Hapoel Tel Aviv has done a lot of work for the wider community over the years and has indeed been a pioneer in certain areas as well. As new owner Ofer Yannay begins to make his mark on the basketball club as a whole, one of the team’s strongest points is the family atmosphere that surrounds it.
With that in mind, the Reds decided to expand their horizons and launch a team titled “Hapoel Unified Tel Aviv,” which combines fans and people who face challenges primarily on the autism spectrum. In honor of World Autism Awareness Day, which took place on April 2, the Unified team held a special training session at the Drive-In Arena with senior team captain Bar Timor and center Kyle Alexander.
The idea to start this unique basketball team came from Danny Or, who runs the websites HeadStart, Be Active and Give Back and also has a son with special needs. The Hapoel Tel Aviv football team has been very active over the years in a similar program, which includes numerous participating clubs from around the country. In basketball, the Reds are the first to form such a team, consisting of seven fans and seven “Unified” athletes.
“Hapoel Unified Tel Aviv is the first basketball team in Israel that combines Hapoel Tel Aviv fans and adults with special needs,” said Or. “This is a model that we took from the football team and has existed here in Israel for several years. The whole field of Unified Sports is developing around the world and, to my delight, Hapoel Tel Aviv and the Tel Aviv Municipality Aviv jumped on our idea and we established this team. We have been training since September and I hope that soon there will be more teams like this so we can play with others too.”
Looking towards the future of competitions, Or highlighted the importance of taking it step by step
“At the moment, we don’t really have anyone to play against and we are also not 100% ready to compete, but in May there should be a 3v3 tournament in Herzliya that I hope we will participate in. We are in contact with Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Herzliya, as well as with Maccabi Rishon Lezion and Hapoel Haifa. I hope that by September we will have at least four teams so that we can organize tournaments next year. It would be amazing.” THE ONLY place big enough to measure the Megillah was a basketball court. (credit: Rahn Sas)
As the Unified players began their special session at the Drive-In Arena, which also included a tour of the locker room and other areas of the facility, including the weight room, a special guest came out to join the action in Timor, who also shared a few words about the event.
“First of all, I am very excited and this initiative is very gratifying,” shared the Hapoel Tel Aviv captain. “It shows what Hapoel is about: a family and a club. Being here, working with them on their skills and training with them always reminds me of the special privilege I have to make people happy and help people. It’s fun and really I congratulate everyone involved in this incredible project.”
As Timor carelessly joined the practice, the Unified players did not at first realize that the captain was in their midst, however, when they did, radiant smiles instantly emerged on their faces as they continued to run their plays, but soon after everyone saluted their hero.
“I understand how excited they were by their reactions and hugs,” Timor said. “That’s what I mean by privilege. It’s amazing to me that the little I did, just coming here and being with them for 10-15 minutes, running with them and passing the ball to them. You can see the reactions on their faces and the smiles, it’s all worth it.”
Canadian big man Kyle Alexander also joined the session and was impressed by the honor of being with the Unified team.
“I didn’t know this team was the first, now I feel honored,” Alexander said. “It’s an amazing event, everyone here is really amazing, everyone has smiles on their faces, it’s great to see how basketball brings people together. I’m definitely glad that we were able to brighten their day. Like I said, it’s an amazing event and the fact That they want us to be here and are grateful for it means everything.”
Or stood in awe as the stars took the field to play with the Unified team.
“It is a great emotion, both for me and for all the fans, as this is a very, very big dream come true. The simple fact that we are here and wearing the Hapoel uniform, there are people here who have been in this arena maybe once, there are people who are here for the first time and there are people who have been here hundreds of times, but for all of us it is a very, very exciting day. This was one of our goals for this year, to come here to practice, make the team understand that we have to work hard and train even harder to deserve to come here to practice.”
Timor understood very well that his role with the club is crucial to the success of these programs and that he also brings out the best in everyone.
“I think beyond being a captain, it’s special, first of all as a person and as a player, to really know how you can influence a wide range of people, both children and adults. It’s always very exciting and part of the privilege of be a basketball player with the opportunity to positively influence people.
“It’s incredible, really, and it shows this club and its values,” Timor continued. “I hope and I am sure that this will make other clubs do what we are doing. I am sure that people from other clubs will take this as an example and everyone will want this project to continue and grow. I am sure it will happen and it is amazing ”
2024-04-11 21:51:25
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