Maccabi face Pafos in the 2nd qualifying round

Now it’s their turn/ Under-16’s begin training

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv opened up training for the 2017/18 campaign with Head Coach Alon Brumer. Raymond Atteveld, the Director of the Under-16 squad added: “The players have gotten older and the demands will now be increased. They have plenty of time to prepare themselves to take part in the process”

The third Youth Department Club began training for the 2017/18 season as Head Coach Alon Brumer will remain with Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv for an additional campaign. The squad will be made up of many new players coming from the two Under-15 sides that will now be combined into one. Leon Asraf will be the assistant coach after spending last season with the Under-17 team while being aided by the Club’s Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen and Raymond Atteveld who is the Director of the Under-11 through Under-16 teams.

Brumer spoke about the excitement of beginning a brand new season, “It’s always exciting to work with a brand new team and it’s always great to get back onto the pitch and see how the Maccabi youngsters are beginning to grow up especially at this age. We have a big challenge ahead to make sure that they advance and of course it’s always a challenge to combine two clubs into one. This is just the early preparatory stage as we will begin to put together the club and start to head into first gear. I believe that this will be a very good squad, one that the players will enjoy being a part of and where they will work together. With hard work they will be able to move forward both as individuals and as a team.”

Assistant Performance Director Raymond Atteveld who also serves as Director of the Under-11 through Under-16 clubs also spoke about getting back to training: “This is a team that has been combined from the two Under-15 teams. At the end of last season we had already put them together into one side for an international tournament in Vienna. It will be interesting to see how they have prepared over the summer and if they are ready for the opening of training camp. We started off slowly today, however we still demanded the quality that we require to see from them all season long.

The players will be working with a new coaching staff with excellent football knowledge and a tremendous amount of motivation that’s perfect for this age group. At this age we will see how their physique will change from being a child to becoming an adult. Some of them came back from vacation and have grown up as well so we have to be careful about physical injuries since the body isn’t used to the changes just yet. It will be challenging for the players to find their place and work with new coaches. The players have gotten older and the demands will now be increased. They have plenty of time to prepare themselves and take part in the process. There will be plenty of top level competition going forward and they are aware of that. It will be up to them if they want to be part of the team or not. We are here to help them, instruct them and give them advice.”

The third Youth Department Club began training for the 2017/18 season as ...

Maccabiah Participants on trial at the Youth Department

Over the course of the past week couple of weeks, 20 youngsters from various countries have taken part in the Youth Department’s training sessions after impressing the Club’s scouts during the Maccabiah. This was an excellent way in finding young talent and an opportunity to make new connections

The Maccabiah Games takes place every four years and is a multi sport competition for Jews throughout the world. Maccabi Tel Aviv had a number of scouts under the auspices of the Club’s Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen that observed the football tournament which consisted of youngsters from all around the world. Those who made their mark were invited to join the Youth Department’s training sessions by age group as connections for the present and future were made with many different individuals and organizations.

The Under-19 team has been training for two weeks and was joined by 8 players from the Maccabiah. The Under-17 side which began training last week, had 4 Maccabiah players who took part in their sessions, while tomorrow the Under-16 club starts their 2017/18 preparations and will have a few more Maccabiah players as well. The youngsters who are on trial have come from countries such as South Africa, Canada and across the United States.

Interestingly enough one of the players from Canada has the same last name as owner Mitch Goldhar, however after a quick check it was determined that there was no relation between the two. All of the players had an enjoyable time as one of them commented: “It was a lot of fun to take part in the training sessions and it was a big honor as well. The hospitality was amazing and the facilities of the club were very high quality.”

Ran Elias who heads the Scouting Department and was responsible for the project explained: “A few months ago we analyzed which players would be coming to play in the Maccabiah, specifically looking at the 16-18 age range. Over the course of the tournament we saw many players from various countries and those who made their mark and lasting impression were invited to join the Maccabi Youth Department training sessions. Of course we are working in full cooperation with the coaches and the delegation heads. The idea here is to create relationships, follow the players progress and potentially have them join the Club should they meet our requirements while helping them immigrate to Israel.”

The Maccabiah Games takes place every four years and is a multi ...

The Under-17 Club opens up training

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv opened up their 2017/18 season training camp as Eliezer Ben Aharon will continue as Head Coach. However, there were a couple of new faces at the session as assistant coach Dedi Ben Dayan and goalkeeping coach Kale Dreshler joined the staff

The second Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department club began training for the 2017/18 campaign as Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, the Under-17 Club under the direction of Eliezer Ben Aharon who earned the Double last season hit the Kiryat Shalom pitch. Ben Aharon will begin his second year as head coach and will have new players who advanced from the Under-16 team. In addition, the professional staff will include a pair of new faces in Dedi Ben Dayan who will be the assistant coach and goalkeeper coach Kale Dreshler. Patrick van Leeuwen the Club’s Performance Director and his assistant Raymond Atteveld were also present at opening practice.

Ben Aharon spoke about getting back to work on the training pitch: “It’s a new season with new team and it’s very exciting. You can already see that the team is very talented and there are some good players here. If I can help them with the little things then together we’ll be able to do some big things this season. We’ve also added some former players to the professional staff who come to Maccabi with very rich histories and I believe that we can help the players advance and improve.”

Assistant coach Dedi Ben Dayan also discussed returning to the field, however this time as part of the professional staff: “Personally, it’s very exciting. It’s coming full circle for me as I began my career at the age of 17 with the club’s first team and now I’m beginning the second chapter of my career in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Department. I hope that I’ll be able to contribute with my many years of experience and be able to teach the younger players. I’ll do the maximum to make them better players and better people as well.”

The club’s goalkeeping staff also has a new addition in Kale Dreshler who returns to the team he had once played for: “It’s a big honor to return to the club and in the past we did some great things. I came here to work and teach and I’m happy that I have come back to a big club. The conditions here are like being at Barcelona but in Israel.”

The second Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department club began training for the ...

Girls Project Registration is Open

Mor Shaked, a coach at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football School has initiated a project under the auspices of the Club’s Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen. Registration is now open for girls born between 2008-2011

The Youth Department has initiated the opening of a girls team which is a new pilot project under the direction on Mor Shaked, a coach in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football School together with Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen. Registration for girls born between 2008-2011 is now open however, should there be less than 12 girls who sign up for the new program they will then join the boys teams.

To register for the Girls Project please contact:
Mor Shaked – 052-444-8103
lbenaharon@mtafc.com
Laharonov@mtafc.com

“I believe that a Club like Maccabi Tel Aviv is the perfect place to give attention to girls in order to improve and advance. I think that if a team like Maccabi Tel Aviv, which is a big club, can give all of its available resources and tools to a girls team, then we will be the model for all other clubs in the country.”

The Youth Department has initiated the opening of a girls team which ...

Football School Registration has begun

The Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department is about to open up the new season. Early registration for the Football School under the direction of Patrick van Leeuwen has begun for last year’s participants

Over the next two weeks Football School participants from last season may register for the upcoming campaign. Early registration begins on July 13th and runs until July 29th when it will then be open to the general public. Registration may be done via sending an email to the Football School.

In the new season the activities will consist of two sessions and a match. MTA FC will organize a Maccabi league for the teams consisting players of the schools in the different age groups.

Football School Email: YDoffice@mtafc.com
Please leave the following information: Full Name, Year of Birth, last season’s coach that the participant played under.
A place will be reserved by emailing the above details. Payment may be made beginning in August 1st via the Official Website with confirmation by the Football School.

Details:
Fee: 3500NIS – 350NIS for 10 months (Training begins September 1 through June 30)
There is also an additional 600 NIS fee for equipment and clothing, including: Match Kit, Training Kit, socks, bag, ball.

Training schedule (training times are not final and may change prior to the beginning of the season):

Maccabi South (Kiryat Shalom)
2005-2006 (U-12):
Sunday – 18:30
Thursday – 19:15
Friday – 14:15

2007 (U-11):
Sunday – 17:30
Monday – 19:15
Friday – 15:15

2008 (U-10):
Sunday – 17:30
Wednesday – 19:15
Saturday – 10:00

2009 (U-9):
Sunday – 18:30
Tuesday – 19:15
Saturday – 9:00

2010 (U-8)
Sunday – 16:30
Tuesday – 19:15
Saturday – 09:00

2011 (U-7):
Sunday – 17:30
Thursday – 19:15
Saturday – 10:00
2012-2013 (Training begins October 1st):
As of today there will be one training session which will take place on Friday at 15:15 (an additional training session may be added)

Girls 2008-2011:
Sunday – 16:30
Wednesday – 19:15
Friday – 14:15
Should there be less than 12 girls who register for the program the will be placed with the boys groups in the appropriate age category.

Maccabi North (Hadas Yosef): *Training times will be published in the near future

2005-2006 (U-12):
Sunday –
Thursday –
Friday –

2007 (U-11):
Sunday –
Thursday –
Friday –

2008 (U-10):
Sunday –
Thursday –
Saturday –

2009 (U-9):
Sunday –
Tuesday –
Saturday –

2010 (U-8)
Sunday –
Tuesday –
Saturday –

2011 (U-7):
Sunday –
Tuesday –
Saturday –

2012-2013 (Training begins October 1st):
As of today there will be one training session which will take place on Sunday (an additional training session may be added)

Over the next two weeks Football School participants from last season may ...

Under-19 Fixtures Released

The 2017/18 Youth Ligat Ha’Al fixtures have been published and the young Yellow & Blue will open the season up against Beitar Jerusalem while they will play the Derby on Matchday 6. The full list is inside

The 2017/18 Youth Ligat Ha’Al Premeir League campaign is right around the corner as the first matches will be played in September. The fixtures have been released as Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv will play Beitar “Oren” Jerusalem on Matchday 1, September 9th. The Derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv will take place on Matchday 6 while the following contest will be away at Maccabi Haifa. The last Matchday of the first round will feature Kiryat Shemona hosting the young Yellow & Blue.

For the 2017/18 Fixtures – CLICK HERE

The Under-19 Club, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv began training this past Saturday at Kiryat Shalom and next month they will head to their training camp in Kiev. Guy Tzarfati will begin his second season as head coach and will look to keep up the positive momentum to lead the young Yellow & Blue to successful season.

The 2017/18 Youth Ligat Ha’Al Premeir League campaign is right around the ...

Who am I? Identify the Maccabi player who grew up in the Club’s Youth Department

In honor of the brand new MTA Academy Website, we've put together a trivia quiz where you have to identify the players when they were in the Youth Department. Take the test and see how much you really know

The brand new MTA Academy Website

The Youth Department has launched a brand new MTA Academy Section where the fans can find the latest news and views. Patrick van Leeuwen, the club's Performance Director: “We are continuously improving the website and it will become even more interactive between the club and the fans”

The Youth Department has opened up a new season along with the brand new MTA Academy Section on the club’s official website. All of the latest news, results, match reports, video clips, special projects and more will be updated on a regular basis for the fans. In addition, the fans and players from all of the Youth Department Clubs will he able to enjoy all kinds of great information including: scouting, education, sports science, health & medical and much more.

The Club’s Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen has been responsible for the brand new section and of course the changes that have occurred across the Youth Department explained the importance about having a platform that can share as much information as possible and that can be interactive with the fans: “I believe that the new website is very important for the players and our fans as well as for all of the young footballers across the country who will be able to access Maccabi Tel Aviv’s professional website. It will be interesting to read about the Youth Department and about the coaches along with all of the other activities that take place. Training sessions, match reports or watching the goals of the week will all be available to the fans. We want to provide as much content as possible so the general public will be aware of our programs and also take part in learning more about us. In the future, the website will become even more interactive between the club and the fans.

We are developing many projects and programs. The Club’s scouting activities and opportunities for children to show off their abilities will also be available along with information about the various football schools and the fact that they will now not only be training but also playing matches. The MTA Academy Website is the perfect place to read up on all of the latest news and activities of the Youth Department.”

The Youth Department has opened up a new season along with the ...

The Under-19 Club season is underway

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv opened up training camp for the 2017/18 season. Head Coach Guy Tzarfati conducted the first training session with his staff: “It’s always a good feeling to get back onto the pitch”

The Club’s Youth Department season has begun and the first team to begin training is the Under-19 squad, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv. Head Coach Guy Tzarfati conducted the first session along with his staff and next month the club will head to Kiev for an extended training camp in order to continue their preparations for the 2017/18 campaign.

Check out the BRAND NEW Youth Department section on the Official Website. All of the updates, photos, video clips and the latest news about all of the departments can be found RIGHT HERE

The Under-19 squad is composed of both veterans and newcomers that moved up from the Under-17 club that won the Double last season while last month five players from the Youth Club took part in the First Team’s training camp in Austria. Patrick van Leeuwen, Raymond Atteveld and Robin Verheul were also present at the opening training session of the campaign.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati, who is beginning his second season with the Under-19 led the session and commented: “It’s always a good feeling to get back onto the pitch and I always have the passion to be the first one to arrive at the facility and get to work. We are beginning the year from a good point due to the work that was done last season from an organizational point of view, squad, work plan and the quality of play. I believe that we can continue to improve this season and develop even more players and make the club into a winner. The training session went well and there was a good atmosphere. We will try to keep this up for the whole season.”

The Club’s Youth Department season has begun and the first team to ...

Van Leeuwen: “The results will be a natural effect of our work on and off of the field”

Patrick van Leeuwen, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Performance Director sat down to look back at the season that was across the Youth Department, the improvements that have been made along with the influence of the football philosophy which is permeating throughout Kiryat Shalom and beyond:

The first season ended with the Youth Department under a new professional team headed by Patrick Van Leven, the club’s Performance Director. In a special interview, Van Leeuwen concludes his first season in the department and shares details about his special philosophy.

Summing up the season from a professional point of view:

“It’s almost exactly one year that I’ve been at Maccabi and looking back at the things that I had planned for the Club, I believe that we have come a long way. We were able to change the football philosophy and implement a philosophy for all of the teams, one that is not determined by an individual coach. This is how I want all of teams to adapt to which will ensure that all of the coaches go in the same direction which also opens up discussions about exercises and the development of players.

At the beginning of the season there was a lot of explaining and correcting which wasn’t always pleasant for a coach if he was corrected on the field. But this is the process that we had to go through to make sure that we went in the right direction. You can now see that all of the teams including the Under-8s and Under-9s have a specific philosophy, one that is begins at a younger age and will continue from year to year both in football matches and in training sessions.

Of course, when you try to change the football philosophy within a club there are always ups and downs, but all in all we did very well with the coaches and with their cooperation in implementing a new philosophy.”

The staff’s attitude in adapting to the new philosophy:

“When I came in the staff was already prepared by Guy Zukerman and everyone was put in a position where they could prove themselves. I started to work with all of the coaches in the positions that they were placed in. Some of them worked out well and some had trouble. That’s all part of developing a new philosophy. It doesn’t always go in everyone’s direction and there had to be some changes at the beginning. At the end of the season there were also changes since some coaches still thought that they should have different opportunities that they can’t receive at Maccabi. Along the way we lost some coaches, but in general I am happy with all the coaches which stayed and with the new coaches that we are looking to add to the existing coaching staff.

It’s not always easy to implement a new football philosophy and there will always be coaches who are not willing to adapt because of their many years of experience as a coach. But after so many years of experience, I know which direction I want to go in and what results will be produced at the end. I am here to help make the coaches, players and scouting department happier and better.”

Changes that have been made that have contributed to the department’s progress:

“I believe in clarity. I brought in one philosophy for everybody and I feel that if you have everybody working and thinking in the same direction, especially when you are working on a long term project like the Academy you will succeed. Every year players will not only repeat what they have learned but will then get new information from the coaches that they will have in the second or third season. This is one of the major things that contributes to the progress of players and coaches and the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department as a whole.”

About the department’s philosophy:

“The philosophy is a combination of my basic development in Holland, experiences that I had in the Ukraine and Kazakhstan which also influences my Dutch football background and makes it more to the point for those types of countries where football has been learned in a different way. I like one philosophy where all of the coaches do the same thing in training and playing. The game of football consists of different key moments, whether it’s attacking, defending or switching from one to another or the way you take the set pieces. This is also for all the age groups so everyone is going in the same direction with the same football thoughts at all times.”

Important aspects and values that need to be assimilated in a player in order to advance:

“There are 3 things that are very important. We want a good football player, an educated person outside of football and a creative person. We want to educate a person not just in the field of football and education but to be a well rounded individual. If someone doesn’t give 100% in football then that will influence his education and vice versa. We are teaching the players to always give 100% and to give the maximum of their talent and to always be responsible in football, education and as a person.”

Mentality of the Israeli player compared to other places:

“I think that sometimes the Israeli player will be easy minded in way that if they show that they can do something once then that’s enough. I want to work with players who come to a session and want to improve everyday and that was something that didn’t exist at the beginning of the season. But I have seen lot of changes as the players know that we want to see them change and improve every single day. If you compare the Israeli, Ukrainian and Kazakstan player, you can see that the Eastern European player puts in a different amount of effort and aims higher. They have to travel a longer distance to get to the training facility and they know that their family background may not be the best so they want to succeed. The Israeli player lives closer by the football club, but they also have to show what they have to do to become a professional football player and what they are willing to do to become this professional football player. Together with my assistants Raymond and Robin I want to make sure that the coaches and players understand that becoming a professional footballer is a privileged job.”

Goals going forward:

“The goals for a youth department are always long term. Short term doesn’t work because when you institute a philosophy you are gaining the benefit of football development which occurs over a longer period of time. I know that in the near future the Maccabi teams will be more stable and will be able to deliver a higher performance training session by both the players and the coaches along with increasing the level of our training sessions and our matches. Further down the road we want to deliver candidates to the first team and this is an every year goal that recently started for us. We were lucky to have 5 boys training with the first team at the training camp. They left a positive impression on the head coach as well as the players who were training with them as they were eager, willing to listen and learn, while showing good technical qualities and tactically good choices in the training sessions and matches. This is something we want to happen every year, to have the Academy boys training with the first team, playing friendly matches with the first team and more.

We want to further develop the professionalism of our players. We want them to think about Maccabi Tel Aviv, why they spend so much time playing football and being educated outside of the football field, by using video analysis, by the use of a psychologist to help the team process and make them more aware that they are the ones that have to do it. If I look at direct team results of becoming champions then if the process is in the right direction and the coaches work well on the field and the players perform well on the field and listen well to their coaches, then the results will be a natural effect of our work on and off of the field.”

The first season ended with the Youth Department under ...