Yochanan Vollach facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | יוחנן וולך | ||
| Date of birth | May 14, 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Kiryat Bialik, Mandatory Palestine | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1958–1962 | Maccabi Kiryat Bialik | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1962–1965 | Maccabi Kiryat Bialik | ||
| 1965–1977 | Hapoel Haifa | ||
| 1977–1979 | Maccabi Haifa | 30 | (1) |
| 1985–1990 | HKFC | ||
| National team | |||
| 1968–1971 | Israel | 12 | (1) |
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Yochanan Vollach (Hebrew: יוחנן וולך), also known as Jochanan Wallach or Yohanan Wallach, was born on May 14, 1945. He is a famous Israeli former footballer. He was part of the Israeli national team that played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He is also a member of the Israeli Football Hall of Fame.
Today, Vollach is the President of the Maccabi Haifa sports group. He is also the CEO of the Israeli Chamber of Shipping.
Contents
About Yochanan Vollach
Yochanan Vollach was born in Kiryat Bialik, a city in Israel. He started his sports journey with his local club, Maccabi Kiryat Bialik.
In 1963, he joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He served as an infantry soldier in a unit called Nahal. It was rare for professional footballers to serve in active combat. Because of his service, Vollach missed a whole football season. However, he won the IDF football championship in 1965.
In 1965, when he was 19, he joined Hapoel Haifa. Vollach also studied a lot. He earned a degree in History and Political Science from the University of Haifa. Later, he got a master's degree in Business Administration from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He retired from the IDF as a Major.
His Football Career
Yochanan Vollach started as a striker. Because he was tall and strong, people called him "The Tank." He later moved to play as a defender. This position suited him very well, and he played there for the rest of his career.
He won the Israeli Israel State Cup twice, in 1966 and 1974. He also came close to winning the top league, Liga Leumit, several times.
Playing in the World Cup
One of his biggest achievements was helping the Israel national football team qualify for their first ever World Cup in Mexico in 1970. At the 1970 World Cup, Vollach played against Uruguay.
In the next game against Sweden, Vollach broke his leg. This meant he could not play in the final match against Italy.
Playing for Other Teams
Vollach was sometimes loaned to other Israeli clubs. This was to help them play in the UI Cup games. In 1976, he played for Hapoel Be'er Sheva. In 1977, he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In 1977, Vollach moved from Hapoel Haifa to their city rivals, Maccabi Haifa. He moved with his teammate Yitzhak Englander.
Vollach is also involved in the Israel Football Association. He is part of their Education and Publicity Committee. He is also a member of the management for Maccabi World Union.
Time at Maccabi Haifa
Yochanan Vollach was a great role model for younger players at Maccabi Haifa. They looked up to him because he had played in the World Cup finals.
He played for Maccabi Haifa for two seasons. In 1979, he stopped playing professional football. He then became the general manager of Maccabi Haifa, doing it for free. Under his leadership, Maccabi Haifa became a very successful team. They won their first championship in 1984 and won it again in 1985. During this time, people started calling him "the brains of Maccabi Haifa."
Playing in Hong Kong
In 1985, Vollach got a promotion at his job with Zim Integrated Shipping Services. He was sent to Hong Kong to manage the company's operations there. While in Hong Kong, he returned to football and played for Hong Kong FC.
His Management Career
After five years in Hong Kong, Vollach came back to Israel in 1990. His former teammate, Yitzhak Englander, offered him the position of President of Hapoel Haifa. However, Maccabi Haifa wanted to keep Vollach. So, they made him their Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and chief executive.
From 1990 to 1993, the club won the "double" (both the league and the cup) in the 1990/91 season. They also won the Israel State Cup in 1993. Vollach also volunteered in the management of the Israel Football Association.
Later, Vollach joined the management of the Maccabi Haifa union. He held important roles like CFO and second to the chairman. In 1999, he became the chairman of the Maccabi Haifa union. He also became president of the basketball division and a member of the Israel Basketball Association.
Journalism and Business
Besides his work in sports, Vollach was a sports commentator for a popular Israeli radio show. He also worked as a local journalist.
He started working at Zim, a shipping company, in 1970. He held many important positions there, including global services manager and vice president. Since 2005, he has been the President and CEO of Newlog. This company helps with shipping and transportation.
Awards and Recognition
Yochanan Vollach has received many awards for his contributions to sports and business:
- Best XI in Israel (3 times)
- Fair play award in Israel (3 times)
- Hapoel Haifa Best XI Alltime
- Voted Hapoel Haifa's greatest player ever in an official website poll
- Haifa Best XI in Israel's Golden Jubilee Awards
- Haifa Best Defender (All Time) in Israel's Golden Jubilee Awards
- Honorary citizen of the City of Haifa (1993)
- Special award for his contributions to the Israeli national team in the 1970 World Cup (2007)
- Member of the Israeli Football Hall of Fame (2009)
In 1993, the city of Haifa made him an honorary citizen. This was to recognize his many volunteer efforts in sports and his success in business.
Football Trophies Won
Here are some of the trophies Yochanan Vollach helped win:
- Maccabi Haifa & Hapoel Haifa:
- 4 x Israeli Cup (1966, 1974, 1991, 1993)
- 3 x Israeli League Title (1984, 1985, 1991)
- 1 x Israeli Championship of the Champions Cup (1985)
- 1 x Lilian Cup (1984)
- 1 x IDF Title (1965)
- Maccabi Haifa Youth Team (while he was manager):
- 4 x Israeli Youth Title (1979, 1983, 1984, 1991)
- 3 x Israeli Youth Cup (1980, 1991, 1993)
- 1 x Israeli Championship of the Champions Cup (1984)
- Maccabi Haifa Basketball Team (while he was president):
- 2 x Israeli Final Four appearances
- 1 x Israeli Cup Final appearance (2008–2009)
See also
In Spanish: Yochanan Vollach para niños
- Football in Israel
- Sports in Israel
- List of select Jewish association football (soccer) players
