Guy Azouri

Guy Azouri was born in 1963 in Tel Aviv. He joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth club when he was 8, and played there continuously until his career was put on hold when he joined the Israeli Army at age 18. After completing his service in 1985, Azouri traveled to the United States to study Physical Fitness and Physiology at Long Island University. While there he played under scholarship for LIU Post Pioneers as a midfielder. Azouri also coached several youth teams during this period. In 1990 Azouri was invited to try out for a position in the NY Jets due to his impressive kicking ability. At one of these tryouts Azouri was seriously injured in the groin, thereby ending his career as a professional athlete. ==Career==

Men's Football Assistant Coach In 1994 Azouri returned to Israel, taking up a position as assistant coach in Maccabi Tel Aviv under Avram Grant. The two developed close professional ties during this time. Maccabi Tel Aviv, under Grant and Azouri, won Liga Leumit (than top division) in the first season, with 13 points advantage over second place. In 2000 Azouri joined Bnei Yehuda as assistant to Eli Ohana. Azouri followed Ohana when the latter became head coach of Beitar Jerusalem in 2002. After Eli Ohana resigned in September 2005, he was replaced by Guy Azouri as interim coach. Although Azouri enjoyed the highest success rate of any coach in the Premier League during this time, he did not have a UEFA Pro Manager diploma, and so could not continue as permanent head coach. Beitar signed the Dutch Ton Caanen as a coach, Guy Azouri was demoted to assistant coach. Azouri also served as an assistant coach to Fernández who resigned at the end of the season. U-20 Coach In the summer of 2006 Beitar signed the Argentinian manager Osvaldo Ardiles who brought his own professional team and so was not interested in Azouri staying on as assistant manager . Azouri decided to train the Beitar U-20 team, which went on to win the Double (Championship and Youth Cup) the first time in its history. The club later won another championship under his guidance. Men's football head coach In the years 2008-2011 Azouri was head coach at a number of Premier League clubs including Maccabi Petah-Tikvah, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Hapoel Ashkelon. Women's Football Coaching Career In 2012 Azouri was one of the founders of the Israeli Women's Football Academy, an international academy modelled on European lines. The academy is considered highly successful, with the U-19 women's team participating in the Championship for the first time in its history in the 2015 tournament, which was hosted in Israel. Today Azouri is the head coach of both the adult and U-19 teams, as well as the director of the youth academy. ==Personal life==

Guy Azouri is married and has three children. He currently resides in Herzliya, Israel. ==Honours==

• Israeli Youth Championship: • Winner (2): 2006–07, 2007–08 • Youth State Cup: • Winner (1): 2006–07 • Israeli Premier League Championship (as assistant coach to Avram Grant in Maccabi TA): • Winner (1): 1994-95 ==References==