Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-12 North team 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 Tel Aviv University and the boys celebrated with a meal sponsored by Pizza Prego on Wednesday.
They are the third team to feature in the pick for the prize and follow in the footsteps of Boys Under-13s South, the inaugural winners, and Boys Under-9 South, who won last month.
Each month Van Leeuwen and Zuckerman choose their outstanding team for the period but results are not necessarily the main factor when they make their pick, rather, the behaviour of the boys and their demeanour 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. 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.
U12 North are coached by Adi Somekh and his assistant, Dor Etzioni.
The team have advanced through three rounds in the State Cup and are so far unbeaten in the league.
