In 2022, Gideon and Yaara Yadin acquired the management rights of the club through the Gevasol Group, beginning a new chapter in its development.
The decision was driven by a belief that the club could become more than a successful basketball team. Operating as a non-profit organisation, Hapoel HaEmek has been developed as a platform capable of creating value for the communities, businesses and municipalities it represents.
Since taking ownership, the focus has been on building a sustainable organisation that combines professional basketball with youth development, community programmes, business networking and innovation.
This long-term vision ultimately led to the transition from Hapoel Gilboa Galil to Hapoel HaEmek.
While the club’s history and achievements remain an important part of its identity, the new name reflects a broader ambition: to represent the entire Valley and the communities that support it.
The transition from Hapoel Gilboa Galil to Hapoel HaEmek was more than a change of name. It reflected the club’s evolution into a truly regional organisation supported by municipalities, businesses, schools and communities across the Valley.
Rather than representing a single municipality, the club represents the all area. and serves as a shared platform connecting the surrounding communities.
Today, Hapoel HaEmek benefits from the broadest municipal support of any professional sports organisation in Israel, providing the club with an unrivalled geographical reach and a unique ability to engage communities throughout the region.
This regional approach has enabled the club to build relationships across local government, education, industry and community organisations while creating a model that is unique within Israeli sport.
Supported by municipalities across the Valley and operating at the centre of one of Israel’s most important industrial and innovation ecosystems, the club has become a platform that connects sport, community, business and opportunity.
Under the current ownership, the organisation has expanded its activities beyond basketball through youth development, educational initiatives, innovation programmes, community projects and the creation of the Valley Business Club.
The objective remains clear: to build a sustainable non-profit organisation that competes successfully at the highest level of Israeli basketball while creating long-term value for the region it represents.
Basketball taught me discipline, teamwork and resilience.
When I took ownership of Hapoel HaEmek, the vision was bigger than sport. We wanted to create opportunities for young people, strengthen the community and build a platform that connects global partners with Israel’s innovation and industry.
This club is about more than winning games. It’s about opening doors, building relationships and connecting global partners with Israel’s innovation ecosystem.
