A group of wealthy Jewish owners of Major League Soccer clubs in the United States is preparing a major investment in Israeli soccer, potentially channeling tens of millions of shekels into a program designed to strengthen Israel's national teams at every age level and improve their competitiveness on the international stage.
The initiative, led by American businessman and DC United owner Steve Kaplan, would provide the Israel Football Association with funding to develop youth academies, establish centers of excellence and recruit leading international professionals, according to details obtained by ynet and its parent newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Kaplan, who also holds ownership stakes in the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and Swansea City, which competes in England's second-tier Championship, recently traveled to Israel for a meeting at the national team's training complex in Shefayim, north of Tel Aviv.
The visit marked the first concrete step in a three-stage initiative aimed at securing substantial financial backing from Jewish American sports franchise owners.
Kaplan, a business partner of Jason Levien, who has also become a shareholder in Israeli basketball powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv, attended the meeting with his wife.
During the visit, Israeli soccer officials presented a comprehensive overview of the sport's role in Israeli society, emphasizing its ability to bring together people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
"The central message conveyed to Kaplan was that soccer is a sport that connects and unites Israeli society, bringing together Muslims, Christians and Jews," a person who attended the meeting said.
The presentation highlighted the extensive participation of Arab Israeli players in domestic soccer and the sport's contribution to social cohesion.
"Kaplan was shown data on the broad integration of players from Arab society, alongside the social resilience and melting pot that soccer creates, making it a strategic tool of the highest importance for promoting unity among the people," the person said.
The meeting was kept strictly confidential to prevent details of the initiative from becoming public before the parties were ready to proceed.
Among those attending were Israel Football Association chairman Shino Zoaretz, vice chairman Moran Meiri and national team coach Ran Ben Shimon, who outlined his professional philosophy and discussed soccer's broader importance to Israeli society.
Financial strain drives search for American investors
The proposed partnership comes as the Israel Football Association faces mounting financial pressure following three years in which the country's national teams have been unable to host international matches at home.
Since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent war, Israeli national teams have played their home fixtures abroad, depriving the association of substantial revenue from ticket sales and season-ticket packages.
Israeli national team coach Ran Ben Shimon
(Photo: AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The association currently allocates approximately 68 million shekels ($22 million) to its national teams, representing about 45% of its total annual budget of 150 million shekels ($48 million).
That funding covers the national training complex, centers of excellence and day-to-day operations, among other expenses.
However, the prolonged loss of matchday revenue has severely restricted the association's ability to invest in both immediate improvements and long-term development.
Those financial constraints were a central factor behind the decision to seek backing from American investors.
Kaplan was the first prospective donor to visit Israel and receive the association's detailed proposals, including a special booklet outlining its development initiative, known as "The Israeli Way."
The program seeks to make Israeli soccer more competitive and successful in international tournaments over the coming years.
Officials said the Shefayim meeting laid the groundwork for a strategic partnership, with both sides expressing satisfaction and agreeing to advance the initiative.
If implemented, the proposed investment would provide tens of millions of shekels for several development priorities, including new academies, expanded centers of excellence, improved conditions for young players and the recruitment of internationally recognized specialists.
Recruiting a world-class performance director
One of the association's most ambitious objectives is to recruit a world-renowned head of performance, a senior professional whose expertise would help modernize the physical preparation and development of Israeli players.
The position is considered one of the most influential in modern soccer, bringing together sports science, medicine and on-field training.
The Israeli national soccer team
(Photo: AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A head of performance is responsible for helping players reach their physical potential while reducing the risk of injuries.
With the increasingly demanding match schedules and high intensity of professional soccer, managing players' workloads has become an essential part of elite competition.
The performance director oversees fitness coaches, sports scientists, nutritionists and analysts, coordinating their work to ensure players receive appropriate preparation and recovery.
Responsibilities include identifying injury risks, monitoring training loads and rest periods, adapting rehabilitation programs and analyzing physiological data.
The specialist also works closely with the head coach to align physical preparation with the team's tactical approach and playing style.
Although the role generally operates behind the scenes, its importance is considered comparable to that of senior sporting directors.
Israeli soccer officials believe hiring a leading international figure for the position could significantly improve the national teams' performance, but the association currently lacks the financial resources to recruit a professional of that caliber.
The American investment is intended to address that gap while creating the professional infrastructure needed to develop future generations of Israeli players.
Eight more Jewish MLS owners could join initiative
The next stage of the project involves Kaplan presenting the association's proposals to eight other Jewish owners of Major League Soccer clubs, whose combined wealth is estimated in the billions of dollars.
The prospective participants include some of the most prominent figures in American professional sports:
- Arthur Blank, owner of Atlanta United and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
- David Tepper, owner of Charlotte FC and the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
- Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Revolution and the NFL's New England Patriots.
- The Wilf family, owners of Orlando City and the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.
- Ted Segal, owner of the Houston Dynamo.
- Bennett Rosenthal, an owner of Los Angeles FC.
- John Fisher, owner of the San Jose Earthquakes.
- Adrian Hanauer, owner of the Seattle Sounders.
The investors are expected to receive the same presentation and documents shown to Kaplan, emphasizing both the sporting objectives and soccer's potential to promote unity within Israeli society.
According to the plan, the owners would establish a dedicated fundraising forum to support Israeli soccer development.
The proposed forum would seek to finance programs that could improve Israel's performance in international competitions while strengthening social cohesion through participation in the sport.
Jewish Americans account for approximately 2% of the U.S. population, yet Jewish businesspeople hold ownership interests in an estimated 30% of professional soccer and baseball teams and about 25% of NBA and NFL franchises, according to figures cited in the initiative.
Private funding is already a familiar model in American soccer, where the U.S. Soccer Federation does not receive direct government funding and relies heavily on commercial revenue, sponsorships and other independent sources of income.
The Israeli initiative aims to draw on that experience by developing a donor-backed funding structure capable of supporting long-term improvements.
During the second stage, Kaplan is expected to introduce the project to the other MLS owners.
A meeting with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who is Jewish, is also being considered.
Zoaretz and Meiri are expected to be invited to the United States to present the program directly to potential backers and explain its professional and social objectives.
Investment framed as a Zionist initiative
The proposed investment is being presented to prospective donors as a Zionist initiative intended to strengthen Israeli society through sports.
Those involved view it as a continuation of growing Jewish investment in Israeli professional sports, including the involvement of businessman Edmond Safra and Canadian billionaire Mitch Goldhar, the owner of Maccabi Tel Aviv's soccer club.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway within the business community to attract potential buyers for Maccabi Haifa, one of Israel's leading soccer clubs.
The initiative's organizers believe the combination of sporting development, international achievement and social unity could appeal to wealthy Jewish American investors seeking to contribute to Israel's future.
The third and final stage of the fundraising effort will involve presenting the full development plan, including detailed data from "The Israeli Way," to an economic forum representing the American Jewish community.
The objective is to establish a sustainable financial foundation that would allow Israel's national teams to develop talent, improve training standards and compete more effectively against stronger international opponents.
For the Israel Football Association, the project represents an opportunity to move beyond the financial limitations imposed by years of lost home-match revenue and establish a long-term development model backed by private investment.
If the initiative secures the anticipated funding, it could become one of the most significant privately financed development programs in Israeli soccer, providing resources that the association has struggled to obtain through its existing budget.