ISSUE 2
JUNE/JULY 2021
THE
UNCOMMAN
Freddie Scott Sr.
The Story Of American Football In Israel Betzalel Friedman Commissioner, Kraft Family Israel Football League
M
ost Americans are unaware of the popularity of real American football across the globe. Over 50 countries are members of IFAF, the International Federation of American Football. The story of football in the Holy Land, Israel, started around 30 years ago. Steve Leibowitz and Danny Gewirtz, American expats and avid football fans, used to get together with a group of fans to watch football broadcasts pirated from US Armed Forced feeds, and together the group decided to get together to play touch football, forming the AFI (American Football in Israel). In 2002, upon the discovery of organized flag football in Europe, the AFI started playing organized flag football and even sent its first international team to a tournament in France, quarterbacked by former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer. In 2007, as tackle football made its way to Israel, the Kraft Family Israel Football League (IFL) was formed. Football is currently the 5th-largest team sport in Israel, with over 1,500 athletes playing. The Kraft Family-sponsored tackle IFL and IHFL (high school football League) boasts 13 clubs all over the country, from Beersheva in the south to Karmiel in the north, while some 750 flag players, men, women, boys and girls, play competitively on one of nearly 100 flag football teams across the nation. While flag football consists of mainly American ex-pats, the tackle football leagues boast a rate of nearly 90% native Israeli players.
Anyone talking of American football in Israel would be remiss without discussing the Kraft Family’s role in the development of the sport. Mr. Robert Kraft, and his wife, Myra (of blessed memory) decided that combining their great love for Israel and their great love for football would have significant impact on the Israeli people and have poured their love and support into Israeli football - at first fledgling, but now a growing force in Israeli sports. The Krafts’ main projects include the Kraft Family Stadium, the Kraft Family Sports Campus, the Kraft Family IFL and IHFL, the women’s national flag team and the men’s national tackle team. Additionally, the Krafts have brought many delegations of NFL players, alumni and Pro Football Hall-ofFamers, including all-time greats Jim Brown, Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Israel has been sending National Flag Teams to IFAF European and World Championships for over a decade, with the women winning the silver medal twice at the European Championships and the men winning silver once. The National Tackle Team made it’s debut in 2015, winning on the road in Spain, and has since lost to Italy and Switzerland, beaten Turkey (also on the road) and lost to Belgium in the very first international football game to be played in Jerusalem. The team has games this summer against Span and Hungary. Israel hosted the 2019 Flag Football European Championships, and in a last-minute, COVID-driven change, will also host the 2021 Flag Football World Championships at the Kraft Family Sports Campus in Jerusalem. In addition to the Kraft Family, football in Israel has been blessed by many American supporters, both Jewish and Christian. The support has not been only financial: football coaches have come to coach and run clinics and many high school and college programs have shipped excess equipment over to help start new programs.
Why Football? Football is the ultimate team sport and a sport very fitting for Israeli culture. There are many comparisons one can make between a football team and a military unit. While both groups need good equipment, they really require camaraderie, discipline, ingenuity, perseverance, relentlessness and sacrifice as well as responsible leadership. The young men and women of today need platforms to disconnect from their screens and connect to other friends but mostly to themselves. The AFI wholly believes in the role of sports, and football in particular in playing an integral part in building the youth of today into the responsible young adults of tomorrow. For more information, email Commissioner Betzalel Friedman at betzalel@afi.co.il.