We continue our preview of next month’s JCC Maccabi Campus Games this week with a look at the U15 Boys Red Football team, who will be representing Team Maccabi GB in Pennsylvania. Managing the 11 players who will compete in the 7-a-side tournament is Yonni Levy, while Nathan Bloohn is coaching the squad.
Levy says: “We’re very happy with the squad we’ve assembled. “All of the players are London-based. Most of them were actually chosen before we were appointed as managers. “However, we know we have a quality group who have a great chance at winning gold.” Levy points to their experience, with some of them having played in last summer’s JCC Games. He continues: “This gives us an advantage going into the Games this summer as a fair few of our players already having a good understanding of the competition. “Alongside this they all play football at a club and or for school, so they should all be familiar with tournament-style football.”
The squad have been attending at least one training session a week since January – and sometimes two – and they have also contested several friendly matches, which Levy says has produced “really positive performances and results”.
He has further forged the players’ chemistry by taking them out for lunches as a squad. “With not long left until the tournament, we’re now looking to have a few more training sessions to work on the smaller details which will hopefully give us the winning edge over our opponents,” he continues.
All the boys are really looking forward to playing in these Games, which for most will be their first.
“While a large focus for us is to win the tournament, we hope all the players can gain much more from the whole experience, whether that’s making friends from all around the world, finding a deeper connection with Judaism or many other things. We’re hoping this week away will be one of the best in their lives.”
One trap he won’t be falling into is underestimating the opposition in the US. He says: “We face very strong competition, especially from Argentina and Mexico, who never turn up to international games with weak squads. We know it’s going to be very hot out in Pittsburgh, which we have been preparing our squad for, but don’t see this as a major problem, as long as we manage our hydration and recovery correctly.”
Levy and Bloohn see leading the squad as “an honour”. “This will be both Nathan and my first time managing a squad at an international games and we wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of players”, Levy says. “We both should have also been managers at the Maccabiah Games this summer, but with that being postponed it has put extra emphasis on how important the JCC Games is to us and we can’t wait to be out there now.
“Bringing home the gold medal is at the forefront of both of our minds, but both of us have previously played at international games so we know that there’s more to it than just winning.
“We just want to make the JCC Campus Games a week to remember for our players and give them a special experience similar to the ones we had when we were players.”
Squad: Leo Lewin, Jojo Abramson, Rafi Toffel, Ilan Sacker, Jamie Phillips, Oli Ginsberg, Rafi Baliti, Ari Witkin, Louis Seal, Ethan Gabbay, Aviv Stafler
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