Maccabi Ashdod Includes Five Homegrown Players in Premier League Squad

Maccabi Ashdod is continuing its policy of promoting young talent by including five graduates from its youth department in the squad for the upcoming Winner League season. This move highlights the club's commitment to providing a clear pathway from the youth teams to the senior squad.

Among the players is 22-year-old guard Opal Bechar, who has been with the club for four years and has experience playing in both the National and Regional leagues. He will also coach in the youth department and basketball school. Nineteen-year-old guard Ilay Lugasi, who was an overage player in the youth league last season, will hold a dual license to play for Hapoel Gezer in the Regional League and Maccabi Ashdod in the Winner League.

Other young players with dual licenses include 18-year-old guard Ori Brent, who will play for Elitzur Ramla in the Regional League and the senior team, and 18-year-old point guard Eliya Necker, who will play for Hapoel Brenner and the senior squad. Seventeen-year-old point guard Rotem Gila, a high school senior, will also be part of the senior team roster.

Club professional manager Nati Cohen emphasized the club's clear agenda: "We are a club with a youth department that has a senior team, not the other way around." He added that the goal is to create a real and clear path for young players to train with the senior professional staff and increase the chances that homegrown players will become significant contributors to the senior team over time. This approach was already in place during the National League season and will continue in the Premier League.