Yochanan Vollach facts for kids
Vollach with Israel in 1970
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 May 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Kiryat Bialik, Mandatory Palestine | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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 | ||
| International career | |||
| 1968–1971 | Israel | 12 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Yochanan Vollach (Hebrew: יוחנן וולך, born on May 14, 1945) is a famous Israeli former footballer. He was a key player for the Israeli national team. This team played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, which is a very big international football tournament. Yochanan Vollach is also a member of the Israeli Football Hall of Fame.
Today, Vollach is the President of the Maccabi Haifa sports organization. He is also the CEO of the Israeli Chamber of Shipping, which deals with ships and trade.
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Yochanan Vollach was born in Kiryat Bialik, a city in Israel. He started his sports journey with his local football club, Maccabi Kiryat Bialik.
In 1963, when he was 18, he joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He served as an infantry soldier in a special unit called Nahal. It was rare for professional footballers to serve in active combat. Because of his military service, he missed a whole season of football. While in the army, he helped his team win the IDF football championship in 1965.
In 1965, when he was 19, he joined Hapoel Haifa. He also studied at university, earning a degree in History and Political Science. Later, he got a Master's degree in Business Administration.
Football Career Highlights
Yochanan Vollach started as a striker, which is a player who tries to score goals. Because he was tall and strong, people called him "The Tank." He later became a defender, a player who stops the other team from scoring. He was very good at this position and played there for the rest of his career.
He won the Israeli Israel State Cup twice, in 1966 and 1974. This is a big knockout competition in Israeli football. 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. This was a huge moment for Israeli football.
At the 1970 World Cup, Vollach played against Uruguay. In the next match, against Sweden, he broke his leg. This injury meant he could not play in the final group match against Italy.
Vollach was sometimes loaned to other Israeli clubs. This happened for special games like the Intertoto Cup. For example, he played for Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 1976 and Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1977.
In 1977, Vollach moved from Hapoel Haifa to their city rivals, Maccabi Haifa. He joined with another famous player, Yitzhak Englander.
Vollach is also involved in the Education and Publicity Committee of the Israel Football Association. He is also a management member of Maccabi World Union, a global Jewish sports organization.
Time at Maccabi Haifa
At Maccabi Haifa, Yochanan Vollach was a great role model for younger players. They looked up to him because he had played in the World Cup finals with the national team.
He played for Maccabi Haifa for two seasons. In 1979, he stopped playing professional football. He then became the general manager of Maccabi Haifa, working without pay. Under his leadership, Maccabi Haifa changed from an average team to a very successful one. 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.
After Playing Football
After five years in Hong Kong, Vollach returned to Israel in 1990. His former teammate, Yitzhak Englander, who was then president of Hapoel Haifa, offered him a job. 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. During these years, he 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 board of the Maccabi Haifa union. He also became president of the basketball division and a member of the Israel Basketball Association.
Other Careers
Besides his work in football management, Yochanan Vollach also worked in journalism and business.
Journalism and Media
For many years, Vollach was a sports commentator on a popular Israeli radio show called Shirim uSha'arim. He also worked as a local journalist.
Business Career
Vollach started working at Zim, a large shipping company, in 1970. He held many important positions there, including global services manager and vice president. He was also the President and CEO of Zim's M.Dizengoff. Since 2005, he has been the President and CEO of Newlog. This company is part of the Zim group and handles logistics for shipping and land transport.
Awards and Special Recognition
Yochanan Vollach has received many awards and honors for his achievements:
- Best XI in Israel (3 times)
- Fair Play Award in Israel (3 times)
- Hapoel Haifa Best XI All-time
- Voted Hapoel Haifa's greatest player ever in an official website poll
- Israel Golden Jubilee Awards: Haifa Best XI
- Israel Golden Jubilee Awards: Haifa Best Defender (All Time)
- Honorary citizen of the City of Haifa (1993)
- Lifetime contributions special award for 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 years of volunteering 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) – they were also runners-up in 1985
- 3 x Israeli League Title (1984, 1985, 1991) – they were also runners-up in 1975
- 1 x Israeli Championship of the Champions Cup (1985)
- 1 x Lilian Cup (1984)
- 1 x IDF Title (1965)
- Maccabi Haifa Youth Team:
- 4 x Israeli Youth Title (1979, 1983, 1984, 1991)
- 3 x Israeli Youth Cup (1980, 1991, 1993) – they were also runners-up in 1981
- 1 x Israeli Championship of the Champions Cup (1984)
- Maccabi Haifa Basketball Team:
- 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
