FIFA President Gianni Infantino has journeyed to Israel, to find out more about the Israeli Football Association’s (IFA) plans to develop football throughout the country, and at all levels. The FIFA President visited the Shefayim National Team Complex, a high-spec technical centre supported by FIFA’s Forward programme and found along the Mediterranean coast, 15km from Tel Aviv.

During a meeting at the impressive facility, President Infantino was presented with the IFA’s strategic plans and vision for the coming years, built around further developing football at all levels. Focusing on infrastructure, increasing the number of participants, investing in additional academies, centres of excellence and specialist facilities, as well as investing in coaching, youth development and women’s football, the IFA’s strategy represents a landmark framework for a sustainable, bright future of Israeli football.

“I am very happy to be here in Israel,” the FIFA President said. “We just had a meeting in this beautiful technical centre, looking at the vision – but not only the vision, the strategy – to bring football in Israel to the next level. To give a real chance and a real opportunity to every boy and every girl of this beautiful country, to play football, to enjoy football, to follow their dream and their passion, and ultimately of course as well to have results at the top level.

“But to start, we need to start from the basis and the Federation has understood it clearly, the vision is there, the strategy is there, and the work has started. Hard work will go into this, so it is an exciting time for football in Israel.”

IFA President, Oren Hasson, added: “Thank you for finding the time to come here and meet us. Built with the help of FIFA. I am happy about our conversation today, the focus on the ways in which football can be promoted here together and your commitment is definitely encouraging. FIFA has helped us quite a bit and I hope we enjoy helping with the various projects we talked about.”

Joining the meeting were the IFA general secretary Yossi Sharabi, IFA deputy general secretary Ronen Hershko, IFA youth technical director Yila Hoss, Bonnie Ginzburg, IFA deputy technical director and Guy Inbar, the IFA’s administration director.