Get Tel Aviv Cheetahs to Euro Cup!

An Australian, a Jew and an Arab enters an Australian football pitch in Ireland wearing same team jersey…

This sounds like a premise for an anecdote or a beginning of an impossible mathematical problem, isn’t it? 
Only this time it’s simply a fact.


Tel Aviv Cheetahs are heading to Ireland in October for AFL Euro Cup 2018. And we need your help getting there.



Our Story:




What started a decade ago as a Peace Team project curated by Peres Center for Peace that brought players from Palestine and Israel together to learn to play Australian rules Football together in order to represent the region as a united front in a celebratory tournament in Australian in 2008. And so Australian football found its spot on Israel’s map along with a very special place in the hearts of a small community of people who don’t usually form a community.

Later that project turned into a Jerusalem Peace Lions team, that went on to represent the country at multiple international AFL events.


Fast forward to May 2018, when a few Jerusalem Peace Lions, including Shir Shalev and Saad Bahroom moved to Tel Aviv, and started to meet every Monday in a park to kick the ball, and to invite new players to join them. Shortly after Cheetahs welcomed an Aussie expat and soon to be team’s coach, Terry Dehghani, whose knowledge and passion for Australian rules football took the team to the next level.


Newly formed Tel Aviv Cheetahs are making quite a splash with the reinforced message of sport for peace, commitment to developing the game in the region and adding a bit more Australian flavor to it all with the hope to create an even deeper connection with the Australian community both in Israel and in its home in Southern Hemisphere. And the goal is not to just import the footy to Israel, but to find a way to make it our own, so that Israelis could fully embrace the game.




Who we are:


Tel Aviv Cheetahs continue the legacy of Peace Team by reinforcing inclusivity and diversity. We are a team of Jews, Arabs, Australians, people with single or multiple citizenships, at times quite complex biographies and identities, but same love for the sport and desire to bridge the gaps, and focus on things that unite us rather than divide people.


What we do:


We are committed to developing our athletic footy skills both on personal and collective level, as well as growing the sport in the region.

However, currently there is no league or tournaments in the region, and this isolation shows.

Participation in tournaments is key to development, and this AFL Euro Cup in Cork, Ireland, our only chance to play with other teams, form relationships and expand our network to get connected to the global movement.

 
What we ask for:


Tel Aviv Cheetahs is a completely self-funded club, and currently receives no support from government or any organization or a private donor.

We would like to kindly ask for your assistance in helping us raise necessary funds in order to get the team to Euro Cup 2018.

The team needs £12 000
 to cover most of the costs of travel and accommodation.


If that goal is met, our next objective will be to reach £25 000.

We will use this money towards growing the sport in Israel. We promise that by mid-2019 Israel will have at least 2 active teams Australian rules football, that will meet for a minimum of 2 tournaments, and will become the beginning of the AFL league in Israel.

 
You can follow our journey on Facebook  and Instagram .

And read about us at OddBalls platform 
 

 UPDATE

Introducing a new perk! 

Donate £200 or more and receive the brand new Tel Aviv Cheetahs game jersey!

Limited offer, only 5 items available.