Israel national American football team
| Israel ישראל | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Association | AFI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Region | Europe (IFAF Europe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IFAF affiliation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colors | Blue and White | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Yonah Mishaan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defensive coordinator | Lewis Henry Esler Duker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General manager | Neria Granevich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Israel national American football team is the official American football senior national team of Israel. The team was formed in 2012, mainly with Israel Football League players and coaching staff.
First game
The first international American football game played by Israel was played on 17 May 2012 in Baptist village near Petah Tikva, when the Israel national team met Maranatha Baptist University.[1] For Israeli players it was the first-ever game on a 100-yard field in an 11 player team. In the IFL, American football is played on 60-yard fields by 9 player teams (in 2012, the IFL played with 8 player teams). The game finished with a 49 - 6 Maranatha win.[2]
Playing squad
| 2015 Israel national American Football team playing squad (vs Spain) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
|
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| |||||||
European Championship of American football
2018 European Championship
The first official game in EFAF competitions took place on 30 August 2015 in Madrid. The opponents were Spain from EFAF C Group European Championship. As a new entrant, Israel could earn its way into Group B.[3] Israel won the game 28–20.[4]
Israel then played in the four-team Group B European Championship in Italy in September 2016 with the winner of the four-team tournament eligible for another qualifying round against either Denmark or Sweden,[5] the sixth and fifth place of the 2014 championship respectively, to the A Championship, then planned to be held in Germany in 2018.
The Israel delegation of 45 players and 18 coaches was the largest ever Israeli delegation sent international for a single sport competition.[6]
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Final score | Competition | Result | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 2015 | Spain | Prado de Santo Domingo, Madrid, ESP | 28 - 20 | EFAF European Championship Qualifier for Group B | Win | Dani Eastman [7] |
| 2 September 2016 | Italy | Lignano Sabbiadoro, ITA | 10 - 40[8] | EFAF European Championship Group B Semifinal | Loss | |
| 4 September 2016 | Switzerland | Lignano Sabbiadoro, ITA | 0 - 51[9] | EFAF European Championship Group B third place match | Loss |
See also
References
- ^ Tepper, Greg (16 May 2012). "In 'grass roots miracle', Israel national team to play its first football game". The Times of Israel.
- ^ "Israel's American football team debuts". Fox Sports. 18 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- ^ "Israel's national football team heads to Spain for first int'l showdown". The Jerusalem Post. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ Israel's Football Team Defeats Spain in First International Game
- ^ Israel's tackle football team to compete in Europe
- ^ Israeli football team set to take on the world
- ^ "Israel Beats Spain In First International Game to Qualify for IFAF Europe's Group B". American Football International. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ Italy Vs Israel
- ^ Switzerland Vs Israel