Israeli Football To Kick Off In November

(Image Credit: Israel Football League)

Although the American style sport is not (yet) as popular as its Baseball counterpart, it looks as if the Israel Football League will soon be ready for the lime light next month.

But what makes this team different from the Israel Baseball League is the fact that these boys are home grown.

(Jerusalem Post) Steve Leibowitz, founder of the league, explains that development of the Israel Football League (IFL) derived from National Football League games which are screened regularly in Israel. Young Israelis who had caught the "football bug" were playing in local parks without equipment, without padding and without experience, says Leibowitz, an American immigrant who has been living in Israel for decades and who has previously introduced a touch football league to young atheletes. [...]

The IFL hosts a range of talent and ability, and no member of the team receives compensation for his participation.

"Just about everyone suiting up for the IFL lives in Israel on a permanent basis. We're talking about a player base that's homegrown," said Amkraut.

It will be interesting to see how the new Israel league performs in Israel, as this will give many the legal opportunity to "tackle thy neighbor" in a full contact sport. The league already has three teams established, who hail from Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Kiryat Ono respectively.

Hopefully they will put some video's of the games on their site (or perhaps on Joost) as it would give many American Jews a way to watch their games in the US (and perhaps convince them to eventually make Aliyah).

Update: Added image credit.

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