The MTA Youth Division launch a new project unique of its kind in Israel
The Youth Division of Maccabi Tel Aviv continue in their efforts to develop in every possible way the talent of their young players. The most recent step in that direction is the opening of the Football Academy for Under-16s at Mikve Israel. For the 2014/15 season, the Division's Under-16 team will be composed of players from both of last year's Under-15 squads. They'll line up as regular competitors in the U16 Nationwide League South but their training regimes and the terms of their participation will be undergoing a radical change. These have been designed to resemble more closely those common to various clubs in Europe, as Football Academy Manager David Aharonov explains: "Our goal is to attune ourselves to the best youth divisions in Europe. We saw what those big clubs were doing, favouring the academy framework for the youth teams, and we've adapted that framework for here. In Europe those academies operate as boarding schools, where the players sleep and live on the premises throughout the week. Israel is a small country so there's no need to keep the youngsters away from their homes for extended periods of time".
The Under-16s will have an entirely different daily routine than the one they've grown accustomed to up until this season, a routine that will include a complete programme of school studies in addition to football training: "The youngsters may not be living here, but they will be here every day from morning until evening. They'll start the day with a school programme that provides them with all the required hours, including reinforcement. After their school hours they'll move on to the training ground at Kiryat Shalom for practice and in the evening they 'll return home by organised transportation".
According to Aharonov, the greatest need being met by the new academy structure is for increased attention to the advancement of the young players and the improvement of their abilities in every respect: "The biggest upgrade for the players themselves will be expressed in the increased number of training units they'll be receiving, nine instead of five, including not only regular and fitness training but also lectures on tactics which represent the theoretical units of training. Part of the benefit is also providing regular and proper meals, private tutors and the fact that the lads will be spending all day in a focused environment. We also discovered the need to see the kids eating properly every day, practising twice a day together and conducting their lives in a professional manner in general".
It's no coincidence that the Under-16s were chosen for this unique project: "In the younger teams there's still a very large turnover in players so a project like this is simply not suitable. The Under-16s are already going into Year 10 at secondary and the chances that they'll stay with the project are much greater. These are players poised to enter their professional phase, the senior team level, and this setup can be of enormous help to their development".
Aharonov stresses the point by explaining the importance of the project to the players themselves: "As our sports psychologist explained, the most important thing for the players is a change in their perceptions. They perceive themselves as professionals, they see how much the club are investing in them and their perceptions change in accordance. Every aspect of their training takes on a different meaning, more professional". At the Youth Division the project is being seen as a long-term affair, with new Under-16 squads entering the Academy each year: "This is the Division's flagship project and the club also understand its importance, witness the substantial funding the project has been given. We all believe strongly in the success of the Under-16 Academy project and we'll be assessing it over a long period of time".
