Israel Football Association Seeks U.S. Owners’ Funding for National Teams

The Israel Football Association is reportedly developing a partnership with Jewish owners of American football clubs to help finance Israel’s national teams across age groups. The proposal seeks tens of millions of shekels for player development and professional support, although no signed funding commitment or exact donation total has been disclosed. Steve Kaplan visited the national-team headquarters in Shfayim with his wife in recent days for a presentation attended by association chairman Shino Zuares, deputy Moran Meiri and national-team coach Ran Ben Shimon. An attendee said the presentation emphasized football’s ability to bring Jewish, Muslim and Christian Israelis together, including the contribution of Arab players to the national teams. The proposed investment would support academies, centers of excellence and better development conditions for young players. It would also allow the association to recruit senior professional staff it currently cannot afford. One proposed role is an internationally established head of performance responsible for conditioning, sports science, nutrition and analysis, with the aim of improving physical preparation and managing injury risks. The next proposed step is to circulate the project documents and presentation to eight additional Jewish MLS ownership groups. Kaplan is expected to introduce the plan to those owners, while Zuares and Meiri would also be invited to present it in the United States. A dedicated fundraising forum is under consideration, and a meeting with MLS commissioner Don Garber is described as possible. No implementation timetable or completed transfer has been announced.