The summer Batei Hatalmid and Hapoel Raanana tournament final games for 2010 were held this week at the Lev Hapark soccer field and 1,000 children took part.

The soccer academy tournament, in its 19th consecutive year, is the culmination of the activity run by the Batei Hatalmid soccer clubs that operate throughout the school year as part of the Informal Education Administration’s Supplementary Education Division and in cooperation with the Municipal Sports Authority and Hapoel Raanana.

32 teams made it to the final games, of the 125 teams that participated in the tournament.  At the end of the event, there was a trophy award ceremony, attended by Mayor Nahum Hofree and Deputy Mayor Aryeh Friedman, director of the Informal Education Administration, as well as the director of the Soccer Academy – Did Arbili and the professional director of the Soccer Academy, Ami Vazana.

Winners of the Summer Tournament:
First place for grades 1:  Noam Elementary School
First place for grades 2:  Dekel Elementary School
First place for grades 3:  Dekel Elementary School
First place for grades 4:  Hadar Elementary School
First place for grades 5-6:  Noam Elementary School
First place for kindergarten:  Ariel Elementary School

Winners of the league tournaments:
First place for grades 4: Ariel Elementary School
First place for grades 5-6:  Shaked Elementary School

Personal medals were presented to the goal kings and outstanding players in each age group.  All children who took part in the tournament received medals for their participation.

Mayor Nahum Hofree:  “My warm congratulations to the young players who displayed impressive professional ability.  Raanana is proud to invest in sports education as a way of life, based on the values of good sportsmanship and fair play alongside striving for excellence.”

Deputy Mayor Aryeh Friedman:  “The wide variety of sports activities held by the Supplementary Education Division develop a healthy soul in a healthy body, instill values of good sportsmanship and teach fair play.”

In the photos:  Outstanding players together with the mayor and deputy may, the champions from Ariel’s fourth grades.  Photography courtesy of the Raanana Municipality.