The management of Hapoel Lev Jerusalem, the newly-promoted team Athena Winner League, the Women’s Premier Basketball League, announced on Thursday that the Malha Arena in Jerusalem has been chosen to be the team’s home court for the upcoming season. The team also confirmed that its roster of 12 players for the season is now complete, with 10 Israeli players and two foreign players in coach Limor Peleg’s team.

“We are ready for the Premier League, we have a hall for games, an excellent roster, a great coach and also the supporting surrounding for the players, Dr Netta Abugov, Hapoel Lev Jerusalem’s Chairwoman, said. “Y’alla, Hapoel!”
“I was very happy to hear that the Jerusalem Municipality is indeed working and taking care of women’s sports in the city and this coming season we will be playing in the municipal Malha Arena, a court with a magnificent basketball history. We are at the beginning of a fascinating and challenging season. The roster of players for the upcoming season includes a combination of foreign players, the most senior players in the Premier League and the talented Jerusalem girls who grew up at the club. I believe that this team, under the leadership of coach Limor Peleg and professional director Rebecca Ross, will lead us to Jerusalem’s rightful place at the top of the Premier League in basketball.”

In addition, the team announced three key professional partnerships for the upcoming season: (a) Physioactive, the leading physical therapy institute in Jerusalem that works with the best athletes in Jerusalem and Israel, which specializes in basketball, will work with the players in all training and games and will make the clinic available to them for regular treatments; (b) AllinPro, the leading sports nutrition brand in Israel, will provide a high-quality sports nutrition support to the players throughout the season; and (c) Ono Academic College, which, starting from the coming school year, students and graduates of Ono Academic College will be integrated into the club’s management system, the club’s coaches and players will receive scholarships to study at the Jerusalem campus, and the girls of Hapoel Lev Jerusalem will receive a basketball coaching course at Ono Academic College.

Hapoel Lev Jerusalem’s roster for the upcoming season includes foreigners Angela Tompkins (31, 1.89) and Delicia Washington (26, 1.78), senior Israeli players Alyssa Barron (30, 1.78), Alex Cohen (30, 1.95), Shir Tirosh (24, 1.70) ), Noor Kayuf (22, 1.70), Hodaya Kabada (18, 1.77) and Hadar Mor-Yosef (18, 1.73), as well as the youth team’s Karny Arochas-Levon (18, 1.70), Tamar Greenbaum (17, 1.75) Neta Mayshar (17, 1.65 ) and Noa Gegola (17, 1.70).

The team will play against Maccabi Ironi Ramat-Gan in the first game of the preseason Winner Athena tournament on Monday October 2, with the winner set to play against Maccabi Bnot Ashdod in the quarter-finals on Thursday October 5. The season itself begins on Monday October 16, with Hapoel Lev Jerusalem hosting Hapoel Rishon LeZion in the first round.