Ga'im Tel Aviv volleyball club won the League A championship this week, claiming its second title in club history after a difficult, turbulent season. The team sealed the result just before leaving for an international competition, giving the victory added significance after last year’s loss in the final.
The club’s managing director, Patrick Nech, discussed the team’s turnaround in an interview with Sport 5, including the challenge of running a team without a coach and the effect of the war in Israel on daily life and competitive focus. The interview also revisited the emotional weight of missing out on the title a year ago and how this season’s success felt like a full-circle moment.
There is little time to celebrate. On Thursday, the players are scheduled to fly to Valencia, Spain, where they will represent Israel at the Gay Games, described as a major international event bringing together athletes from 140 countries. The team will head there amid the current situation in Israel and with memories of a difficult incident they experienced at last year’s EuroGames.
The interview raised practical questions about how a League A club funds and organizes such a large overseas operation, as well as the broader significance of the club’s success for athletes from the LGBTQ community. The article did not detail the club’s next sporting target after Valencia, but made clear that the immediate focus is the international tournament.
