Yellow & Blue Saturday – Match Results December 3, 2016

A splitting of the points at Wassermil Stadium for the Under-19 side while all of the other Yellow & Blue clubs advanced to the next round of State Cup Play. Let's take a look inside

Hapoel Beer Sheva 1:1 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv

After giving up an early goal, Guy Tzarfati’s side was able to take control of the contest and draw even through Ron Zamir in the 37th minute. Despite the Yellow & Blue’s pressure throughout the second half, the team’s each picked up one point apiece. This coming Saturday will see Maccabi “Shachar” host Maccabi Haifa at the Ramle Stadium in a crucial battle for the young Yellow & Blue.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 6:0 Hapoel Kiryat Ono

Eliezer Ben Aharon’s side easily brushed aside Kiryat Ono at Kiryat Shalom thanks to a brace by Adir Hardon and Muflach Shalata, plus goals by Eyal Hen and Saar Berami to advance to the next round of State Cup play.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 13:0 Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan

The Under-16 squad moved on to the next round as well as Alon Brumer’s club blew past Ramat Gan at Kiryat Shalom.

Bnei Yehud 1:5 Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv

Amir Sofer’s charges went ahead in the 7th minute but gave up a surprising tying goal just five minutes later. However, the young Yellow & Blue lifted themselves up in the second half, scoring four goals on the way to advancing in State Cup play.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 3:1 Hapoel Nachalat Yehuda Rishon Le’Zion

Doron Linder, Ilay Hadar and Stav Nachmani all found the back of the goal for Maccabi “Eldad” as they also moved on to the next round of the State Cup over Nachalat Yehuda.

Hapoel Beer Sheva 1:1 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv

After giving up an early ...

Get to know: Raymond Atteveld

A few months ago the Dutchman joined Patrick van Leeuwen as the Assistant Performance Director. Let's take an in depth look at Atteveld (50) who played for Everton, in the Eredivisie and now works with the next generation of Yellow & Blue

Youth Department action, Saturday December 3, 2016

Maccabi “Shachar” returns to league action with an important clash against Hapoel Beer Sheva while all the other Youth Department State Cup contests are inside

Hapoel “HaShlosha” Beer Sheva – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 12:00, Wassermil
Guy Tzarfati’s side will visit the Southern capital club on Matchday 9 of the Youth Ligat Ha’Al. The young Yellow & Blue want to keep up their fine form following the break and continue to cut the lead at the top of the table.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Kiryat Ono, 12:30, Kiryat Shalom (State Cup)
The Under-17 squad will begin their quest for the State Cup as Eliezer Ben Aharon’s team opens up the competition against Hapoel Kiryat Ono.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – HaKoach Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan, 10:30, Kiryat Shalom (State Cup)
Alon Brumer’s club will also begin their run for the State Cup as HaKoach Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan visit the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “Nachalat Yehuda” Rishon Le’Zion, 08:30, Kiryat Shalom
The Under-15 side of Ori David will host Hapoel “Nachalat Yehuda” Rishon Le’Zion at Kiryat Shalom in a second round State Cup contest.

Bnei Yehud – Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv
Amir Sofer’s squad want to advance past the second round of the State Cup tournament when they visit Bnei Yehud.

Hapoel “HaShlosha” Beer Sheva – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 12:00, Wassermil Guy Tzarfati’s ...

Patrick van Leeuwen: “We want to give all the players the best opportunities”

The Yellow & Blue’s Performance Director has been busy revolutionizing the Club’s Youth Department and tells us what has been going on both up in the North of Tel Aviv and down in the South at Kiryat Shalom

Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen spoke about his first few months at Maccabi and what he has been working on in the Youth Department. He especially focussed on the importance of the Maccabi Tel Aviv School in the North of Tel Aviv and why it is as crucial as the one located at Kiryat Shalom:

“The Club’s plan is to keep working with both the school in the North of Tel Aviv and in the South at Kiryat Shalom because they are all part of the same family. I don’t see this changing over the next season because as a Club we need a bigger pond to fish from and to find quality talented players. The rumors of the North school closing are unfounded as this is a critical location for all of us at Maccabi. The information and statistics say that there are an equal amount of quality players coming from the North as from the South.”

Improving the Northern School’s facilities:

“It is crucial for us at Maccabi to improve the facilities and to give the best opportunities to the children at the North school. We need both schools in order for us to be able to develop the best players and evaluate the best talent that is available across Tel Aviv as well as the country. This will help us make the correct decisions in bringing the best players to the Under-16 or Under-17 Clubs.”

The all-important connection between the Maccabi School in the North and the one at Kiryat Shalom:

“As I mentioned, we have a difference between the two schools in terms of facilities but in terms of philosophy there is no difference between the schools because both sets of coaches get the same education and as a club the children in the North are as important for us as the children in the South. This is one of the tasks that together with Club management we are trying to improve. We want to have as many hours and the same level of facilities that we have in the South.”

Of course, developing the younger levels at Maccabi Tel Aviv is also a very important task which van Leeuwen believes is critical as to the success of the program:

“For me it’s a full package. We want to create an Under-8 and Under-9 club on a permanent basis as this is as important as creating a higher level for the Under-19 team. The philosophy that is put in means that it begins with the younger ages moving all the way up to the older ages. We try to prepare the youngsters to be technically able to handle the ball and to be able to play together. At these ages you start giving them the general feel of being a footballer and eventually it will end up where they will need to show us who is the best player or who can take a step to the first team.”

The Youth Department’s activities over the past few months have been numerous, but van Leeuwen points out a number of crucial points:

“There have been numerous activities going on in the Youth Department over the past few months, but there are some very important changes that have been made:

The first thing is that we have been focusing on developing the coaches to make sure that they get enough information about the philosophy that I want to have in the Maccabi Academy. This is related to how we want to play matches and how we want the coaches and players to prepare to play matches as well as to become better footballers individually.

Secondly, I wanted to improve the criteria around player development to do the physical training in a different fashion. This way it doesn’t take time away from the football practice because it’s done before the training session and that way the session is a pure football session.

I have added video analysis in a more demanding way from a management point of view in order to have every match and every single training session filmed. This way we can show the players visually what mistakes they made or what they did very well.

In addition, we are working together with the Wingate College for Physical Education And Sports Science on a first of a kind professional course for coaches at Kiryat Shalom where we can share our professional information amongst each other.

This phase has been going on for more than 4 months and we have made progress. I’m satisfied as to the efforts of the coaches and the efforts of the players. Even though we may be playing football, I am making different demands in the way the coaches and the players have to perform which they are trying to cope with.”

The department has been undergoing a revolution and the changes that are taking place have been planned by the Club’s management:

“In the beginning, there were some heads turning and eyes rolling around as to why there were different demands from what they had been used to. But this was the way I wanted to do things and what was also demanded of me by Sport Director Jordi Cruyff as well as the owner to make the appropriate changes to help bring the players and the coaches to the next level. I’m satisfied with the direction we are now going in.”

A very important key to the future relies on the addition of Raymond Atteveld to the staff:

“I can do a lot more now because Raymond Atteveld is working with me. He is spending time with the coaches on the field as well as with the players and he is trying to stimulate the coaches to bring everyone to a higher level. It’s great to have him here. With both of us now working together we can help improve the coaches and bring them to another level.

Raymond was a well known player from Holland and he has a lot of character. I brought him in when he first started coaching and I brought him to FC Kairat where we worked closely together to bring the players and the coaches together. This is exactly what I want to do at Maccabi. When he became free, I invited him to join us at Maccabi and to assist me with this project. It’s very important for him to handle the coaches and various other things as it frees up my time to focus on other issues at hand. We still have certain things to improve both with the players and the coaches as well as in organizational development.”

What are the the next steps:

“We are trying to further increase our knowledge of our players in Israel so the scouting department have some different demands than what they had before. We want to see the players but also those who we want to strengthen from the younger ages, 8-9 years old and up to 17 years old. The Maccabi Academy also had the intention to organize open days for children of local clubs to show their qualities to the coaches and scouts of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

An additional step is to bring the Medical Department of the Academy to another level where there is clear attention for the players on a daily basis. Since the hours on the field has increased that also means we have to make sure that we are doing everything to prevent them from being injured but also if they unfortunately do get hurt then we can treat them the best way ourselves.

Part of the Club also includes the commercial activities of the Football Schools. We want to make some adjustments which will make them even more fun for children to be a part of and experience the Maccabi Football Academy style. Whoever is part of the Football Schools and is performing well, potentially will have the opportunity to be invited to the Academy training sessions.”

 

Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen spoke about his first few months at ...

Van Leeuwen attends ECA Conference on Academy Standards

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Performance Director took part in a special conference at the European Club Association about Academy standards across the continent

Academies has been an important topic amongst youth football over the past few years and just as new technology has been at the forefront of the ever-evolving world of football with information being shared between clubs the same is true about Academies. Last week, Patrick van Leeuwen, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Performance Director attended a special ECA conference concerning this matter, as the body representing the interests of association football clubs in UEFA have looked to continue to explore this subject matter in much more depth.

Van Leeuwen, along with representatives from Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiakos along with other top clubs in Europe were selected to be part of a team assembled to establish a list of standards that will form the basis for any Club that wants to build or analyze their Academy. “A lot of the conference was spent discussing Academy standards in European countries. We want to ensure that the Academies will be at the highest professional levels and for them not to just say that they have an Academy. We want to really make sure that the coaches and players have the best facilities in order from them to develop to the best of their abilities.”

About what Maccabi Tel Aviv will gain van Leeuwen said: “As part of the cross sharing of information, I hope that we will be able to receive reports that we will be able to use at Maccabi’s Academy and then be able to compare ourselves and our performance standards to the biggest and best clubs in Europe.” The Performance Director continued to discuss the differences between the perception of Academies in Israel to those from abroad: “From what I understand, for the most part in Israel, Academies don’t have the highest demands compared to other clubs in Holland, Germany, Spain and others where there are ratings and various levels of their Academy’s training facilities, performance and investment. Maccabi is currently having some challenges in developing the training facilities, but we are going in the right direction.”

Academies has been an important topic amongst youth football over the past ...

Yellow & Blue Saturday – Match Results November 12, 2016

Maccabi "Shachar" won their third match in a row, the Under-17 and Under-16 teams picked up big wins and all of the other results are inside

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 3:0 Ashdod

The Under-19 club picked up their third win in a row as Or Dasa, Eylon Almog and Mahmoud Awesat all scored in the victory. In two weeks time Guy Tzarfati’s side will face Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Maccabi “Kalfo” Petach Tikva 0:1 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv

Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad scored an important win after returning from the International break. Omer Berami scored the lone goal of the contest in the 19th minute as the Under-17 team sits in first place with two matches in hand.

Hapoel Beer Sheva 0:3 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv

Bar Cohen’s 28th minute goal along with second half strikes by Iddo Shachar and Raava Assayag helped Alon Brumer’s club pick up the three points and the win at Hapoel Beer Sheva. The young Yellow & Blue find themselves tied for first place with Maccabi Haifa while next Matchday they’ll be playing against Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Derby.

Maccabi “Max” Haifa 1:3 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv

Even though Ori David’s side was down 1:0 in Haifa, they came storming back as Stav Nachmani drew Maccabi “Eldad” even before the break. In the second half, Nehorai Bitton and Or Roizman scored for the the Under-15 team to complete the comeback win.

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv 4:0 Hapoel “Nir” Ramat HaSharon

Amir Sofer’s squad made sure to put last week’s disappointing loss to bed as his team defeated Ramat HaSharon at Kiryat Shalom on goals by Yehali Lazar, Tal Turgeman, Niv Berkovic and Harel Ben Yehuda.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 3:0 Ashdod

The Under-19 club picked up their third ...

Youth Department action – November 12, 2016

The Under-19 Club hosts Ashdod at Kiryat Shalom, the Under 17’s are back in action plus all of the other Yellow & Blue action this Saturday is inside

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – SC Ashdod, 11:00, Kiryat Shalom
Guy Tzarfati’s young Yellow & Blue squad will look to keep up their positive momentum when they host Ashdod at Kiryat Shalom as the Ramle Stadium pitch is undergoing winterization. With two wins in a row, another victory will move them closer to the top of the table.

Maccabi “Kalfo” Petach Tikva – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 13:00, Petach Tikva
Following a long International break, Eliezer Ben Aharon’s Under 17 side will finally get back to action when they visit their Petach Tikva counterparts at 13:00.

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, 11:00, Beer Sheva
The Under 16 club will head south to Beer Sheva as Eliezer Ben Aharon’s team sits in third place. With a win Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” could vault closer to first place.

Maccabi “Max” Haifa – Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv, 10:30, Ketzef Haifa
Maccabi “Eldad” will travel north to Haifa in a crucial matchup against the Greens. With the two teams separated by only one point, the Under 15 squad will attempt to overtake their counterparts from the Carmel.

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “Nir” Ramat HaSharon, 09:00, Kiryat Shalom
Amir Sofer’s side will host Ramat HaSharon Saturday morning at Kiryat Shalom. Following a disappointing loss last week, Maccabi “Ilan will look to get back onto the winning track.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – SC Ashdod, 11:00, Kiryat Shalom Guy Tzarfati’s ...

Get to know: Fadi Najar

Just two months ago the young defender came to Maccabi as part of the Sagiv Yehezkel deal and has already made progress in his role, plus he's had a successful campaign with the U-19 National Team. Just before the Youth Premier League returns from break, let’s get to know this young player

Two months have passed since Sagiv Yehezkel came back to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In the same deal, Fadi Najar also arrived and has quickly turned into one of the mainstays in the Maccabi “Shachar” Starting XI. This week, the defender along with three other Maccabi representatives returned from the qualifying stages of the Under-19 European Championships where he made two appearances and was able to score a goal and assist on another.

Just prior to the youth team’s return to action after the international break we caught up with Najar for a short talk about football, the National Team what he does during his free time:

It’s been two months since you joined Maccabi. How have you acclimated so far?

“I feel good. I really feel like I’m part of the team and have made many new friends. Last season I was with Hapoel Tel Aviv and it was fine as well but now I’m with a much better Club that can give me much more so I’m really happy to be here. I believe that moving from Maccabi Netanya to Hapoel and now to Maccabi has given me a lot of experience. I was able to work with many coaches and players, much more than the average player.

At Maccabi you’ve been playing as a central defender, however your natural position is left back:

“I’m currently playing two different positions right now. When I first arrived I was playing as a left back and then Patrick van Leeuwen moved me over to the central defender position, which is a role that I believe I’m doing well at. I can also play left back. Truthfully I enjoy being a left back but I have no problem playing as a central defender as well.”

About the Under-19 Israel National Team campaign:

“I had a good tournament along with the whole National Team. I came in after Maccabi “Shachar” had won the Derby so I was full of energy and I was able to both score and pick up an assist in the second and third matches that I played in. I’ve been been a part of the National Team program since the Under-16 level and we have a great bunch of guys who are terrific friends.”

On Maccabi’s goals this year:

“I think we are getting to know one another much better now. It took us some time and this Saturday you’ll see that we will be even better. Our goal at Maccabi is clear, to battle for the championship. But in order to do that we will have to work very hard.”

The desire to play for the First Team:

“I was able to play for the First Team with Maccabi Netanya and I’ve trained a bit with Maccabi’s Senior side and it’s a great feeling. It was really good to feel apart of the best team in the country. Not only that, but I felt that I improved just by playing with these types of players and professionals.”

What do you like to do in your free time that’s not football related?

“I love to fish. On Sunday we have an off day and I usually go up to Nahariya to fish with my cousin. I really love eating fish as well, it’s a great hobby. There are similarities between fishing and football. Timing and gut feelings are things that are really crucial in both. When you are fishing, even when you’ve caught one you must be very gentle when you are actually pulling it out of the water and reeling it in. So you need to have a certain feeling when doing it and also you need to to have specific timing or else you won’t be able to capture it. As you can see, these are attributes that are also part of being a footballer.”

Two months have passed since Sagiv Yehezkel came back to Maccabi Tel ...

Youth Department action, Saturday November 5, 2016

The Under-19 team is back in action after the International break and plays the last place club, plus the Under-16 & Under-15 squads are all in action this Saturday

Hapoel Ashkelon – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 11:00, Ashkelon Synthetic
After a two week break, the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth club is back from the International break and will face the bottom of the table team who haven’t yet recorded a point.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – International Break

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “Dani” Ramat Gan, 10:00, Kiryat Shalom
Alon Brumer’s side will host Ramat Gan following last week’s big win over Rahat.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Sport Club Ironi “Alona Ashdod, 12:30, Kiryat Shalom
The young Yellow & Blue of Ori David will look to get back onto the winning track against Ashdod after last week’s draw.

Maccabi “Hadar” Herzliya – Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv, 12:30, Herzliya
Amir Sofer’s club will visit Herzliya with the goal of winning the match and moving one place ahead of hosts on the table.

Hapoel Ashkelon – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 11:00, Ashkelon Synthetic After a two ...

Yellow-and-Blue Saturday – Match Results October 29, 2016

The Under-17 side is still on break but the Under-16 and Under-15 clubs provided plenty of action. All of the Saturday Youth Department results are inside

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 13:0 Hapoel Rahat

Alon Brumer’s club didn’t give Hapoel Rahat a warm welcome to Kiryat Shalom as the Under-16 side scored goals aplenty in a 13:0 win. Next week the young Yellow & Blue will face Hapoel Ramat Gan as they will look to continue their winning streak.

Hapoel “Rami” Tel Aviv 1:1 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv

The Under-15 team visited Wolfson for a Derby against Hapoel as Ori David’s outfit scored an early goal via Stav Nachmani, however, a late goal by the hosts meant the sides would split the points.

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv 3:1 Hapoel “Nir” Haifa

Following a moving ceremony in memory of Ilan Sviatkovsky z”l, the Yellow & Blue defeated Hapoel Haifa thanks to goals by Yaheli Lazar, Shai Blachson and Tomer Yakubi.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi “Eli ...