Gal Mekel and Alon Kramer join the club

A special press conference was held today (Sunday), during which the owner of Hapoel, Matan Adelson, announced several new strategic steps for the club, among them the appointments of Gal Mekel as a basketball consultant and co-owner and Alon Kramer as the team's CEO.

First, the owner announced the appointment of Gal Mekel: "Gal will be a tremendous asset to Hapoel, and I am happy that he is joining to be part of the club," said Matan. "From the moment the possibility arose to purchase the team, I consulted with Gal on a daily basis, and I have no doubt that he can contribute a lot." Gal retired a few months ago from active play after playing in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks, where he met Matan. Gal played at the highest levels in Europe and, of course, served as the captain of the Israel national team and played in it for many years. Gal himself said at the press conference: "It is a privilege and a great responsibility to join Hapoel Jerusalem, a club with class, tradition, and a quality crowd." On his vision for the team: "I want to turn Hapoel into a first-class club. We have a quality team here, and with them, the sky is the limit. The goal is to turn Hapoel, starting with medical equipment, training facilities, and youth departments, into a superior force in basketball at an international level. I think I can contribute from my experience at the highest levels in Europe and the world to make it happen."

(Photo: David Michaeli)

Afterwards, the owner announced Alon Kramer's qualifications to the team's CEO: "Alon brings with him tremendous experience in sports management, and he brings with him a great commitment to success." Kramer (38), who has a bachelor's degree in computers from the Technion and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University, served in the latter years as the director of the data analytics department in the American NFL league. Alon himself spoke at the press conference as well: "I am grateful to Matan for giving me this tremendous opportunity. We are determined to march Hapoel into a new era and position ourselves as a winning club on and off the field. There is a great team here, and we came to work and improve." He said about the fans: "The Hapoel fans are the most loyal and exciting there are." I am determined to create a legacy that transcends the game. To create a club that is much more than pride for its fans. It's a process; Rome wasn't built in a day, but we will work every day to make this happen."

(Photo: David Michaeli)