Asi Maman 02/02/2021 14:00
Avi Peretz (Alex Goldenstein)
In a small one-room office on the ground floor of the Olympic Committee building in Tel Aviv, around a round table, next to a small coffee machine and a laptop he brought from home, sits the chairman of the Tennis Association. As soon as he enters, he connects to a video call with dozens of tennis clubs. This is a conversation that was born long before the Corona crisis. This is a conversation that was born following a tour he did in Be’er Sheva before the closure, and now he is trying to help them re-establish leagues and regional tournaments. At the same time, he is in talks with Ministry of Health about international youth competition. And sends a computer report to management on the number of enrollees for the new judging course that opened last month.
Usually, the chairman of an Israeli sports association does not do such things. It is a voluntary role, one that does not require too much hard work, other than outlining policies, meeting with external parties and making sure the whole system works. “I do not look at it this way,” he said. Immediately clarifies. “What needs to be done, done. The main thing for me is to move my industry forward. “
Avi Peretz He is the chairman of the Tennis Association, who looks like one of the most active officials in the country. He is a former footballer who played the role of goalkeeper, and later became a businessman and manager of a successful tennis club in Netanya. At 49 he ran for president of the Tennis Association, surprising everyone when he won. Itself a first political role – precisely when Israeli tennis is at a low ebb, in the midst of a global epidemic that is disabling the industry and while it is fighting for its existence in front of government decision-makers.
On days like these, even small victories are still victories – and he was given the label of one who fights nails even to allow small competitions to take place. “About two weeks ago we held an international youth competition in Ramat Hasharon and I was happy there was some tennis while the football was closed, but now it’s the other way around,” Peretz said in an interview with ONE. And maybe he was a goalkeeper in the past, but when necessary he also goes on the attack.
“This situation is not possible,” Peretz claims. “Before every competition I do corona tests for all participants and we are much stricter than what is required in the tennis world, because in other competitions only heat tests are required and not beyond that. “We play in the open air and at a great distance between the players. Therefore, it is delusional that the state allows football and basketball to continue as usual – and tennis remains closed.”
My father, there is finally an epidemic going on outside, the state has decided on a third closure because they do not want people to hang out outside and still let senior athletes continue to train, so it is also possible to understand this.
“Yes, but it is also possible to make decisions in a smarter way. We have already proven that it is possible to run competitions properly and without getting infected, unlike football and basketball where unfortunately there are many teams attached. With all the love and appreciation I have for Sports Minister Hili Trooper, I do not understand why tennis clubs are closed From September 17. We are not in the third closure, for us we are still in the second unfinished closure. We have only done small international competitions in the country, and I thank the Ministry of Sports for that, but we are fighting for the minimum and this industry was destroyed for years because children are prevented from training. They stayed out of the industry. “
You went to the Knesset, you tried to make the government understand that there are differences between the various sports and make other decisions. Why did it not happen?
“We need to ask who made these decisions, and I hope that all the citizens affected by this will take them into account in the elections. In this government, decisions were made that do not make sense in any way. Why in Europe was no activity stopped in tennis, but in Israel we were banned from holding competitions or tennis clubs?” I spoke on behalf of athletics, swimming, cycling, sailing and all kinds of sports that take place outdoors and without contact, but I really do not understand why they do not exclude us from quarantine regulations if they already exclude football and basketball.What is the difference? Why sometimes jumps high can not train and football player yes “Why can a cyclist not compete? What bothers someone who windsurfers at sea? Who will complain if they approve it? I was not lazy, I went to Jerusalem, we built an outline and submitted it to the government, but so far we have not received any answer.”
What is the situation in Israeli tennis today following the corona crisis?
“Tennis clubs are closing because there is no activity. I try to keep them in business, but it is impossible. I understand that there is a matter of political forces in the country deciding everything that happens, but crushing sports in the country. Then when asked why there is no sports in Israel, I’m sure Let’s look at the decisions of the politicians here and understand that they are the source of the problems. I have a tennis coach who went to the course to work as an ambulance driver because he has no job, there are others who chose another profession and walked away. These are people with a head on their shoulders and some in my opinion will not return. And it happens not only in tennis, but also in other disciplines. “
You were selected for this position during a difficult period.
“Yes, it is a very challenging and difficult time, but I see it as a mission and whoever is wise is now building plans that will bring produce on the day we return from quarantine. “Fruit in the coming years in budgeting and hosting competitions. I hope we will be able to promote tennis here in the future.”
From the position of goalkeeper – to a managerial position
Avi Peretz has been around this industry for the past 12 years, as a fitness coach in Ramla, as the owner of a tennis club in Netanya and as the parent of two young tennis players. In fact, when he was selected for the job, he closed the circle, because he started his sports career in tennis – but when he took the job, the problems landed on him one by one. The union has had to deal with a 30 percent cut in its budget, the industry has gone through two difficult and long closures that have halted operations, and there are of course even personal crises of tennis players and workers in the field left behind.
Despite everything, Avi Peretz is trying to convey optimism. The association under his leadership has built a comprehensive program for the next ten years, the academy working in partnership with the tennis centers will be upgraded with other age groups, there is already a plan to establish regional talent detection teams around the country, a new ranking system for tennis players will work for 52 weeks. As was customary until now, a new disciplinary tribunal was established in the union, a judging course was opened which the union funded, committees were established for areas not previously dealt with such as a committee to promote tennis among the Arab sector and special needs, soon a sophisticated facility will be built with new tennis courts NIS 1 million, in which the national teams of all ages will train, and there are plans to establish additional tennis courts throughout the country for the various associations.
Peretz himself plows the country and has already visited more than 50 clubs in six months of work and devotes all his daytime hours to the job he does voluntarily, after successful investments in real estate and being appointed as a director of a company that provides non-bank loans to companies he advises. His wife is the spokesperson for the “Light for Families” organization, which takes care of bereaved families in the IDF, and it also does this voluntarily.
“For years we ran and worked hard, luck was with us and we succeeded in life, but I still did not feel satisfied or satisfied. So we decided that in everything we can help the community and people with difficulties, where we will be. I realized that is the lack I have in the soul right now. For the benefit of the next generation in tennis, it fills me with happiness, “my father said.
For years you were a football player. What is it like to suddenly move on to another career in the role of union chairman?
“The job of a goalkeeper is to be vigilant, make decisions, defend what is yours and take responsibility, for better or worse. Until recently I was always a second or third violin in the managerial hierarchy, but I am one who always has to do something and be interesting, so sometimes I had a hard time. “To see mistakes made and not be the one who makes the decisions. So it’s actually a positive change for me because suddenly I’m the one who makes the decisions, I’m the one who works with everyone to lead others forward and I’re the one who takes responsibility when needed. It’s something special.”
How did you get into tennis?
“It didn’t come in a single moment. I played tennis, started an association and ran it for five years, and that’s how I got into it. It wasn’t a whole union management job, but I did learn to run a system. The most significant change for me was to move from team coaching to coaching. “Personal athletes, but here too I had a little more experience because I was a goalkeeping coach in football and it’s quite similar.”
Do you believe that you will succeed in bringing about a change in Israeli tennis and bringing it back to its greatness?
“I wish, but it will take time. In the last 30 years there has not been a mass of successes but in every generation there have been a few individual tennis players who have succeeded, so we aim for there to be many tennis players in the future, so our goal is to build a pyramid with a broad base. Wants to bring tennis everywhere in the country. There are large cities in Israel without an urban tennis facility, such as Beit Shemesh, Hadera and Ashdod, where we would like to set up courts. There are urban facilities that are not well maintained, such as in Ramla, Lod and Nazareth. There will be as many plots as possible so that our activity can be increased. “
In recent years there has been talk of Yishai Uliel, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the doubles semi-final at the Roland Garros for youth, and said he would be at the highest levels. Why is this not happening yet?
“Yishai is an excellent tennis player and we still do not give up on him. As long as there is a will and a fighting spirit we will support him, but my role is not the professional side but the managerial side.”
There’s a lot of politics in tennis too, no?
“I try to make decisions only from a professional rather than a political position. The most important thing for me is to get down to business, connect with everyone, and help clubs and tennis players. We have good conditions to produce success, there is good weather and love for tennis, so I believe we can grow a generation of good players. “In the future, if you work hard and right, and enlist in a mission without politics with all kinds of irresponsible thoughts, then anything is possible.”
Is it true that you recently received an offer from a team in the Premier League to return to a managerial position and refused?
“Yes, but it happened during the campaign I ran in the tennis union election so I had no hesitation about it and politely declined.”
Who is the group that wanted you to come and work for it?
“It does not matter. It did not materialize, so there is nothing to talk about it.”
Were there also how many parties wanted you to join them in the upcoming Knesset elections?
“I received offers from two parties and refused.”
Why? You do not want to influence through the Knesset?
“This is not my time. I committed to something and I’m all just in tennis, so everything else is not interesting.”
Do you see yourself in politics?
“As long as I can help people in the periphery and in Israeli sports, I will do it in any position I do not take on. At the moment, I really enjoy representing Israeli tennis.”
How much longer will you stay in the union?
“I do not know, I have a three-year term and then we will see what happens. At the moment my dream is that we will emerge from the corona crisis, that the state will understand that it is possible to run alongside the virus and make decisions based on logic, and that a decade later they will look at Israeli tennis.” Favors. “
