The Yellow & Blue Youth Department continues to bear fruit due to their hard work all year long as the Under-17 side won their league championship joining the Under-16 & 15 teams in lifting their respective trophies. On Saturday, Ori Uzan’s team won their title even before they played their match.
Maccabi “Oded” visited Maccabi Netanya and lost but nonetheless won their league prior to even stepping foot on the pitch. Uzan spoke to the Official Website following their match: “It’s of course a very exciting moment and we went through a not so simple year. At the beginning of the year Eylon Almog was promoted to the Under-19 side and we were still able to start the season winning 14 of 15 games. Other players advanced as well through the ranks and we handled the situation very well considering we put together an almost brand new club.”
On how his players improved over the course of the year:
“The kids really had a magnificent year. We knew how to come and win every single big match we had be it a Derby or against Haifa. They improved tremendously as a team and two players who originally weren’t on the National Team were called up to be part of the side and that’s very important for us.”
His personal feelings about the end of the campaign:
“This was definitely the most exciting year I’ve had for sure. I came here after coaching for Ligat Ha’Al clubs and it was an adjustment that took a bit of time but I’m very happy that I was able to do this. At this age level, the feedback and the player’s learning curve is something that you won’t see anywhere else. I was able to reach my goals this season and I’ve already set my sights even higher for the next campaign. At the end of the day I’m happy that I accepted Nir’s (Levin) offer to join the Youth Department. I had a pleasure to work with and learn from him.”
