In the coaching room of the youth department at Maccabi Haifa, there are pictures of the founding generation, in the center is the man who everyone went through, the late Almani, the one who raised generations of players from the 70s and laid their foundations as footballers on the way to the senior team. Next, next to this wall are the computers that monitor the information of the boys who train in the ward, with a young man from Mubai sitting at the next table, who made his way to Israel to improve the physiological foundations of the future generation in green.
This is a different era, they say in Haifa, and in order to reach the highest levels of Europe, habits need to be changed. Technology goes into every touch of the ball, every player’s movement gets accurate GPS tracking, every event is documented in photos that go directly to each coach’s cell phone, and the sports science field plays a key role in the development of the young players in the department. And whoever is in charge, among other things, of this operation is Fresh Atarba, A 27-year-old native of India, in charge of physical development in the youth department of Maccabi Haifa.
Terry holds a bachelor’s degree in sports science, specializing in football coaching, and a master’s degree in sports science, health and physical activity. He studied in the UK, under Dr. Neil Clark, the head fitness coach of Maccabi Haifa. He also brought Terry to work with him in Israel as responsible for building the gym and analyzing the database of youth players. According to the department, Terry is considered one of the brightest minds. in Da Club.
The two work closely with each other. “He was an outstanding student at the university where I worked,” said Dr. Clark Proudly. “I know him and work with him for eight years, he does a fantastic job with tremendous passion. Terry is a professional who constantly wants to promote the club and has a head that sometimes makes you think differently. Working in the youth department is different because in the senior team you don’t really have time, while “In academia, you have time to notice that you are working correctly on all the basics, and that is what we were looking for.”
“Ultimately, after the player develops in the youth department and gets to the first team more prepared, so you can work with him on more complex things in his physical fitness and it will be easier to improve his speed, strength and aerobic ability. We must promote our youth players and for that he is here “, The British explained.
Terry is a fundamental type. Very thorough. Before arriving in Haifa he checked on the history of the city and found that the Indians had liberated it from the Ottoman Empire and in fact helped the British take over the area in the First World War. Therefore, in a sense, for him to contribute to the football team of this city is closing a circle. In general, an Indian who comes to work in Israeli football is not a very common thing and therefore he immediately catches everyone’s attention. Now, Atareva Terry tells in an interview with ONE about the journey he made to Israel, his enthusiasm for English football, which he met during his studies, the special work of his parents who remained in their country and his personal dream.
Atarba, what is it like to live in Israel?
“I arrived in Israel in July, it was quite difficult because of the Corona crisis but I felt safe here. From my first day here I felt I had arrived in heaven. Haifa is amazing. I have been here for about eight months and I love every moment.”
And what is it like to work for Maccabi Haifa?
“It is a club that is rich in history and is the largest in Israel, so it is great. Everyone who loves football of course knows Maccabi Haifa because they played in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester United. For me it is special to work in a place that wants to succeed.”
What exactly are you doing in your job?
“My job is to work with the teams until the age of 19. Be involved in training, follow the training programs, see that everything is done at the right time and of course pay attention to the development of the children, because working with them is very different from working with adult players. They can not train the same way and loads. “Therefore, you need to make sure that there is normal physical development, follow up and analyze data obtained from the GPS, know how to translate all the information from the training and see that the work with everyone is done on the best side. It is a completely different job.”
How did you get into football?
“The popular sport in India is cricket so people honestly associate me with cricket, not football, and I really like cricket but what really interests me is the human body. Sports science mainly studies the human body, how it works and functions, how training can change certain things in the body and improve His performance.That’s what I like.At the age of 18 I studied in college areas related mainly to science, such as biology and physiology, so I had some understanding of the human body and because of that I traveled at 18 to the best place to study sports science, UK, and I was lucky to meet the Dr. Neil Clark, who is in charge of sports science at Maccabi Haifa. When I entered a university in the UK, there were pictures and articles of him everywhere. He worked for Manchester City and other teams in the English league, so I said ‘wow, I made the right choice. I came to work with the best in the field. ‘ At this university I learned from one of the best sports scientists, if not the best among them, who taught me, so I developed under him and now I work with him. “
When did you decide to come to Israel?
“Dr. Clark offered my services to the club. He worked with the senior group and saw the construction of the academy in parallel. Because the fitness of the senior team was one of the best last season, he thought someone with knowledge like mine could instill the same values and bring the academy to the same performance in the future, so he suggested my name. That’s how I actually got to Maccabi Haifa. “
Before you came to Israel you worked at Charlton, what did you do there?
“Yeah. I worked at the Charlton Football School, where there was basically preparation for entering the team’s academy, with kids under 13. I was both their coach and fitness coach at the time, and the experience I got from that job was amazing. It was a part-time job, but I loved every minute there.After my undergraduate degree I returned from England to India to be an assistant on Dr. Clark’s team at one of the football clubs in India. I returned to England for one year to complete my master’s degree, and after the final project he offered me to return to work with him again. I did not need even a minute to think about it. We worked together in India, and I was happy to come to work with him in Israel as well. “
Have you ever dreamed of being in this place at such an age?
“The life trajectory of the Indians, and especially in my family, is to finish the academic and theoretical part at as young an age as possible. So apparently, my mother is still angry with me for not finishing my doctorate, because we give great importance to studies and certification. At 18 when everyone graduates college ‘So we’re going straight to complete a degree, but for me it was very strange to travel to the UK because I did not know anyone there and I did not even have a family there, but my parents gave me all the support to do it and leave at 18 to study in England to fulfill my dream “.
Growing up in the shadow of the great producer in Bollywood
Atarba was born in Mumbai to two successful and well-established parents, with his father being a famous figure in his homeland. “My father works as a producer and designer of film sets,” said his son, who now lives in the Middle East. “My mother until a few months ago was a businesswoman, with her own business. She was a scientist who dealt with data and her training is that of a statistician. Probably from her comes my love of science. I am the only son in the family, I have no brothers and sisters, so I got all the love and treatment from them “.
If so, do they not miss you?
“Of course they miss me and I miss them too. If not for the Corona, they would be happy to come to Israel and visit the center of the country, Haifa and the beautiful coastline this country has to offer – but now these are hard times because of the plague. I’m happy to be here, I love to be here, I “I miss my family, but technology helps because you can make video calls at the push of a button. That’s fine too.”
Do you have time to watch movies now?
“I saw a bit on Netflix. I also see Indian films, mostly probably the films my father produces. This is also what he asks me to do in my spare time, so that I can be connected to him. I also see documentaries about sports, there are many that are high quality and beautiful.” .
Didn’t you dream of one day being a big Bollywood producer like your father?
“As a kid I visited a lot of movie sets and even participated in a commercial my dad produced. I was six or seven months old, so I don’t remember any of that of course because all I needed was to look cute as a baby and it was probably okay. But yeah, I grew up in places where they filmed “Great movies, and there’s the same excitement there just as I walk into football stadiums on game days, with the lights and the glow. It’s fun.”
How special was it for you to grow up as the son of a famous producer in India?
“The pressure is great. There is pressure because I have to work hard to reach my father’s status, as he worked hard in his youth. As in any industry, if you do not have someone inside, getting into this successful industry is something very difficult. My father worked hard. “When he enters the industry in Bollywood and he wants me to work hard too so that I can get as far as possible in my field. That’s exactly what I do every day.”
Do you also follow football in India?
“Yes, from time to time. Football in India is evolving and attracting more investors and sponsors because the young crowd has started watching football. The Indian League is one of the five most watched on TV of all the leagues in the world and the crowd comes to the pitches in droves. It’s nice.”
You studied and worked a bit in England. Is working in the English league something you would like to do?
“Certainly. This is the best league in the world and whoever wants to be the best version of himself must work there. I have these ambitions, but at the moment I am focused on my current job and do everything to help the players at Maccabi Haifa, hoping they can one day play in the Premier League. It’s a kind of dream for me if a player I coached plays in the English league. “
What excites you most about football?
“It’s changing. My work so far has been mixed between alumni groups and academy groups. When you’re with the alumni, it’s a completely different experience and you have a completely different goal, because there we only talk about victories and results. Here at the academy, what I like is seeing the innocence of The kids, who do not necessarily really want to win but mostly enjoy the road and fulfill a dream, so they are really in love with the game and want to learn to succeed. I must praise the systemic structure created here by Dr. Clark, with brilliant statisticians who work at the club and help me a lot. My job is to apply the knowledge I learned in university and see if the data actually matches. When you have full support from the whole system, it helps a lot. I love my work environment. “
I guess you’ve been around the area a bit already. What is your favorite food?
“I like hummus with pita. It’s amazing. I appeal to people in Abu Marwan, please open branches in India as well. I’m not kidding, I can eat it at least once a day. It’s my favorite food. If I move to another country, I’ll look for the Israeli store “The nearest one that sells chickpeas and acne just to remember my amazing time here. I cook a little myself, I can’t make too many traditional Indian dishes like my mom does, but I manage to cook at least pasta and stuff like that.”
What is your dream?
“Right now, it is to help Maccabi Haifa produce the player who will be the next Neta Lavi. We have all the conditions for that, including the facilities, coaches, assistant staff and professional director of the Itzik Ovadia Youth Department, who has an open mind to sports science and is open to new and modern working methods. Everything in Haifa is similar to the leading places in Europe, so I have a great desire to see a player I coached succeed in Europe in the future. That is my biggest dream. “