Category: Youth Teams

Youth Academy Action – Saturday December 15, 2018

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Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 12:30 Ramat Hasharon Synthetic (U19)
After a two week break the Under-19 team gets back to action when they visit Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon on Matchday 12. Guy Tzarfat’s side are in second place, just one point away from top of the table Maccabi Petah Tikva while the host’s are in last place with just one league victory to their record.

Hapoel Tel Aviv – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 10:30 Wolfson 2 (U17)
The Big Tel Aviv Derby returns as the young Yellow & Blue meet the Reds on Matchday 12. Maccabi is in first place with a 6-point lead while Hapoel are in 4th, 8 points off the top of the table.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Tel Aviv, 8:30 Kiryat Shemona (U16)
The Under-16 squad is also playing a Derby on Matchday 12. The Yellow & Blue come into the contest undefeated in their last six games in 6th place on the table while the Reds are in 5th place, one point ahead of Eran Sassi’s side.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv (U16)
The Under-16 squad’s match took place on Wednesday when Ori David’s side defeated Hapoel Katamon 5:1 thanks to goals by Oscar Gloch x2, Oral Bahia, Ofer Nagar abs Eliran Avisher.

Youth Academy host’s UEFA Seminar

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The Israel Football Association is hosting a UEFA Seminar with five representatives from Latvia, Hungary, Greece, Faroe Islands and Poland in attendance who have come to take in a continuing education program that was organized by the IFA. The key component of the program deals with the development of elite players. Over the course of the week the group has taken in training sessions of various youth age groups at the IFA headquarters. Each representative presented examples from their country as to how they develop the elite players. The last stop for the group was the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom where they observed how the development works at the club level where the group took in a training session of the Academy’s elite players. They were able to see how specific elements were used to develop the young players.

The Performance Director Patrick Van Leeuwen who gave a presentation about the methods of developing elite players summed up the experience: “It’s always great to work together with the IFA when they have guests from aboard as we can present them our club’s philosophy, especially when it comes to the development of the elite players at Maccabi Tel Aviv. In fact, this year we began a special program that deals specifically with the development of the club’s elite players. It was great to be able to share how our football development works.”

Youth Academy Keeper Open Day

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The Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department held a special Open Day for goalkeepers at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility. Special training sessions for the club’s keepers were held this morning which was followed by a open training sessions for shot stoppers from across the country. Israel Ainy, the head of the Youth Academy’s Goalkeeper Department was in charge of the activities which included a special staff of coaches that helped keep the quality, professionalism and enjoyment of the day. In addition, Shura Uvarov, Shay Hess, Galil Ben Shenan and Eliad Graf were on hand to give out tips to the budding keepers.


Many keepers between the ages of 8-16 descended upon the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility as the professional staff split them up by age and skill level. Should a keeper have impressed the staff, the club will be in contact with them. This amazing day was a fantastic opportunity for youngsters from around the country to get a taste of the values of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Danziger Foundation Scholarship ceremony

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The Michael “Mopi” Danziger Foundation Scholarship ceremony took place at the offices of the Club’s Legal Advisor Moran Meiri. Owner’s Representative Jack Angelides and Club CEO Ben Mansford were on hand along with Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen, Youth Department Director Guy Zukerman, Legal Advisor Moran Meiri and Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Dan Glazer.

The foundation is named after Supreme Court judge Yoram Danziger’s father and provides outstanding handicapped athletes and players from the Maccabi youth department with scholarships to help them continue to develop their skills. Four athletes from the Ilan organization were received scholarships including, Maya Peri (swimmer, 13 years old), Nikita Prokofenko (swimmer, 15 years old), Roie Aloni (table tennis, 15 years old) and Amit Vidoga (basketball, 16 years old). In addition, four outstanding Maccabi Youth Academy players also received scholarships, Nir Levi (Under-15), Oral Bahia (Under-15), Ori Hassan and Nehoray Ben Zino.

Professor Yoram Danziger said: “As in the the past, the Foundation saw the importance to give scholarships equally to both those with physical challenges and those without. What unifies the youth is the battle that they all have on a daily basis to reach their ultimate potential and the highest of heights.”

Ben Mansford also spoke at the ceremony: “In the name of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club we want to recognize the Danziger Foundation and Professor Yoram Danzinger on the continuing support with this project. This support allows the young children the opportunity to excel in sport and reach for their dreams.”

Good start to State Cup for Youth Academy

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Under-17: Maccabi “Oded Tel Aviv 4:0 SC Ironi Ashdod
After much success in league play, the Under-17 squad won their first State Cup match of the year defeating Ashdod thanks to goals by Or Roizman with a brace and lone markers by Tal Torgman and Itay Rada. Head Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon summed up the win: “This wasn’t a simple draw for an early Cup round against one of the best team’s in the country. The goal was to advance to the next stage and that’s what we did. The staff is very pleased and feel that the players are continuing to improve.” Aharon also looked ahead to this weekend’s Derby: “In my mind this is just another league match that we need to win and we will go to Wolfson with that goal.”


Under-15: Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 13:3 Beitar Nahariya
Ori David’s squad advanced out of the first round with a goal fest against Nahariya. Ilay Tomer (3), Eliran Avisher (3), Ofek Nagar (2), Oral Bahia (2), Ben Gold, Oskar Gluch and Ido Nataf all scored for Maccabi. David commented: “This was a typical early round cup contest with a huge gap between teams in terms of quality and pace. I am happy that the players did their job as best as possible.”

Girls Team Round of 16: Maccabi Tel Aviv 3:2 SC Kiryat Gat
The Club’s Girls team under the direction of Mor Shaked took anther step towards the title with a win over the southern side. Shaked summed up the contest: “We are making tremendous strides from match to match and the girls are really handling the tactical side of the game successfully. Now we can look ahead to the next match. There’s no question that we can compete with any team and that we can defeat them.”

The Girls Team are for those born between 2005-2007 and training sessions are also available for other ages as well. For more information or to join the team please contact Mor – 052-444-8103.

Youth Academy Results – December 1, 2018

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Youth Academy Goals December 2, 2018

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 1:0 Maccabi Netanya (U19)
After their European journey came to an end last week, Maccabi “Shachar” returned to domestic league action and picked up the win over Maccabi Netanya thanks to a second half goal by Gil Ben Shalosh. The match took place at the PenguinPickup Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom due to the winterization of the Ramle Stadium pitch. Guy Tzarfati’s squad remain in second place just one point off the top of the table. For the full match report click here.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 2:0 Hapoel Haifa (U17)
The Under-17 team returned from the break in style with a 2:0 win over Hapoel Haifa on Matchday 11 thanks to goals by Shaked Navon and Nehoray Bitton to stay atop the table. Head Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon summed up the win: “We can split the match into two parts, a good first half with pace and a second half where the pace went down a few notches as well as the quality but we did have many good chances to score but came up short. All in all I’m happy with the victory and the way we are achieving our goals. We play Ashdod on Wednesday and then we have a Derby on Saturday, matches which will be interesting and challenging. We have to continue to play our way in both the league and State Cup.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv (U16)
The Under-16 team is on break due to a winter tournament being played in Israel.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 0:0 Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion (U15)
The Under-15 squad played to a goalless draw against Rishon Le’Zion on Matchday 10 of league play. The young Yellow & Blue are in second place, one point away from first. Head Coach Ori David commented on the draw: “We didn’t play enough quality football in this match. We didn’t recognize our advantages and therefore the match didn’t move for many minutes. During the second half we began playing up to par and we had many chances near the goal but weren’t accurate enough to score. This was also a match where we could have easily given up a goal and I’m happy that we didn’t. I’m proud of the guys and now we can begin preparing for the Cup game on Wednesday.”

Back from the break: Maccabi “Shachar” defeats Netanya 1:0

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv got back to Israel Youth Premier League action on Matchday 11 after a three week break due to National Team activity. The contest against Maccabi Netanya was played at the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom due to the pitch winterization at the Ramle Stadium as the Yellow & Blue entered the match in second place just one point off the top of the table. Netanya began the day in 12th place sporting just two wins so far this season.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI included keeper Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Amit Glezer, Alon Shtrozberg, Tomer Mahluf, Tamir Glezer, Mufleh Shalata. Nadav NIdam, Rave Assayag, Bar Cohen and Eduardo Guerrero.

First Half
The match began very cautiously as both sides tried to control the pace of play over the first quarter hour with no chances on goal. In the 17’ Nidam sent a through ball into the box to Shalata but the Netanya defender was able to stop the threat.

In the 43’ Maccabi almost grabbed the lead when Nidam took the ball at midfield and took a 20 meter shot that just missed the target as the side’s went into the break goalless.

Second Half
The half began just as the match did with both squad’s not taking any unnecessary chances as the majority of play took place in the midfield. In the 60’ Chilaka sent a through ball to Omri Ram who had come on as a substitute but his attempt towards the goal went into the Netanya defense. Three minutes later, Netanya had their first chance of the clash when Adi Kabha took the ball in the box but Chilaka shut him down while in the 66’ Tal Yagudayev lifted a ball from the left side to Tamir Glezer but his 20 meter attempt went over the goal.

Ido Shahar tried his luck from long distance in the 70’ but his opportunity went out. Finally in the 74’ Maccabi broke the deadlock when Gil Ben Shalosh headed home a pinpoint perfect corner to give the young Yellow & Blue a 1:0 lead. Maccabi almost doubled their lead in the 82’ but Guerrero’s shot missed the target as the host’s wrapped up a 1:0 victory.

The Future Keeper: Open day at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Academy

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On Sunday December 9th the Maccabi Academy will hold open an training day for goalkeepers from throughout the country. The Youth Department will see which keepers will impress and those who do will be invited for trials with the various teams in the Academy.

To register for the Goalkeeper training day please fill in the form by emailing iainy@mtafc.com

The professional staff will also take part in this special day as will the goalkeeping coaches of the youth department teams including the head goalkeeping coach Israel Ainy who is responsible for the Academy’s Goalkeeper Department. The Under-19 squad’s keepers will also take part in the day’s activities.

A keeper who impresses the staff will be invited to the Academy for trials to see if they can join one of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth department teams. Along with keepers who are interested in attending the open training day, amateur keepers as well as professional keepers are also welcome to participate from across the country.

Throughout the day there will be specific training for keepers by age group according to the philosophy of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Academy. There will also be various goalkeeper competitions and prizes for the most outstanding keepers.

The open training day will take place on December 9th (should there be an overwhelming response a second day will be added on December 3rd or 10th).
(the full schedule will be published soon)
Goalkeeper ages Boys – 6-16
Goalkeeper ages Girls – 10-12

Please fill in the following details and email them to: iainy@mtafc.com

1. Full Name
2. Sex M/F
3. Birthdate
4. Height/weight and glove size
5. How many years have you been playing as a keeper?
6. Are you currently registered as an active player on a team?
If you are a keeper from another club that would like to participate in the goalkeeping day you must have an approval from your club that you are allowed to participate in the open day.
7. Mobile phone number, parents number, address, email

Medical consent:
Active player – please attach a current medical consent form to the email
Players on trial, amateurs etc… – please attach a medical consent form from your family doctor.
Date
Parent signature

Tzarfati: “Winners have to know how to fall and feel pain”

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The Club’s Under-19 team, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv were eliminated from the UEFA Youth Champions League competition following a 2:2 draw with Sigma Olomouc. The two legged tie ended in a 3:3 aggregate score but the Czech side advanced on Ayla goals to the next round. Following the contest, Head Coach Guy Tzarfati summed up his squad’s performance in the tournament:

“After we ended the first leg in the Czech Republic 1:1 we knew that we couldn’t give up a goal at home and we paid the price when they drew 2:2 with us. We still had a pair of chances to score and advance, but that’s football. We didn’t lose, but the result didn’t help us move on in the competition. I’m happy with the players performance and the level of our club Maccabi Tel Aviv shucks operates at the highest levels. Our team was the youngest in Europe and I’m proud as to how we performed. Footballers and winners have to know how to fall and feel the pain. But we’ll now turn our sights on the Israeli league on Saturday.”

Disappointment:
“We’re very disappointed and this is how it should be. I’m disappointed and I won’t sleep well tonight but true winners and football clubs must know how to feel the pain of defeat. This type of loss, even though we didn’t lose on the pitch is tough we we have to know how to raise our spirits and get ready for League play.”

Looking towards the future:
“I think this was a mental lapse and the players hadn’t yet experienced this type of situation being in the Champions League. We felt like we had advanced and we were close, so the disappointment is even more bitter. But the players will have to learn how to deal with it if they want to one day play for the first team. Unfortunately, it happened today but hopefully in the future this will help them in the future.”

After a dramatic battle: Maccabi “Shachar” eliminated from the Youth Champions League

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Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI included keeper Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Alon Shtrozberg, Amit Glazer, Tomer Mahluf, Ido Shahar, Mufleh Shalata, Yoav Hofmayster, Eduardo Guerrero, Eden Kartzev and Eyal Hen.

First Half
The visitor’s had the first chance of the match when a Michal Galus free kick found Jiri Kratochvil but his header went out, while a minute later Ondrej Zmrzly’s 18 meter attempt went by the post. The Yellow & Blue had their first opportunity in the 10’ when Shalata went down the right wing and sent a quality cross into the box, but the Sigma keeper Jakob Trefil caught the ball.

Hen had a 22’ attempt that went by the post for Maccabi while Daniel Grecmal almost found the back of the Yellow & Blue goal three minutes later following a Sigma corner. In the 26’ Shahar’s 18 meter attempt also went just wide of the post and five minutes before the break Shtrozberg tried to head the ball into the Sigma goal off a corner but Trefil made the save sending the match into the break goalless.

Second Half
With each side looking for a goal early on in the half, Sigma struck first as their captain Pavel Zifcak headed in a goal off a cross into the box to give the visitor’s a 1:0 advantage in the 51’. Maccabi didn’t get down after the goal and seven minutes later found the equalizer. Mahluf made his way into the area and sent a perfect pass to the central defender Shtrozberg who scored from 8 meters out to draw even at 1:1.

In the 68’ Shahar’s attempt was saved by the Sigma keeper and a minute later Yagudaev stole the ball but put it off the outside netting of the goal. The Yellow & Blue continued to press and in the 73’ Maccabi took a 2:1 lead when Bar Cohen sent a tremendous pass that Guerrero put home after going one on one with the Czech keeper to go up by one. However, Sigma found the equalizer in the 77’ when Zmrzly scored off a cross, 2:2.

Tzarfati’s squad looked for a go ahead goal and in the 86’ they almost found it but Glazer’s header missed the target and Cohen’s huge opportunity in injury time was taken care of by the keeper as Sigma Olomouc advanced to the next round of the UEFA Youth Champions League on away goals.