By: Nomi Kaltmann as seen in Plus61J Media
Published: 9 September 2022
NOMI KALTMANN talks to the captain of the Tel Aviv Cheetahs and finds out how Australian footy got a foothold in the Middle East.
SHIR SHALEV, AN Israeli who has never visited Australia, is not necessarily the first person you would pick as the captain of the Israel AFL team. His love of Aussie rules football was sparked by accident a few years ago when he was studying in Jerusalem. One day he happened to walk past a group of Israelis and Arabs from the Jerusalem Peace Lions playing AFL footy in the local park.
“They offered me to join in and I loved the game,” he says.
An athletic guy, Shalev has always enjoyed all kinds of sport. “I am a sporty guy. I live with a ball in my hand or on my leg since forever. I play all sports including soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis,” he laughs.
Shalev, 26, was born in Israel and grew up on Moshav Gea in Southern Israel, where he did not meet any Aussies. “Growing up, I did not really know Australian people. I still remember the first time I played in Jerusalem. They said: ‘it is not American football, you handball it’. I did not buy it. I did not know footy at all. I did not know what they were talking about. I said: ’that’s not real’.”
From this chance encounter, Shalev became hooked on the game and would play weekly with the team in Jerusalem. A year later, when he and other players moved to Tel Aviv, he decided to start a team there, the Tel Aviv Cheetahs, hoping that there would be interest. From there, it just grew and grew. These days, the Tel Aviv Cheetahs are the only AFL team in Israel, which represents the country at AFL international tournaments.
The genesis of AFL in Israel stems from the 2008 joint initiative by the Peres Center for Peace and its Palestinian partner, the Al Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue. The team was created, with 13 Israeli and 13 Palestinian players, with the aim of using footy to help increase dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and encourage co-existence.
While the AFL Peace Team ceased operating around 2011, AFL footy caught on in Israel, with a small but dedicated group of Israelis joining the team to play every week. The Israeli team is part of the AFL Europe league, and competes in the AFL European Championships, including the most recent one a few months ago, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team, despite its small size, finished eighth overall, out of 16 teams.
Most of the team are Israelis with a connection to Australia. People who have family from Australia or have lived there for a bit.
The Tel Aviv Cheetahs are a mix of Aussies and Israelis.
On average, around 15 players come to weekly trainings in Tel Aviv, connected by a large Whatsapp group.
Avi Gillis, 31, is a member of the Cheetahs and is grateful for the good times he has had with the team, because it helps him to retain a connection to Australia, from where his family made aliyah more than 25 years ago.
“The way I got to know footy is through my Aussie family. Most of my mother’s family is in Melbourne; they are big St Kilda fans. I grew up with a bit of footy. I always followed St Kilda,” he says.
Gillis is still working on honing his skills. “I am alright. I have got decent kicking skills and pretty good defensive instincts. I don’t find the ball that much; I’m usually tracking other players. I am not the strongest player overhead, but I do my best trying to win on the ground.”
He chose to play AFL in Israel because he enjoys the sport and camaraderie it encourages. “The nice thing about playing footy in Israel is that it is unique there. It is not well known. It is a fun thing to introduce to people, plus it’s a slice of my heritage,” he says.
Playing with Israelis has extra benefits, he says. “Israelis bring a unique approach to footy. They are very fast and fit. That is common in footy in Australia, but in Europe that is our strength. That is how we get our wins. We are a small and quick team. Usually, we give away a fair bit of size, but we make up for it with speed,” he says.
For Trent Smythe, the chair of AFL Europe, who now lives in London, the excitement that people across Europe have from participating in Aussie Rules footy makes his role totally worth it.
“The spirit of the game that is AFL means that players understand the concept of mateship and friendship,” he says. “It is a very old game. The good thing about it is that many of the endearing qualities of the game are quite Australian. That sense of mateship and community. When you see people playing AFL in another country, you feel that we are exporting some of that culture and others get to experience it.
It’s something Shalev, as the captain of AFL Israel, understands. “It’s the best sport in the world, but the world doesn’t know about it yet. But word is spreading,” he laughs.
Footy also represents the need for discipline in a wide range of areas, “with footy, you have to be good at everything. Kicking. Handballing. Good with your feet and hands. Its super fun. You need to be fit but also strong,” he says.
“I used to be a soccer fan, and I used to watch it, but now I only watch footy. I can’t watch soccer anymore, it’s too slow.”
While Shalev has not yet had the chance to trek to the home of footy, it is on the cards.
“I don’t know yet when I’m coming to Australia. Hopefully I will come with my girlfriend in a year,” he says. He knows he will have lots of fun. “Aussies are nice guys. They want to help. They are also fun guys with their drinking habits. Overall, it’s clearly very good vibes and atmosphere.”