible training regimen for the players and have composed a detailed weekly schedule that comprises physical fitness, dietary instructions as laid out by the club’s dietician, and most recently, the addition of workouts over video with Zoom that allows all those involved to see each other on a single screen. Apart from the social bonding in the virtual get-together, the video link gives the coaches the ability to control the intensity of the players’ workout more accurately.

Volik said that he emphasised to the players the importance of self discipline and the need to maintain a constant level of appropriate workouts, so that when play resumes, they will be at their best possible level of fitness.

They must also complete a questionnaire on the club’s app about the stress levels they have attained during training and their health. This affords for more efficient monitoring of each player’s conditioning.

“During this period, suddenly, there is a lot of free time and it’s very easy to lose concentration and waste time on unimportant matters so it’s crucial for each player to set up a personal daily schedule and stick to it. Working on weak points such as stretching, balance, concentration and learning from video analysis are some of the things to do in the free time available. It’s crucial also to utilise the free time and enjoy it as much as possible, perhaps by doing something new, or reconnecting with things we have neglected because in normal circumstances we simply don’t have the time.”

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.”

The coronavirus outbreak has forced the suspension of all sporting activity throughout the country and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s U16 team are affected just like everybody else, but they are doing their best to keep in shape with a home training programme devised by the Academy’s coaching staff.

Four of the boys have talked about how they view the situation in these unusual times.

Eliran Gomelsky, goalkeeper, 16, is a Manchester City fan and enjoys the way they play a high attacking game. Gomelsky follows German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and hopes that in 10 years’ time he will be playing in England after taking on the mantle of Maccabi’s first-choice man between the posts.

Adir Cordoba, full back, 16, enjoys playing with a ball on the beach and listening to music. He admires Bayern Munich’s style and says: “They do their best to crush the opposition in every game.” He admires Everton’s Yerry Mina and says he has “worked hard to get to where he is today.” Adir also hopes to be play for the national team and lead them to great achievements.

Roei Nawi, midfielder and captain, 16, is a fan of Luka Modric, whom he says is “always calm on the ball and contributes so much in defence and in attack.” He also admires coach Jurgen Klopp and hopes that in 10 years’ time he will captain the Maccabi first team and become a significant national team player.

Amit Tzur, forward, 15.5, likes all kinds of sports but says: “Thanks to football, I understand so many other types of sport and how to play in the best possible way.” He enjoys watching Brazil and feels he has been able to learn something from the play of the best wingers in the world. “I have observed their movement and style of play and try
to copy that in my actions.”

Gomelsky said that he greatly misses being able to play at the moment. “It’s something that I do every day, and I think about it all the time, so the feeling of being unable to play for a while is very strange and is not good.”

Cordoba also said that “It’s very sad. For me, football is not only a hobby or a game, it has become a way of life.”

The players are managing to keep active and Nawi said that he and his teammates were following the Youth Academy training programme at home.

Tzur, who plays up front, said that he feels he’s managed to improve from one session to
the next, not only in soccer but in discipline, quick thinking and teamwork.

Gomelsky said: ” I am learning to cope with pressure and how to confront situations when things are not going well when you know you have to soldier on. It strengthens me not only in play, but in my daily life.”

Cordoba talked of the additional early morning training sessions that the Academy has added recently and said: “I believe that these sessions are the most significant of the week because it is when we are most focused and when we can work on our individual
tasks and shortcomings.

Nawi said the players were lucky to receive preferential treatment which “allows each player to progress according to the needs defined by his position in the team lineup. He also said that having two coaches was a “huge advantage.

Tzur said the additional off-pitch activities such as video review and mental training were having a big influence in play too. “Physical training helps prevent injuries and increase our playing ability, but being able to review our performance after the event helps us realise how we might have performed and how to avoid difficult situations.”

Due to Health Ministry orders, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Academy is suspending all its training activities at all sites until at least Saturday.
The office will be available to answer queries over the phone (03-6806169) between 10:00-12:00, Sunday to Thursday.

The Israel Football Association has ordered the immediate cancellation of all youth and junior games as part of national efforts to try to reduce the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and no tentative date has yet been proposed for a resumption of activities.

Israel Football Association Chairman Oren Hasson said in a statement: “Our decision was taken because we view the safety of coaches, club officials, players and the general public with utmost importance. We had hoped to be able to continue to hold matches despite the challenging situation but we must act responsibly in line with the national interest and also take heed of the calls from worried parents.
This has been a painful decision but we will convene in the near future with health officials to consider our next steps with the hope that we will be able to resume normal activities as soon as possible.”