Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-9 team from the southern section have been named the outstanding team of the month by the club’s Youth Academy, a prize sponsored by Pizza Prego.
Academy heads Patrick van Leeuwen and Guy Zuckerman picked the side that train at Kiryat Shalom and the boys celebrated with a meal sponsored by Pizza Prego on Thursday.
They are the second team to feature in the pick for the prize and follow in the footsteps of Under-13 South, who were the first team to win the special prize.
Each month Van Leeuwen and Zuckerman will pick their outstanding team for the period. Results were not necessarily the main factor in making the choice, rather, the behaviour of the boys and their achievements off the field of play too.
“Each month we will pick a side not only according to their results but also through their behaviour and the way in which they train. This time we have picked Juniors C South because we have been heartened by the way the boys have conducted themselves. They have shown a very positive approach and have bonded well, these will be our criteria to pick sides either from the southern base at Kiryat Shalom or the northern branch at the university,” Zuckerman said.
“Our cooperation with Pizza Prego has been very fruitful from our perspective, and we are very pleased that we can reward the kids and give them a good feeling. It helps team bonding and shows commitment by both parties,” he added.
U9S are coached by Idan Biton, his assistant is Amit Stern and goalkeeping coach is Shaul Hagaiel.
The team has played one match so far this season, a win over Hapoel Beersheba.
