This weekend, a month after the Under-15s to 19s got started, most of Maccabi's younger Youth Division teams will kick off their 2014/15 season
It's been eight years since a Maccabi Under-19 team opened their season with six consecutive victories, but head coach Ziv Arie's squad will have the opportunity to equal that feat when they face Hapoel Ra'anana away on Saturday at 12pm, with a live broadcast on Israeli sports channel 55. It will, however, be no easy assignment as their opponents have also made a relatively good start to the season with three victories in five outings. A team that have copied the success of Maccabi's Under-19s are the club's Under-16s and their head coach Shlomi Mitelka, who on Saturday will also have an eye on their sixth straight league win when they host municipal neighbours and nationwide U16 League South title rivals Bnei Yehuda at 8.30am at the Kiryat Shalom training ground. Head coach Ayal Tzahi's Under-15s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", chasing their third league win in as many matches, will host Hapoel Jerusalem on Saturday at 10.15pm while Erez Belfer's Team 2 will travel to tough opponents Maccabi Netanya at their Shapira ground at 9am.
This weekend sees most of Maccabi Tel Aviv's younger Youth Division teams joining the fray, with head coach Micha Dahan's Under-14 Team North travelling up the coast to Haifa where nationwide U14 League Sharon District rivals Maccabi Nahalal will pose their first challenge. Ori David's Team South play their first nationwide U14 League Central District fixture away at Ironi Ramat Hasharon at 11.45pm. At the same venue at 10am, prior to Team South's kick-off, the club's Under-13 Team North will also face their Ironi Ramat Hasharon counterparts, while Asaf Profeta's Under-13 Team South will host Hapoel Kiryat Ono at Kiryat Shalom's refurbished artificial pitch at 8.30am. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oz", the club's Under-12 Team South, will also face counterparts from Hapoel Kiryat Ono, but coach Guy Shemesh's lads will play away on Friday at 3.30pm while Adi Somech's Under-12 Team North welcome Ashdod FC at Kiryat Shalom's eastern pitch at 10am. Both of Maccabi's Under-11 teams will open the season on Saturday away, Team North at municipal neighbours Bnei Yehuda at 8.30am and Team South at Beitar Jerusalem in Bayit V'gan at noon.
