The Maccabi Tel Aviv youth academy on Tuesday organised a tournament for boys from the 2008 age group as it endeavours to expand contacts with clubs with which it holds ongoing ties.

Teams of nine players competed against each other in the day-long event at the Kiryat Shalom complex. Participating were Beitar Tel Aviv-Bat Yam, Hapoel Hadera, Ironi Gedera, Holon FC, Maccabi Ashkelon, Beitar Ramat Gan, Ramle SC and Maccabi Tel Aviv south and north clubs who entered boys born in 2009.

The final was contested by the two latter clubs, Maccabi Tel Aviv south and north, after they won all their preliminary matches and the southern team emerged as winners following a penalty shoot-out.

During the event, cooperation agreements were signed with clubs as Maccabi strives to share knowledge its system and philosophy. The project’s long-term aim is to bring the most talented youngsters to Maccabi and to continue to expand its contacts with other clubs throughout the country.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s three junior sides all registered victories at the weekend alongside the youth team who scored an important 1-0 win over Beitar Jerusalem

The “A” team, Maccabi Oded beat Ramat Hasharon 2-0, and the win kept them at the top of their division alongside Maccabi Haifa and both teams have 15 points from six matches. Coach Uri David’s charges achieved their win through goals by David Turgeman, who scored in the 25^th minute and Aner Ushmandi in the 51^st.

The “B” team, Maccabi Eli Fuchs, beat Beitar Jerusalem 4-1 and are also atop their standings with 19 points from nine matches. Coach Assaf Haber’s side picked up the pace after conceding an early goal and won with second-half strikes by Bar Lin, who scored twice, and Lior Aloni and Orel Baja.

Maccabi Eldad, the “C” side had the biggest win on Saturday and beat Hapoel Ramat Gan 5-0 as Maor Ben-Nun, Roy Zerzevsky, Tom Bloch, Ron Rabinovitch and Agam Hanun all scored. It was a third win in five outings for coach Boaz Bracha’s side and they climbed to fifth place in their division.

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team return to action on Saturday after their international break and will host Beitar Jerusalem at Ness Ziona stadium, kickoff is at noon. The sixth round of action in the youth league will present an intriguing clash for the charges of coach Eliezer Ben Aharon. Maccabi “Shahar” are in sixth place in the division with seven points, while Beitar are in fourth place with nine points.

Maccabi “Oded” the junior A side, go into their clash against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon as league leaders and will kick off at 8:30 at Kiryat Shalom looking for a fifth win this season after six rounds of action. Their opponents are in 12th position with only three points.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs,” the junior B side, will also host Beitar Jerusalem at Kiryat Shalom (kickoff 10:45) and as joint league leaders with four other clubs who all have 16 points, will look to maintain their winning run against opponents who have six points and are in 14th place in the league.

The junior C side, Maccabi “Eldad,” also have an 8:30 kickoff at Kiryat Shalom and face Hapoel Ramat Gan. They have six points and lie in seventh place in their league and will be looking to climb up the standings if they can take points from their opponents, who have only one point from four matches and line in 15th place.

The boys’ A team, Maccabi “Oded” continued its excellent start to the season on Saturday and registered a 5-1 away win over Ironi Nesher. It was a fourth win in five outings for the team since the start of the season. The hosts took the lead in the second minute of the match, but that was their last effort and Maccabi’s boys hit back with Dor Turgeman and Elad Kaplan each scoring twice and Ori Halevy sealing the scoreline.

The B team, Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” won 2-0 against Ashdod SC, a victory that saw them climb to the top of the standings in their division thanks to a superior goal difference ahead of three other teams who also have 16 points. Oscar Gloch and Orel Baya scored in the second half.

The boys’ C team, Maccabi “Eldad,” will be away to Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday at Ketzef.

The boys’ A team, Maccabi “Oded,” will be away to Ironi Nesher (kickoff 12:30)  and will attempt to continue their good start to the season that includes three wins out of four and they lie third in the standings. Nesher have had a lass auspicious run so far and are 13th in the division with only three points.

The B team, Maccabi “Eli Fuchs,” will be away to Ashdod SC at Ashdod college (kickoff 11:00) and after eight rounds of play, the visitors lie in second place in the standings with 13 points, two behind the leaders. Their opponents are in ninth place in the table with 10 points.

 

The junior A side, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded,” continued their winning ways with an excellent 1-0 win over Hapoel Haifa on Saturday, a more modest victory margin after their 7-0 win over Hapoel Ashdod last week. Elad Kaplan’s 15th minute goal gave Maccabi the points and with a total of nine, they are in second place in the standings.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs” beat Hapoel Raanana 1-0 and moved into third place in the standings after seven rounds of action with 13 points, with Bar Lin scoring the winner.

The junior C side, Maccabi “Eldad,” hosted Beitar Jerusalem at Kiryat Shalom but ended up on the wrong end of a nine-goal thriller, losing 5-4. Ron Rabinovich, Nadav Shoraki, Liad Barda and Agam Hanoun all scored for the home team but Beitar managed to overhaul the deficit. Maccabi are third in the standings with six points from three games.

The under-18 youth league is taking a break this weekend but the other sides will be in action. These are the fixtures and the opponents.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded” v. Hapoel Haifa, Kiryat Shalom, 11:00.
After putting seven goals past Hapoel Beersheba, the boys’ A side will return home and hope to register a third win in four outings. Haifa are in last place in the league with no points.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs” v. Hapoel Raanana, Kiryat Shalom, 09:00
The B team have an intriguing fixture against the boys from the Sharon. After seven matches, Maccabi lie in sixth place in the table with 10 points, while their opponents are in second place in the division with 13 points.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad” v. Beitar Jerusalem, Kiryat Shalom, 08:30 (synthetic pitch)
Maccabi’s boys have an unblemished record after two matches in their division and are top of the table. They will look to retain that form against a side that has managed only one point in their two matches.

The female programme at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy is continuing to pick up pace and with increased interest; some girls must be asking themselves whether it is a good idea to join. They might be persuaded by hearing from Avishag Ayas, a player in the 2006 age group about how the academy has helped her game improve.

How long have you been playing football?

This is the start of my tenth year.

How long have you been with Maccabi?

This is the third season. 

How does it feel to be a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s girls’ academy?

I feel very proud. A feeling that I am part of a very well organised, proficient and gelled group. We work and train well together, support each other and there is lots of time for laughter too.

Do you feel that the academy is helping you professionally?

Yes, very much! The coaches are very professional and are of a high standard. During training we use many advanced and diverse methods and apparatuses and we also do lots of fitness training, which is a real help.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Of course, I want to be a footballer. My dream is to be a professional player and also play for the national team and have many successes. Beyond that, I see myself as joining the coaching staff.