Maccabi South Africa, one of six Confederation’s of Maccabi World Union (MWU), is the custodian of Jewish sport in South Africa. We are a Zionist, secular, non-profit, volunteer, community sports organisation responsible for providing sport and recreation infrastructure and opportunities for the Jewish community. Maccabi SA is also affiliated to the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) and is represented on its Executive.
Maccabi SA fully subscribes to the aims and objectives of MWU which utilises sport as a means to bring Jewish people of all ages closer to Judaism and Israel, in a manner that surpasses politics and sectarianism.
To foster Jewish pride and preserve Jewish identity through SPORT, while promoting Zionism and supporting the State of Israel.
To provide a sustainable, meaningful and inclusive sporting and recreational programme of participation and competition, which serves to mobilise and enrich the Jewish community.
We recognise that the popular and universal platform of SPORT provides us with the positioning, opportunity and ability to achieve our goals, because…
We have seven key objectives which are an expansion of our Mission Statement and which are used to define and inform our operational strategies:
1. To support the aims of MWU which include to foster greater identification with the Jewish people, culture and heritage, and to actively promote Zionism and support of the State of Israel.
2. To assemble competitive teams to participate in the Maccabiah and Regional Games, derived from a comprehensive local programme of tournaments and events which nurture talent and encourage excellence.
3. To deliver an ongoing programme of sporting and recreational activity for all ages and genders, wherein the community can get active, compete and socialise.
4. To encourage the development of Jewish youth in mind, body and spirit in the tradition of the Maccabians.
5. To include within our ranks the values and principles of teamwork, sportsmanship, respect, integrity, compassion, self-discipline and good citizenship.
6. To assist those in need, in both the Jewish and non-Jewish community, through a meaningful Maccabi SA Outreach programme.
7. To cultivate community trust, support and credibility through professional, accountable and transparent management.
In 2016, Maccabi SA underwent a strategic evolution, kicking off a new era for the organisation. We have implemented a new strategic business model that has shifted our focus from being just a conduit for the Maccabiah to becoming a continuously active community sports organisation, delivering real value to the community, particularly the youth.
We have further redefined our role within the community, through the following initiatives:
• We complement school sports through supplementary activities which improve performance and encourage participation eg: school holiday sports clinics.
• We collaborate with private sector sports services to provide professional, quality coaching and to assist with the identification and development of talent.
• We support existing community sporting events.
In order to fulfil our objectives, we have created two parallel pipelines, based on the concepts of PARTICIPATION and EXCELLENCE:
1. Participation = this grassroots activation is our primary focus and involves providing an ongoing, diverse programme of sport and recreational activities for all ages, while encouraging healthy, active lifestyles.
2. Excellence = the purpose of this pipeline is to nurture talent and develop winners; to provide the youth with opportunities for representation; and to assemble globally competitive teams for the Maccabiah and regional Games.
We are inspired, committed and passionate. We are MOBILISING the community. Join in the action!
To find out more about Maccabi SA’s strategic plans, activities and 2020/21 projects, read our Chairman’s Message.
Maccabi SA is a non-profit organisation which is financed largely by team fund raising, participant contributions, ad hoc donations, short term sponsorships and local event administration fees.
Local and international events and tournaments, as well as the Maccabiah itself, have become increasingly costly and unaffordable for many. While we are 99.9% staffed by dedicated volunteers, the general administration of the organisation and its associated costs have also grown.
The sporting environment of Maccabi SA provides an effective platform for sponsorship and the opportunity for brands to connect with a high LSM audience through both traditional and experiential channels. However, what we seek to attract are meaningful partnerships wherein together we can deliver real value and benefits to our community.
In order to provide an appealing platform for potential partners, we are focused on the following:
• Ensuring an ongoing process of increasing brand awareness and appeal.
• Delivering an ongoing, well supported, national programme of events.
• Providing efficient communications platforms and ongoing audience connection and engagement.
• Achieving sporting success at the Maccabiah and Regional Games.
There are numerous Jewish organisations, all of whom provide a very valuable service to the community. We like to think that our niche position provides some useful benefits for the right partners:
• We are uniquely positioned to unite, engage and deliver real value for our community through sport and all of its associated benefits.
• In particular, our events programme is an antidote to sedentary lifestyles and has numerous health and wellness benefits.
• Maccabi SA has been a familiar feature of the community for over 80 years and globally Maccabi is an established and respected brand. In addition, most of our Jewish South African sportspersons have represented Maccabi SA and there is a proud history and a wealth of memorable achievements and content to share.
• We appeal to a broad audience across all ages and genders, who are interested in sport and being active.
• Maccabi SA is supported and endorsed by the SAZF and other community leaders and organisations.
If your company is looking for a sponsorship opportunity, please get in touch… we are keen to discuss partnership opportunities with you!
Maccabi SA has participated in every Games since 1935 with great success, particularly relative to the size of the community and its resources. The country has produced many talented Jewish athletes who have triumphed on the national and global stage and proudly represented Maccabi SA at the Maccabiah and Regional Games. Our Records section provides an overview of their many achievements.
At the 1993 Games, Team Maccabi SA competed in 22 sports, winning 94 medals including 27 golds, all the highest totals to date for SA. In 2013, Maccabi SA sent its largest ever delegation of 378 athletes to the 19th Maccabiah, together with an estimated 300 supporters. A significant 65% of athletes were under 25 and 21% were female. Team Maccabi SA was also the biggest delegation from the diaspora relative to the size of the community and incorporated a small delegation from the ”lost communities’’ of Mauritius and Zimbabwe. The SA athletes performed admirably and won 44 medals, including 12 golds. Overall, Team Maccabi SA came 5th in the Open category, 6th in Masters and 7th in Juniors.
At the 20th Maccabiah in 2017, 295 athletes represented #TeamMaccabiSA in 18 sports, bringing home 36 medals, including 19 gold and 11 silver.
To date, Team Maccabi SA has sent 3486 persons to attend 19 Maccabiah, winning an impressive total of 827 medals, including 288 golds.
Since its inception, Maccabi SA has a proud record of contributing to Israeli sport through the establishment of sports facilities, including donations towards the building of the Maccabi Village. Locally, Maccabi SA has hosted many Israeli sports teams and facilitated numerous sporting and leisure trips to Israel. As a result, Maccabi SA has made an important contribution to growing relations between the two countries.
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