Category: Youth Teams

Holocaust Survivor Zvi Mel speaks to Youth Department

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Today, Wednesday, marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the world looks back at the terrible tragedy that befell all of mankind and especially the Jewish People. The Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department took the opportunity to educate the players about the horrors that occurred during this very dark time in history. The Under-15 side of Ran Elias were honored to hear from Zvi Mel, a Holocaust survivor and longtime Maccabi Tel Aviv fan talk about his own experiences.

Mel discussed his difficult upbringing as a child when his German friends became his enemies, his family’s travels, losing many friends and acquaintances along the way and the incredible survival of a little boy who lost his whole world.

The young players were fascinated by his personal journey and at the end of the presentation asked what helped him survive the Holocaust and how he felt making it through the inferno to begin a family in Israel. Following the program, the players presented Mel a gift who emotionally thanked the children. Zvi Mel’s life story can be found in his autobiography.

  • מאמנה של נערים ג'2 רן אליאס

  • נערים ג' מקשיבים לסיפורו של ניצול השואה צבי מל

“It’s a privilege to contribute to the community”

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As part of the ongoing activities of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department, the players from various age groups participate in bi-weekly events with the “Educating for Excellence” organization.

The non-profit organization helps reduce the social gaps and creates equal opportunities for children with potential for excellence who reside within Israel’s social and geographic periphery. Together with the Maccabi Youth Department, children from all age groups participate in joint programming led by coaches from the various teams.

Kfir Alfonte and Eliran Mizrachi who coach the Under-12 and Under-11 clubs spoke about the activities that they do with the organization’s children and what the Maccabi youth gain from the experience: “It’s a program where 10 children of different ages come to the Youth Department, “ Elfonte explained. “We bring our Under-12 and Under-11 sides and we have a tournament that features both the organization’s children and those from our youth department. We all enjoy it very much, and our kids also understand the importance of these programs.”

The coach also discussed what the “Educating for Excellence” children gain from the activities: “I believe that the children from ‘Educating for Excellence’ feel that they are doing something that at first they believed they couldn’t do and it gets them closer to their dreams. These children are very special and there are even two kids that perhaps could join Maccabi in the future.”

Eliran Mizrachi who also leads the joint programs, commented about the activities from his point of view: “We began these activities 2-3 years ago with the youngest age groups in the department. This year we’ve done a number of groups with them and it’s been a lot of fun. We are teaching them what Maccabi Tel Aviv is and we are giving them the opportunity to play with children who are terrific players at their same age.”

Mizrachi continued talking about what the Maccabi children gain from the experience as well: “This imbues patience in their understanding of other children, the fact that there are others who aren’t as fortunate as them and don’t have the opportunities to obtain the tools succeed. Working together with them on the pitch, with players of different levels gives them the chance to enjoy the programming and this is the message that we also want to send to their schools. We want them to understand that they are role models even at this young age and to grasp what it means to be a player with Maccabi Tel Aviv and not take that fact for granted.”

In terms of the importance of these activities for the coaches, Mizrachi said: “We as coaches know and understand that it’s not just about being a professional on the pitch but off of it as well. Respect and good values come before everything else. It’s a privilege to contribute to the community and we do so with pride and joy.”

Youth Department Action, Saturday January 23, 2016

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SC Julis – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 13:00, Julis (State Cup)

The  youth club’s State Cup participation begins this Saturday when they visit Julis for their first match in the Youth State Cup named after Avi Ran Z”l.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – International break

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Maccabi “Moshe Dayan” Petach Tikva, 09:00, Kiryat Shalom

This match will be the pregame game show for the club’s First Teams later in the day when the Under-16 Maccabi side hosts their counterparts from Petach Tikva. The team will look to continue its good form as the visitors find themselves in third place 10 points behind the young Yellow-and-Blue who sit atop the table.

SC Ashdod – Maccabi  “Eldad” Tel Aviv, 09:00, Ashdod College

Erez Belfer’s seemingly invincible side will kick off Matchday 12 by visiting Ashdod as they look to win and remain in first place

Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv, 11:00, Sakhnin

Ran Elias’s charges will visit Sakhnin and face their counterparts on Matchday 12 of the Under-15 Sharon League.

Yellow-and-Blue Saturday – Match Results

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 0:0 Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion

 The Under-19 team have now gone two straight matches without a victory after drawing against their counterparts from Rishon Le’Zion. You can read the match summary by CLICKING HERE.

 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Off

Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion 2:4 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv

Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s team won yet another match this time coming back twice from a deficit to win at Superland. Saar Sa’adon scored a brace while Yam Ben Yehuda and Dani Amar also provided goals for the league leading side.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 5:2 Maccabi “Gould-Shenfeld” Haifa

Erez Belfer’s club won big in Under-15 action. The young Yellow-and-Blue hosted the northern city’s side and received scoring from Ido Shachar, Gil Ben Shalosh, Osher Davida (x2) and Omri Ram.

Beitar “Oren” Tubruk 0:1 Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv

Yet another win by Ran Elias over Tubruk helped his team to their third win in a row and maintained their place a top the league table with the help of a 70th minute goal by Amit Yakov.

Kwem on trial with Maccabi Shachar

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Looking to improve its attack, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv has brought Nigerian striker Augustine Chidi Kwem in on trial. The Nigerian youngster was born in 1997 and will look to impress the training staff under the direction of coach Ziv Arie with the goal to improve the team’s attack.

Every Under-19 club is permitted to have one foreign player on its squad and with Lazar Durovic recently leaving the club, the Yellow-and-Blue now have a place available on the team.

Maccabi “Shachar” and Rishon play to goalless draw

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On Matchday 14 of the TOTO League, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv played a home match against Hapoel “Yehuda” Rishon Le’Zion at the Ramle Stadium that ended scoreless. The Yellow-and-Blue came into the game missing a fair number of players including Dan Glazer and Muhamed Awesat (injury), Gaby Kanichowsky (suspension) Eylon Almog and Eden Kartzev (Under-17 National Team) while Gili Landau manned the sidelines as head coach Ziv Arie also served a suspension handed down by the Israel Football Association due to actions during the Derby.
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Maccabi had an early opportunity in the fifth minute of play as Amit Shapira led a counterattack giving the ball off to Guy Aviv on the right flank who crossed it to Or Dasa in the box. However, his header was cleanly saved by the Rishon Le’Zion keeper. The Yellow-and-Blue patiently continued controlling possession throughout the first half as well as throughout the majority of the match.

Tomer Altman stood out in place of the injured Dan Glazer taking his responsibilities in the midfield. In the 14th minute the midfielder sent an excellent deep pass to Dasa on the right side. The striker perfectly handed the ball off to Meshata but number 7 lost it under his foot. Amit Shapira was close to scoring after receiving and unbelievable ball from Amit Rosenboim but his effort was again saved by the Rishon keeper as the teams headed into the break.
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Gili Landau, coaching the game in place of the suspended Ziv Arie made two substitutions bringing in Oliel Peretz who just returned on loan from Beitar Tel Aviv/Ramle and Ran Vaturi who came in for Idan Yogev and Ofri Meshata. In the 60th minute, three more substitutions were brought on as Omri Haramati, Rany Hamzey and Bar Galili were all introduced.

Peretz took a long pass from Haramati in the 60th minute and took a scorcher of a shot, however the Rishon keeper was in the right place yet again. Very few chances occurred during the balance of the match as the game ended in a goalless draw with the clubs splitting the points. During the course of the half Altman, Haramati and Peretz all received yellow cards.

Youth Department Action, Saturday

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion, 12:00 Ramle

 The Maccabi Under-19 side will look to get back to their winning ways this Saturday when they host the wine city’s team. After falling in the Derby, Ziv Arie’s club will attempt to close the gap just before the last game of the Toto League’s first round.

 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Off

 Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, 10:30 Superland Rishon Le’Zion

 Following an important win over Ashdod last week, the young Yellow-and-Blue will aim to continue their good form, this time against their counterparts from Rishon Le’Zion. Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s side lead the league after 13 Matchdays and will face the Oranges who are in 5th place.

 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Maccabi “Gould-Shenfeld” Haifa, 12:15 Kiryat Shalom

 After winning their Derby match last game, Erez Belfer’s team will look for another win and keep their positive momentum going to further cement their first place position.

 Beitar “Oren” Tubruk – Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv, 12:15 Tubruk

 Ran Elias and his Maccabi Under-15 team face a tough test this coming week against Tubruk. Maccabi currently sits in first place, with their goal to stay there until the end of the campaign.

Yellow-and-Blue Saturday – Match Results

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 0:1 Hapoel “Nisanov” Tel Aviv

A pair of derbies took place in the Maccabi youth department with the Under-19 side taking center stage. The visitors controlled the tempo and flow of the match but neither side could get quality scoring chances throughout the game. The Yellow-and-Blue were hit by some bad luck late in the match when the referee awarded the Reds a penalty on a foul that looked to have occurred outside of the box. Raz Nachmias scored for Hapoel to win the match 1:0.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 4:1 Hapoel Raanana

It’s been hard to stop Ori Uzan and Leon Asraf’s team this season. The young Yellow-and-Blue couldn’t find a way past the visitors from Raanana in the first half but didn’t have any problems finding the goal in the second. Neil Goldberg scored first and Netanel Malka picked up a brace for the hosts. Raanana tried to cut the lead but Afek Blass put the final stamp on the game giving Maccabi “Oded” a six point lead atop of the table.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 2:0 SC Ashdod “Morris”

Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s side kicked off against Ashdod in a top of the table clash at Kiryat Shalom. Saar Sa’adon scored a brace for the Yellow-and-Blue with one goal coming just before the break and the second in the 70th minute.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 5:2 Hapoel “Rami” Tel Aviv

In an additional Derby match, Erez Belfer’s side dominated Hapoel Tel Aviv on the way to a big victory but it was the Reds who struck first at Kiryat Shalom. However, goals by Tashgar Dego, Osher Davida and Ido Shachar gave Maccabi the lead. Hapoel tried to comeback scoring in the 60th minute to close the gap to 3:2 but the Under-15 side got another goal by Dego to compete his brace while Raava Assayag added another strike in the victory.

Maccabi “Shay” Netanya 0:3 Maccabi “Team 2”

Maccabi’s second Under-15 team under the tutelage of Ran Elias visited their Netanaya counterparts in a Saturday afternoon affair. Elad Bracha and Omer Itzhak scored for the Yellow-and-Blue in the first half and Amit Yaakov scored early on in the second half to pick up the win.

Maccabi “Shachar” falls 1-0 in the Derby

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv fell 1:0 to Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Derby match at Wolfson in a game that wasn’t played at the highest of levels by both sides. The Reds were awarded a controversial 90th minute penalty as the foul in question looked to have occurred outside of the box. Nachmias scored for Hapoel to win the match.332A0889

Maccabi’s opening opportunity came early on in the 3rd minute when Gaby Kanichowsky brought down a beautiful ball with the help of his chest right to Maxim Grechkin, but his chance went over the bar. Hapoel also had a quality chance to take the lead, but Yellow-and-Blue keeper Haviv Ohayon was in the right place to make the save off of Roy Meilika’s shot. The half ended with few opportunities by either side as the clubs went into the break tied at 0:0.

Coach Ziv Arie made no changes to begin the second half and within the first five minutes both teams had a chance on goal. In the 65th minute, Maccabi made three substitutions and brought on Guy Aviv who just returned to the Under-19 team, Yarin Sharabi who was promoted from the Under-17 side and Bar Galili.
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As the match neared its end, Eylon Almog gave Maccabi their best chance to score but his effort just missed the goal. Then in the 90th minute Hapoel were awarded a penalty for a foul that looked to have happened outside of the box. Raz Nachmias stepped up to take the spot kick and scored from 11 meters giving the Reds the Derby victory and the 3-points.

Kanichowsky: “Playing in the Toto Cup gave me thirst for more”

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This Saturday, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv faces it’s city rival Hapoel when they visit the Wolfson Training Center on Matchday 13 of the Toto Youth League. Ziv Arie’s Yellow-and-Blue side are ahead of the Reds by two points and sit in second place on the table.

Many players on this year’s squad haven’t experienced an Under-19 Derby, however, Gaby Kanichowsky is someone who can describe the feelings one experiences playing in this type of match-up: “From the team’s perspective you have to look at this as just another game, but there’s AQ7A7506no question that a Derby is a totally different experience. The fact is that last year we lost two Derbies and the atmosphere, the feelings and the pressure before one of these games you could say is as close as it comes to a First Team match. Even more than the Champions League Youth League matches.”

Kanichowsky, who is playing for the youth team and has trained with the First Team had a major learning curve this season: “First off, the season began with the Champions League Youth League which in itself is a totally different experience. We knew we wouldn’t go very far in the tournament as it was our first time in the competition along with our side being fairly young. From a personal standpoint, I learnt a tremendous amount and having had the opportunity to train with the First Team was very important. Playing in the Toto Cup gave me thirst for more.”

Only 18 years of age, Kanichowsky didn’t deny that the transition to train with the First Team was tough: “At the beginning, training with the First Team and playing with the youth side was difficult. I had problems with my self confidence when I was with the big team and that affected my play on Saturday. With time, I realized that it didn’t make a difference where I played and that I had to give 100%. After a couple of games, I was able to make the transition. The First Team players really supported me when I made mistakes, they would explain what to do, where to go on the pitch and that really helped me.”

The midfielder has scored two goals this season, also discussed the Maccabi “Shachar” year so far: “We’re on the right path. We have had some ups and downs all year and we really want to leave a mark on the Derby, that we are a team fighting for the league title. This season has been more difficult and challenging, but we have a young team that wants to continue to learn.”