Maccabi Ashdod have named Noa Konfino team manager of their senior basketball squad ahead of the club's return to Ligat Ha'Al, Israel's top division, according to a report published Sunday. Konfino, 27, takes up the post for the 2026/27 season, and the report states she will be the only woman holding the position in the league.
The role of team manager in Israeli basketball sits at the hinge between the coaching staff, the players and the league office. It is an administrative post covering the daily logistics of a professional squad — travel, scheduling, registration and matchday operations — and its holder is a constant presence around the team throughout the season.
Konfino arrives from the analytics side of the game. According to the report on Sport 5, she most recently headed the statistics department at Segev Sports, the company that supplies statistical services to the Israeli Premier League and graphics for basketball broadcasts. The same report says her love of the game was formed watching basketball with her late father.
"I am thrilled and delighted to join the Maccabi Rotstein Ashdod family," Konfino was quoted as saying. "The team has made an impressive journey from the National League to the Premier League, and I promise to do everything to be part of the team's success next season."
She joins a club on a steep upward curve. Maccabi Ashdod sealed promotion on June 11, beating Ironi Nahariya 94-83 at home to close out the National League playoff final 3-1, with Robert Turner III scoring 30 points in the clincher. The victory completed a two-year climb from the third tier to the top flight under head coach Dan Katzir.
Women in senior administrative roles around Israeli men's professional basketball remain a rarity, which is what gives the appointment its wider resonance. A second, bylined report on the club's season plans, published later on Sunday, independently confirmed both the appointment and that Konfino will be the only woman serving as team manager in the top flight next season.
Ashdod's preparations for their first top-flight campaign since promotion are continuing through the summer, with the roster taking shape around the core that won promotion. Konfino's hiring adds an experienced basketball operations mind to the back office as the club readies itself for life among Israel's elite.
