Global Fútbol

They may be based in a city with a population of little more than 50,000 people, but Villarreal CF, as one of the 21st century’s most successful Spanish clubs, have adopted an outward-looking approach. They have set up football schools around the world and have struck various alliances on multiple continents, firmly believing that knowledge sharing is better for all. Now, Villarreal CF have partnered with Israeli club Emek Hefer FC and they have ambitious objectives.

Located to the north of Tel Aviv, Emek Hefer FC are a women’s football club with a place in Israel’s first division, as well as a prestigious academy that has teams for girls between the ages of eight and 19. By collaborating with Villarreal CF, Emek Hefer FC’s academy is the first of its kind to work with a European club to enhance the footballing experience of young Israeli girls.

Villarreal CF’s efforts in Israel aren’t solely focused on women’s football, as the Spanish club are working on a significant academy project for all children, yet it is a matter of pride for the Yellow Submarine to team up with another club that is passionate about women’s sport and that has a team in their country’s top tier. Last season, even with the youngest squad in the Israeli Women's Premier League, Emek Hefer FC almost qualified for the Women’s Champions League.

The partnership between the clubs will see Villarreal CF bring their successful training methodology to the Israeli side, as well as offering the opportunity for visits to work and train at their state-of-the-art facilities in Spain.

“We’re looking at a player development programme that is more professional and focused on the top level of competition, but we won’t forget about the young boys and girls in the country, for whom football is just a hobby,” said Villarreal CF’s director of international business Juan Antón, when explaining the club’s aims for this project. “It’s through them that you can change the ecosystem of football in Israel and we want to leave a mark.”

At Emek Hefer FC, they’re equally excited about the possibilities that this alliance can bring. As the academy director Evrati Avrahami said: “To have a collaboration agreement with a club the size of Villarreal CF means our youngest players have immediate access to a perfected methodology, one that has been developed through years of research and experience.”

The two players already training with Villarreal CF

Two players have already moved from Emek Hefer FC to train with Villarreal CF’s women’s team, with Marian Awad and Emmanuelle Avrahami joining for the 2021/22 season. They’ve already experienced the facilities at the Ciudad Deportiva Pamesa Cerámica and Avrahami has shared her thoughts on the opportunity.

Avrahami said: “My first impression of Villarreal CF is how seriously they take women’s football, how important it is for the club that the women get the facilities, equipment and training in the best way possible. This opportunity to train and play with Villarreal CF means a lot to me and means a lot to many others. Not long ago, this had been a dream out of reach to many talented football players from Israel. I am honoured to be the first, hopefully of many, to turn this pathway into reality.”

Thanks to the collaboration between Villarreal CF and Emek Hefer FC, the future does look brighter for the footballers who come after Avrahami. As she explained: “This partnership between Villarreal CF and Emek Hefer FC is giving a true and real opportunity to train and build young players using Villarreal CF’s methodology in Israel, and giving them a real chance to play in one of the top women’s leagues in Europe in the future. The international department and the outstanding people working there have gone above and beyond and have made it a personal matter of theirs to make this connection between the two clubs work in the best way possible.”

Villarreal CF’s network of academies

With Villarreal CF having already worked to set up football schools in Australia, Mexico, USA, Russia, South Korea and beyond, those in charge of the club’s academy know what they’re doing when it comes to bringing their training methodology abroad and adjusting it to fit the local culture. All of this work helps to promote the Villarreal CF and LaLiga brands.

As Antón stated: “Villarreal CF are carrying out an international expansion based on various criteria, with the primary motivation of making the Villarreal CF brand known. There are interesting football markets, like the USA, where football is growing and where the youth coaching experience that we can offer is highly valued. We also go accompanied by the brand of LaLiga, which is also strongly pursuing expansion in such markets.”

Explaining how this opportunity in Israel came about, Antón continued: “There are countries where we discover communities who share our love for this sport. When we are fortunate enough to travel for continental competition, we pay a lot of attention to how the people live and breathe football and how the local community builds relationships through the sport. We’ve been to Israel a few times in recent years and this helped us build a greater understanding of their football.”

He continued: “LaLiga provided us with significant support and, through Marta de Benito, LaLiga’s international development delegate for Israel, we were able to set up meetings with the federation, with youth development institutions and with NGOs that use football to integrate the Muslim community with the Israeli and with the clubs.”

Already, this partnership between Villarreal CF and Emek Hefer FC is making a difference and it’s only just getting started. Over the coming years, as these clubs continue to work closely together, positive developments should be expected for youth and women’s football in this part of Israel.