Shuki Nagar, whose playing career took him through some of the biggest dressing rooms in Israeli football, has been officially appointed professional director at Maccabi Amit Be'er Ya'akov, the club announced, as reported by ONE.
From next season Nagar will take charge of the club's football department, with a particular focus on the youth ranks, working alongside administrative manager Matan Ben Avu and football-school director Yaakov Bar Shalom.
Nagar, a left back born in 1977, came through the youth system at Beitar/Bnei Yehuda and was widely regarded as one of the country's most promising defenders before injuries slowed his rise. He nonetheless built a long top-flight career, moving to Maccabi Haifa in a reported $450,000 deal and featuring in the club's run to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1998-99.
He went on to play for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Ashdod, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Beitar Sakhnin and Hapoel Petah Tikva among other sides, picking up an Israel State Cup winner's medal and a Liga Leumit championship along the way, before dropping into the lower divisions later in his career.
After hanging up his boots, Nagar moved into administration, serving as CEO of Maccabi Yavne from 2014 until the club's relegation in 2016, and more recently working as an academy coach and a school sports teacher.
Be'er Ya'akov's deputy mayor, Noam Shasun, welcomed the appointment. "I am delighted to announce Shuki Nagar's joining the club," he said, according to the club's statement carried by ONE. "I wish him great success in his new position, and I am confident that together we will advance the club and continue cultivating the next generation of football talent in Be'er Ya'akov."
Maccabi Amit Be'er Ya'akov, named in memory of a local soldier killed in operational activity, fields a large youth setup alongside a senior team competing in Liga Bet, one of the regional divisions in the Israeli football pyramid. The club has said it also plans to add a new pitch to expand training capacity across its age groups.
For a municipality-backed project still building out its senior football ambitions, landing a coach with Nagar's playing pedigree and administrative experience from Maccabi Yavne is a notable step up in profile, even if the appointment sits well outside the national headlines.
