Atteveld: “Our coaches want to learn”

Four coaches from the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department along with Assistant Performance Director Raymond Atteveld visited Everton’s Academy and returned to Israel full of inspiration

Last week four coaches from Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Department spent a week at Everton in the city of Liverpool as they continued their ongoing professional education at the English Premier League Club.

Upon their return, the group summed up the experiences as the Assistant Performance Director Raymond Atteveld discussed what it was like to return to the Club where he had once played:
“It was a wonderful experience to be at a Premier League Club with training facilities of the highest level. For me personally, it was nice to be back at a place that I know really well from the time I was there as a player. We wanted our coaches to meet with other coaches who have different philosophies when dealing with the players on their teams. It’s important for every coach to see as many perspectives as possible, this is invaluable”

Atteveld continued: “Of course we want them to follow our philosophy, but it’s very important for them to gain other ideas along the way as this will just keep giving them more experiences to draw from and they will continue to improve because of that. We want them to be able to give over what they have learned to their players also. We saw some interesting examples that allowed the players to be coaches during the training sessions and in some cases they were able to try out various positions so they could also understand the holistic approach of the game.”

Other things the Maccabi coaches did during their time in England:
“We spoke to Everton’s first team assistant coach, senior staff at the Academy and we saw how they do video analysis and use the GPS System. We spent a lot of time with the Everton staff and they were extremely open and friendly to us. We received responses to anything and everything we asked and it was truly a fantastic experience. We also were able to see three matches that were all victories for them, so they really wanted us to stay.” Atteveld said with a smile.

What he learned about the Maccabi coaches:
“I was very happy to see that the coaches not only listened attentively but they asked questions about issues that were of interest and they weren’t afraid to ask again if they needed to. Every coach that came with us works with a different age group and they knew how to take the advice from their Everton counterparts. They prepared well before coming on the trip, they were active and they wanted to learn which made me very happy.”

Eliezer Ben Aharon, coach of Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv spoke about the Everton experience and tried to put his finger on the main differences between the academies: “This wasn’t the first time that I’ve travelled outside of Israel for continuing professional education. Overall the concept is similar between the two clubs, however the differences lie in the agenda of each of them. I was happy to see that this time compared to other trips I have been on, that we are on a similar path to that of a big European Club like Everton. This is in regards to the style of play built on training exercises, learning and improving, time management, set training program etc..

The main differences between the academies:
“I felt that we are on the correct path and it’s very encouraging going forward. I also learned that the gap between the quality of our players match play isn’t so great. The only gap that I can point to is in the mental part of the game. The players here come 100% focussed to every training session. The coaches don’t have to spend a lot of time on the mental side of the game whereas we have to do much more. I would be very happy if our players would come “full blast” to every practice.”

Alon Brumer, who played at the highest of levels with Maccabi also gave his thoughts on the trip:
“It was an amazing experience. This was my first continuing professional education program with the academy so I didn’t know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised. What really struck me was that everyone at Everton had the same goal; to make sure the players advance to the first team.”

On the differences between the departments:
“Their sports culture is different, where they deal with just the game itself. The children who are part of their youth department receive the utmost attention and the program is at a very high level from the most complex to the simplest of things. As coaches who work in the youth department, we try to stimulate the children. At Everton they begin working on the simpler and easier things and work their way up to that which is more difficult. It’s very much related to the sports culture because it is imbued in them at a very early age.”

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv coach, Amir Sofer also spoke about the Everton experience:
“It was truly fascinating. It’s always interesting to see a Club which is at a higher level especially in terms of conduct and practice. I was very impressed by Everton’s facilities and how they work on the tiniest details of the game during practice. I came back from then trip with a number of new ideas and there’s no question that we can all learn plenty from them.”

Last week four coaches from Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Department spent a ...

Youth Department action, Saturday December 17, 2016

The Under-19 squad will play in the Carmel late on Saturday, the Under-17 side heads to Beer Sheva and all the rest of the Youth Department action is inside

Hapoel “Robi” Haifa – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 18:30, Ethos Haifa

The young Yellow & Blue will look to brush aside their loss last week to Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa as they face another club from the Carmel, this time their Hapoel Haifa counterparts. The contest will take place at Ethos in Haifa at an unusually late hour for Youth League play.

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 11:30, Reiser Beer Sheva

After picking up a victory over Rishon Le’Zion last Matchday, Eliezer Ben Aharon’s team heads south to visit Beer Sheva who sit in 13th place.

Hapoel Petach Tikva – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, 10:30, Sirkin

Following last week’s Derby win, Alon Brumer’s Club will play away at Petach Tikva and look to keep up their fine results of late at the Sirkin field.

Maccabi “Tzav Pius” Rechovot – Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv, 13:00, Rechovot

Ori David’s side picked up a win last Matchday defeating Maccabi Jaffa and will look to collect three more points in the battle at the top of the table.

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “Aliya” Kfar Saba, 10:30, Kiryat Shalom

The Sharon Greens will come to Kiryat Shalom for a visit as Amir Sofer’s squad will look for a win on Matchday Nine of the Under-15 Sharon League.

Hapoel “Robi” Haifa – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 18:30, Ethos Haifa

The ...

Youth Department Coaches depart for professional visit to Everton

Five representatives of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department will be heading to Liverpool for five days of workshops and training sessions while also meeting with Ronald Koeman as part of their ongoing professional education

As part of the ongoing professional educational of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department, the staff will be taking part in workshops at various academies across Europe. The first group of four coaches along with Raymond Atteveld, the Assistant Performance Director, will leave Sunday evening for Liverpool, England where they will spend a number of days at Everton’s Football Academy, Atteveld’s former club.

The coaches will participate in a lecture with the Head of the Academy, Dr. Peter Vint (who was recently the US Olympic Chief) and will also get a unique view of the Premier League club’s academy.

“We want to give our coaches various different experiences and part of this process includes going to football academies throughout Europe,” Patrick van Leeuwen, Maccabi’s Performance Director commented. “We try to choose coaches who will be able to use the tools gained on these trips with the players so they will continue to improve. The goal is to have 4-5 of these types of trips for various coaches each year, helping in their continuing development.”

The five (Eliezer Ben Aharon, Alon Brumer, Amir Sofer, Arik Levi and Atteveld) will leave Sunday evening and will be in the city of Liverpool until Friday, with some of the coaches also observing the Reserve Team and Youth Club’s matches. They will also be able to watch the Senior Team’s training session under the direction of Head Coach Ronald Koeman and his brother Erwin. At the end of their trip they will prepare a presentation for the rest of the coaches in the Youth Department where they will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and continue onwards.”

As part of the ongoing professional educational of the Maccabi Tel Aviv ...

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 ...