“The girls’ academy is helping me improve”
After the successes we have started to see at the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth academy, here is a first-hand account from 13-year-old Avishag Ayas about her experiencesThe 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.
The female programme at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy is ...
Youth Academy celebrates New Year
Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth academy toasted the approaching Jewish New Year at a brief celebration in Kiryat Shalom on Sunday with club CEO Ben Mansford wishing the club's staff and guests happiness and successMaccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy raised a toast to the approaching Jewish New Year in a celebration at the Kiryat Shalom training complex on Sunday, with club CEO Ben Mansford wishing the club’s guests and training staff happiness and success. Youth department head Guy Zuckerman also added his blessings before all present joined in the celebrations and tasted from the holiday’s special treats.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy raised a toast to the approaching Jewish ...
Youth team draws 1-1 with Kiryat Shmona
Last weekend's league results for teams in the Avi Cohen Youth Academy yielded three convincing wins and a drawMaccabi Tel Aviv’s under-18 youth side and Hapoel Kiryat Shmona saw out a 1-1 draw in the fourth round of action in the youth premier league on Saturday, with Omri Ram scoring Maccabi’s goal in the 42nd minute.
Maccabi had several chances to score in the first half in which they dominated, but the match took on a more even tone in the second period and Kiryat Shmona equalised through Ron Peretz in the 52nd minute.
In other results, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded”, the junior A side, beat Beitar Tubruk 2-1 with goals through David Turgeman and Aner Oshmandi, the junior B team had an emphatic 5-0 away win over Ironi Nesher and the C team also registered a 5-0 win, this time at home, against Ashdod.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-18 youth side and Hapoel Kiryat Shmona ...
Youth team notch first win
The Maccabi Academy youth teams registered mixed results at the weekend with the youth (under-18) side getting a first win in their third outing of the season. Junior C team score 15-2 away in cupMaccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” the club’s youth side registered its first win of the season on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Maccabi Netanya “Shlomi”.
The win followed two draws in the previous two fixtures of the current season. Farpa Guyagon scored twice and Raveh Assayag added a third goal before Amit Yaacov’s consolation effort for Netanya.
In other fixtures for the youth academy teams, hosts Ashdod beat Maccabi’s boys’ (under-17) team 3-2 and the U16 team in the same category lost 2-1 at home to Beitar Tubruk but the U15 team scored a huge 15-0 away win over Hapoel Nahalat Yehuda in the cup. The goals included two hat tricks for Omer Dinar and Osher Bruchim and Yosef Lior, Tom Bloch and Agam Hanoch each scoring two goals. Additional goals were scored by Ido Dalal, Ron Rabinovitch and Yehezkel Ben.
Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” the club’s youth side registered its first win ...
Youth team beat Maccabi Netanya 3-1
Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth team notch first win of season and waste no time in overcoming Maccabi NetanyaMaccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv’s youth team asserted their authority over Maccabi Netanya in the third round of the youth premier league on Saturday and registered their first win of the season following two draws as Farpa Guyagon scored twice and Raveh Assayag added a third goal before Amit Yaacov’s consolation effort for Netanya.
Guyagon settled Maccabi’s nerves already in the second minute after Assayag sent in a cross from the right for his the Ivory Coast midfielder to slot into the back of the net. He added a second strike in the 36th minute as Maccabi asserted their dominance.
Assayag added a third goal for coach Eliezer Ben Aharon’s side by rising high to head over Netanya goalkeeper Razi Abu Hamza into the net in the 51st minute.
Netanya’s Amit Yaacov scored a consolation goal for the visitors and the result was never in doubt.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s lineup: Ben Moussaioff, Guy Mizrahi, Omer Yitzhak, Dan Lugassi, Shahar Rosen, Nadav Nidam (Assaf Hershko, 53), Omri Ram (Tal Turgeman, 78), Rotem Yatzker (Niv Berkovitz, 57), Raveh Assayag, Farpa Guyagon (Shai Balahsan, 67), Nehorai Biton (Shaked Navon, 46).
Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv’s youth team asserted their authority over Maccabi Netanya ...
Van Leeuwen looks forward to the new season
After three years at the club, Maccabi's performance director, Patrick Van Leeuwen, discusses the youth academy, future plans and new objectivesMaccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy is entering its fourth year under the tutelage of a team headed by Patrick Van Leeuwen, the club’s performance director. We caught up with the Dutchman to hear his take on the work he has done so far and his plans for the upcoming season.
Summing up the period to date and vision for the future:
“For the last three years, the youth academy has come on in leaps and bounds and we have made significant progress. My vision has been instilled and it has more or less become our lingua franca. Coaches and players are working to the high standards we expect and they have got better every season.
“We have set high standards in the development of young players and when I look back today, I can see that we have a firm base on which to build and on how we want to play football.
“Looking forward to my fourth season at the club, I expect to see more progress from players and teams. Additionally, I expect to see high quality work by coaches both in training and on the sidelines during matches. We are already at a stage where we do not have to make major changes and this is because we set a firm base in place at the outset. Now we can concentrate on specific points which will take players a step forward towards becoming better at doing the things they enjoy, namely: playing football.”
Plans for the upcoming season:
Elite Program:
“We inaugurated the elite training project last season and during the current season we want to target efficiencies. This is a programme that is working concurrently to regular training, and is aimed specifically at the players who are included to the project. The additional aspects that players will receive involve mental training, lifestyle demands for top athletes, analyzing situations with the use of video footage, physical training and tactical tuition that is tailor made for each individual participant.
We will increase the coaching staff so that they can concentrate on each player’s development. This will involve recruiting former club players who will be able to impart their experience and knowledge on the young talent. We received very positive reaction last season.”
Data analysis:
“The data analysis of players’ physical development in training and play, information that we receive through our cooperation with “Playermaker” we are able to monitor four separate teams from age 14-17 and we use GPS technology to track the activity of the youth team. This is a vital tool that provides us with the means to analyze whether out plan to increase player performance is working. We will store the data in order to create a benchmark for academy players at each age group and it will allow each coach to set standards every year because they will be able to know whether the players have reached the level we expect of them. The system also allows players to monitor their own progress through a smart phone app where they can view clips and personal data.
Girls’ Academy:
“Another aim is to continue to develop the girls’ academy. This project was started through our schools initiative last year when we set up a girls’ league team. In the coming season we want to establish an academy that will be organized in the same way as the one we have for the boys and we want to utilize the same training tools and analysis. This is a grand plan that we have set out and we want to ensure that we can implement it in the best possible way so that we can get girls to get excited about playing football.
We certainly hope that this will help the development of women’s soccer in Israel and will open the door for Maccabi players into the women’s national team.”
International tournament:
“In January, we will hold an international youth tournament at Kiryat Shalom following on from a similar event that has been held in the past two seasons. We hope also to add two more events for teams aged under-17. We want our players to get a taste of short-term competition and to be able to achieve results in a concentrated event which lasts only a few days.”
Goals For The Season
“For this season, we hope to be able to get youth players ready to enter play with the full squad and to give them the opportunity to train with our senior team so that the coach will be able to get an idea of their abilities. For the younger teams, we expect players to be able to set an example to other teams and to become the leading teams in their respective leagues, as they do every season.”
“Of course, just as with the youth players moving up to senior level, we want the same to happen with the younger players and hope they will be able to demonstrate that they are capable of competing for places in higher age group teams.
“We will also continue to monitor the progress of youth players who are on loan at other clubs in the second division where they can gain vital experience of tougher competition.
“If we want to continue to recruit the best talent, we need good scouts and one of our main activities is to hold open days for players from throughout the country. We want to get the best players playing for us and give them the opportunity to nurture their talent. 
Open days in the upcoming season will be aimed at boys aged five-12.”
Scouting:
“We hope also to attract young players through our branches in the north and the south with activities for six- and seven-year-olds through games and training, and hope that this will instill interest for the future. We will start with boys but expect also to see young girls joining in.”
Football Network:
Another initiative that we are continuing from last season is cooperation with other clubs through the Football Network. We have established connections with other clubs and have allowed them to observe our training sessions and to receive guidance from our coaches so that they too can improve their own work. We currently have 12 clubs who want to cooperate with us. Our aim is to be as open as possible and to share information for the good of everybody.”
Media:
We have developed our social media platform and I am especially proud that academy players can glean information from our Instagram page and from the web site. I particularly like the fact that it is possible to the youth team matches on the web site. It adds interest and enthusiasm to the players who know that they are being watched.”
Summary:
The season has begun and I really expect our work and progress to continue at full speed. I want to see our players who are out on loan playing at the highest level possible and that all Maccabi’s players will have the opportunity to play competitively. With the help of parents and full motivation, I believe that we will have a wonderful season.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy is entering its fourth year under the ...
Saturday youth academy league action
Maccabi's youth team will host Maccabi Netanya, while the boys will open their campaign against Ashdod. Boys B host Tubruk and Boys C play Nahlat Yehuda in the cupMaccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” v. Maccabi Netanya “Shlomi” 16:00 in Ness Ziona.
Following two draws in the opening rounds of the season, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth side will be looking for a first victory but Netanya will not want to sustain another loss to add to the one they have already suffered in the opening round and the draw they earned the following week.
Ashdod “Gilbert” v. Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded” (Boys A), 09:00 at Ashdod College
Coach Uri David’s charges will be making a comeback after a long break and will travel to Ashdod for the opening league fixture of the season.
Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs” v. Beitar Tubruk, 08.30 at Kiryat Shalom
The boys’ B team will host Beitar Tubruk from Netanya in the fourth round of their league. The boys have notched a win and a loss and have another fixture outstanding. Tubruk will be full of confidence with a perfect record from their three matches.
Hapoel Nahalat Yehuda v. Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad” 11.00 at Nahalat Yehuda, Rishon Lezion
The boys’ C team will begin official action for the first time prior to launching in the league next week and prepare for that occasion with a cup tie against Nahalat Yehuda on Saturday.
Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” v. Maccabi Netanya “Shlomi” 16:00 in ...
Under-15s take third place in Austria tourney
Maccabi Tel Aviv's U15 youth team beat Admira Wacker 2-1 to win third place playoff in Austria tourneyMaccabi Tel Aviv’s under-15 Youth team recorded an excellent result at the international tournament for their age groups in Vienna on Sunday by beating home team Admira Wacker 2-1 in the third place playoff. Maccabi led 2-0 through goals by Ido Dalal and Osher Bruchim and although Admira managed a consolation strike towards the end, the Maccabi boys held on for victory.
The tournament was won by hosts Rapid Vienna, who beat Schalke 04 of Germany 2-1 in the final.
Maccabi finished second in their group after beating Randers of Denmark 2-0 on Friday but lost 4-1 to hosts Rapid Vienna and drew 1-1 with Sturm Graz on Saturday.
Admira were second-place finishers in their group which was made up by Schalke 04 (Germany), Ferencvaros (Hungary) and Slavia Prague (Czech Republic).
“The team achieved great results and the third place finish was the result of good preparation, excellent concentration and execution of our plans,” coach Boaz Bracha said after the tournament.
“We are very proud of the players, who displayed maturity and application and we are certain that it has been a good preparation for the rest of the season,” Bracha added.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-15 Youth team recorded an excellent result ...
U-15s to play for third in Austria tourney
The U15 team will play for third place in the Vienna tournament after three fixtures. Facing two Austrian teams on Saturday, they lost 4-1 to Rapid Vienna and drew 1-1 with Admira Wacker. On Friday they beat Randers 2-0Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-15 Youth “C” team have finished in second place in their group at the international tournament in Vienna after notching a win, a draw and a loss over the past two days, and will meet Austrian opponents Admira Wacker on Sunday seeking to finish third in the event.
Maccabi began the tournament with a win on Friday when they beat Randers of Denmark 2-0, the goals coming from Ron Rabinovitch and an own goal by the Danes. On Saturday, hosts Rapid Vienna made full use of their home advantage and beat their Israeli visitors 4-1, and in a second fixture, Maccabi managed to hold Sturm Graz in a 1-1 draw. Maccabi’s goals in both matches were scored by Agam Hanoun.
Maccabi were drawn in a group with Rapid Vienna and Sturm Graz from the host nation and Runders of Denmark.
The tournament’s second group consists of Admira Wacker (Austria), Schalke 04 (Germany), Ferencvaros (Hungary) and Slavia Prague (Czech Republic).
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-15 Youth “C” team have finished in ...
U15 team to Vienna tournament
Maccabi Tel Aviv's U15 team departs for international tournament in Austria that will include representative sides from Rapid Vienna, Schalke 04, Ferencvaros and Slavia PragueMaccabi Tel Aviv’s under-15 squad has travelled to a prestigious tournament in the Austrian capital, Vienna, where they will face quality opposition and where they will be able to test their abilities against players in their age group from some of Europe’s junior top sides.
The tournament will be a good preparation for the coming season and the boys hope to register good results.
The eight team Viennese tournament is one of the club’s most important youth events on the continent and last three days (Sept. 6-8). Teams will be divided into two groups of four with the winners of each advancing to the final on Sunday, Sept. 8.
Maccabi have been drawn into a group with Rapid Vienna and Sturm Graz from the host nation and Runders of Denmark.
The second group consists of Admira Wacker (Austria), Schalke 04 (Germany), Ferencvaros (Hungary) and Slavia Prague (Czech Republic).
Maccabi’s schedule: Friday at 19.10 v. Runders, Saturday at 11:00 v. Rapid Vienna, 18:30 v. Sturm Graz. Sunday: Matches to determine final positions.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-15 squad has travelled to a prestigious ...
