Naor Barkol is coming home. The 39-year-old, who spent more than a decade coaching only in youth departments, has been named head coach of Liga Alef South club Holon Yermiyahu for the coming season, ONE reports — his first senior job at adult level.
Barkol is a Holon native through and through. He came up as a central defender in the youth ranks of Tzafririm Holon and went on to play for the club's adult team, before injury forced him into early retirement at 27 — the moment he pivoted into coaching, starting out in that same Tzafririm Holon youth department.
His most recent post was in charge of MS Ashdod's youth team, a job that ended abruptly and, by his own account, mysteriously. "To this day I don't know how to put my finger on the reasons that led to my dismissal," he said, referring to a departure that reportedly came a day after his side won 1-0 away to Ramat Hasharon. Before Ashdod, he had coached Ramat Hasharon's own U-17 side.
Now he is stepping up. "After so many years in the youth departments, I feel I've exhausted that chapter," Barkol said. "I see the opportunity I've been given as a springboard to the higher levels of Israeli football."
Holon Yermiyahu are preparing for their tenth consecutive season in Liga Alef South. The club, founded in 2014 and renamed in 2017 in honour of Holon playing great and former assistant coach Haim "HaSilon" Yirmiyahu, finished last season's shortened campaign in mid-table — and the ambitions are rising this time around.
Club owner Lior Shulman and sporting director Mousa Ben-Haim, who has his own long history with the club as both player and coach, brought Barkol in to lead the new project.
His bench will include two more former players: assistant coach Haim Pontormeli and goalkeeping coach Doron Rosenkovich round out the staff, per the club's presentation of the new setup.
"We're building a team with high aspirations," Barkol said. "We are choosing players for the squad carefully, and holding on to the ones we're very satisfied with."
