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Nov. 23, 2007
She's at the helm of the team
Shira Haelion is the men's basketball league's first woman coach.
EVA COHEN
In Canada, the feminist movement changed social norms for what is acceptable for women in the workforce. Still, many professions are imbalanced. Coaching, in particular, is a profession predominantly held by men. It is rare for a woman to coach a women's team in a women's league and even more so for a woman to coach a men's team. That's why an announcement made recently rocked the foundation of Israeli sports.
Shira Haelion was named coach of Hapoel Tel-Aviv men's basketball team, one of Israel's oldest and most established basketball clubs. This is the first time a woman has been named coach of a men's team.
To start the season off, Hapoel had gone 0 and 3, losing by about a 30-point margin in each match. After what could be seen as a disastrous start, Hapoel's coach at the time left, leaving the team in a bind. For Shaul Eisenberg, Hapoel's owner, the decision to ask Haelion was an easy one.
"Shira is very talented," said Eisenberg. "She coaches first and foremost because she loves the game, and she is capable of going very far."
Haelion said that it was always her dream to coach a men's team, but that she didn't think it would come so quickly.
"I was very surprised when they called me for the job," she said. "The last coach left for his own reasons and the management was looking for a change of scenery. At first, they only asked me to do it temporarily, but then we won the first game and they asked me to stay longer."
On top of coaching Hapoel, Haelion plays in the women's basketball first division and coaches two junior women's teams out of Ramat Hasharon. She is very busy, but finds the time to manage it all.
"There are no morning practices, which makes it easier, but I'm definitely still swamped and it is not easy," said Haelion. "When I took the job [with Hapoel], I decided to take a month to see if I can do it."
Haelion has now coached Hapoel in three games and will probably be making her decision by the end of November, but for now she is staying with the team. She said that most people have been supportive and want her to continue.
"Having me in charge is something unique, it's a break from the usual, so it's seen as a good thing," said Haelion. "For me, I go with my intuition and I will decide what to do on my own instinct. With everything you do in life, everyone else has their own opinion, but most important is what I think. I believe in myself."
Now that the storm has died down over Haelion's appointment, it remains to be seen whether this will pave the way for a real change in Israeli sports.
"I know a lot of women coaches who are very good and they just need the opportunity to show what they can do," said Haelion. "I hope to see more female coaches in the future. They can do it."
Haelion attributed her success to many different people involved in the sport.
"I don't have one specific role model," said Haelion. "Every coach I see, I take something away from."
However, Haelion said, if she had to point to one person who had the greatest impact on her, it would be Galit Musai of Ramat Hasharon. Musai was assistant coach of the multi-title-winning team for more than eight years.
"She has taught me to be a human being first," said Haelion. "She has taught me about the better qualities of being a coach and not just about the tactics on the court."
Eva Cohen is a freelance writer currently living in Haifa.
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