An open letter from Eyal Chomsky
The need for transparency, the rebuilding process, the professional aspects, the budget, and the community. Hapoel's owner put up a special post.
My red friends,
In the last few weeks, I talked to many fans, and I realized that you have a desire for more transparency and sharing of what is going on behind the scenes at the club. This is completely understandable to me, and you, our fans, deserve it the most. From now on, I will try to write to you once every few weeks, directly, without filters, and forthrightly, as I am and as you know me. I intend to tell you, from my point of view, how I see the last important actions done in the club and those that will be done in the future.
Hapoel is in the process of rebuilding this season. The entire senior management was replaced last summer, and a situation arose where a whole new system had to be put on its feet, from the professional side, through the management of sponsors and security arrangements, to the management of the relationship with the fans and the community. It's not like we started from scratch, and it's very important for me to preserve the tremendous achievements made here under the leadership of CEO Guy Harel, along with manager David Bassan and VP of Marketing Shani Cohen - achievements that have led to Hapoel being recognized in Europe today as a club that operates at the highest standards.
At the same time, it is important to understand that our situation as a club has changed fundamentally due to the Corona virus. Hapoel needed to refresh, innovate, and inject new energies that have not been sufficiently expressed since the plague broke into our lives. We are in the midst of a process that I am leading for the first time as sole owner of the group, a complex process that includes a lot of details, some of which are of more interest to you and some of which are probably less. What is certain is that I, along with our new system, need everyone who cares about Hapoel Jerusalem to join the process.
I will start with the topic that most interests most fans - the professional aspect. Alongside Yotam Halperin, who continues his ninth season at the club this year as a professional consultant, we were able to bring Yonatan Alon home to the position of sports director. Yonatan is a Hapoel Jerusalem man in all his limbs and has a rare knowledge of basketball. Yonatan understands both what is happening on the court and the player market and will give a professional envelope to the entire organization. Yonatan's addition is a strategic move and part of the way in which Hapoel strives to conduct itself at a professional level. In the short term and especially in the long term, the goal is to create a chain of continuity in the players' and coaches' rosters.
Along with formulating a long-term professional plan, which I will detail in the following posts, Yonatan works in full coordination with coach Aleksandar Dzikic on all current professional issues. He stands at the top of a professional system that works with analysts and with an international scouting company led by Sam Meyerkopf (yes, it's a real person), who worked with Barcelona, Fenerbahce, and NBA teams, among others.
Regarding the budget, I've heard the claims all around, and I want to clarify the issue: the budget this season was built in such a way that it would leave aside a significant amount for changes as needed. When I said, at the beginning of the season, "open check," I meant the free hand that the professional team received in building the team. Of course, this does not mean that the budget is unlimited, and it is true that today the budget is smaller than in the years when Uri Alon was by my side. At the same time, I made great efforts and brought about the fact that the players' budget increased from last season - and it did increase. During the last national team break, our professional officials worked around the clock to find the team the reinforcement that suits us, and I am happy that we were able to sign a quality player like Brandon Brown. The total number of season ticket holders has crossed the 4,000 mark. This is an increase of more than 30% from the previous season. I thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who expressed their faith in Hapoel and purchased a subscription.
We make a lot of moves, just as important to me, off the floor as well. Under the leadership of the new CEO, Yuval Levisman, we are mapping every aspect of the club and working with orderly work plans. For example, we decided on a series of actions designed to strengthen the relationship with the youth department, starting with a weekly update on the results of the leading youth teams, through the inclusion of the players of the senior team in the events of the department (soon Itay Segev will participate in a camp dedicated to the department's players), to joint activities in the community; We are carrying out a significant refresh of the entire sales and merchandising system. We will soon launch a new store site alongside a new content site that has already gone live. In everything related to the viewing experience in the Arena, we take all the steps within our control, including the new branding of the southern cells and continuous contact with the arena regarding the quality of the buffets, maintenance, etc. We held a preliminary meeting with fan representatives in order to discuss actions to strengthen trust with the audience and increase the cheering group. Soon we will hold another open fan meeting with me and the senior management of the group.
Regarding the community: you know how dear the subject is to me. Some of you have asked how a large number of people enter the Arena free of charge, and now is the time to be precise and explain: Hapoel is the only sports team in Israel to have introduced a concept called "community subscription". This is a subscription that anyone can purchase - from an individual to huge companies - as a contribution to the community. The community subscription makes it possible to bring more people to the games and allow them to be part of the Hapoel Jerusalem family.
This season, we managed to recruit about 1,000 such community members! The subscriptions were donated by large companies and respectable businessmen, in most cases in the form of giving in secret. This means that for every game, we run a huge operational setup to bring about 1,000 community members to every game. Children with disabilities, youth at risk, charities, economically weak communities, sectors, and students. We have the right to give all of them experience and relief, even for just two hours, from the complex reality in which they live. There is no greater privilege than this, and this is our Hapoel Jerusalem that we love so much.
In these worlds of the connection between the community and the business world, it is important for me to point out the tremendous contribution of Yuval Koren, whom you know mainly from the community ceremonies, but whose contribution helps Hapoel a lot in connecting Hapoel to the business community in Jerusalem as well as in many other areas.
I want to end on a personal note. As I said in the opening, we are in the process of rebuilding. Even if it's not always extroverted, there is no topic we don't touch - from formulating a new vision to improving the viewing experience in the Arena. I understand that there has been a cumulative frustration of less professional success since the Corona broke into our lives. We all want to see Hapoel fight and win. We do everything to make it happen, but we live in a competitive sports world. The cycle of success also meets us - as it meets sports teams from every branch and every league. The most important thing is that we are all united around our Hapoel in the good and bad moments.
I have a lot more to say, but mostly a lot more to do. I am happy to open a ninth season as the owner of the club. Come on, hapoel!
post Scriptum
This Sunday, I want to see 1,000! Thousand! Red in Eliyahu's hand! Let's fill all the stands assigned to us!
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