You might be a keeper parent . . .

If your first reaction to your kid's team winning a PK shootout is to feel bad for the opposing keeper ...

... if you've ever wondered if you can get PTSD from watching youth soccer games

... if you are measuring your child's height more than once a week

... if you are happier after a 0-0 draw than a 3-2 win . . .

. . . You just might be a keeper parent.
 
yep, absolutely to all the above.
when i played i was a striker, so i NEVER could see myself feeling bad for a goalie in any circumstance.
 
... if you are the only parent that knows the SOG/SOT differential for each game.
... if your hyper critical of the defensive backs and internally measure the quality of the rest of the players on defensive ability.
... if you have an immense feeling of pride when the opposing keeper is the only player on the field that can play THAT BOMB of a punt your keeper just kicked.
... if you curse whenever the opposing team shows up in jerseys that are fluorescent green or any neon/fluorescent color for that matter.
... if you are the resident expert on the "offside" rule.
... if you prefer to hang out with the "other teams" parents for 1 half.
 
To add a few (maybe I am just admitting to my own insanity):
...if you are schizophrenic not wanting the ball to get near your child but wanting your child to have the opportunity to make a save
...you have ever stopped breathing during a game
...if you are incapable of filming your child's great saves because the camera inevitably faces the ground or somewhere else during those saves
...you yell positives to the opposing keeper when they make a great save (because you know it was a great save) even though your team didn't get the score
 
To add a few (maybe I am just admitting to my own insanity):
...if you are schizophrenic not wanting the ball to get near your child but wanting your child to have the opportunity to make a save
...you have ever stopped breathing during a game
...if you are incapable of filming your child's great saves because the camera inevitably faces the ground or somewhere else during those saves
...you yell positives to the opposing keeper when they make a great save (because you know it was a great save) even though your team didn't get the score
You're not alone. LOL
 
A couple years ago I accidentally joined a hockey goalie mom/dad page. This was their about us section. I laughed because it was so true! Definitely resonates for soccer!

About:
Do you often sit by yourself until you see how the game is going? Do you wish you were on medication? Do people say to you, "I don't know how you stand it?" Do you find yourself muttering "where's the defense!" Then you must be a goalie mom! Join!
 
If:

-you hear horror stories (like a coach breaking a kids arms during a shot in practice :0() and think what have we gotten into
-you find yourself knowing more about GKing than many of the club coaches out there
-you and your kid try to sit behind the goal box at MLS games
-you find yourself checking the soccer announcement boards for GK camps or guest opportunities all the time
-you hang out at socalsoccer.com (ever notice that many of the parents here are GK parents?...must be something about the position that makes us obsess).
 
... if you are the only parent that knows the SOG/SOT differential for each game.
... if your hyper critical of the defensive backs and internally measure the quality of the rest of the players on defensive ability.
... if you have an immense feeling of pride when the opposing keeper is the only player on the field that can play THAT BOMB of a punt your keeper just kicked.
... if you curse whenever the opposing team shows up in jerseys that are fluorescent green or any neon/fluorescent color for that matter.
... if you are the resident expert on the "offside" rule.
... if you prefer to hang out with the "other teams" parents for 1 half.
hah, i got the most fluorescent color I could buy thinking "no team in their right minds will have this color"...two teams and counting.
 
You might be a keeper parent if:

- while you enjoy the great saves the other keeper is making, you also realize that they created the problem in the 1st place with (a bad decision, a poor punt, staying on the line too long, etc...),
- you can appreciate a game where your kid doesn't make any saves, because you realize that all the little things they did stopped the shot from developing in the first place,
- you see your kid grab a teammate (in practice) by both ankles and pull her to the ground (hard) and think the explanation of "... she kicked the ball out of my hands, was out of bounds, and continued to play the ball..." is a reasonable argument for the behavior,
- you tell your kid that if this game devolves into a bar fight, I expect you to win it (the bar fight)
Or maybe this is just me.
 
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.... you can feel yourself slightly jump when your keeper has to parry over the bar..
... you discuss things like distribution after games
... you discuss qualities good and bad of Euro keepers past and present and you can name the USMT keeper depth chart
....you wonder why a college would keep 5 keepers on a roster
 
...you email all your GK friend parents when a 30% GK glove sale pops up at your favorite store.
....you scan the field during a corner kick to see if there are any players unmarked, then start telling your kids team to mark that pkayer because you know that is where the shot is coming from
...you know there is a shot forming wwwaaaayyy before anyone else does
....you’ve ever said, “that goal wasn’t your fault. That play broke down back at the half way line”
...you have ever handed your camera to take pictures of pk’s, because you know the only picture you will ever get is of the sky or the grass
 
......You have used the phrase "its not your fault - they had to get through 10 other players before it got to you"
......Your kid has a whole drawer of keeper kits, all different colors, styles. My son LOVES the flashy colors.
......You've mastered the art of taking care of turf-burns from hours of diving drills on crappy fields.
......You've cried with your keeper after a PK loss, seeing the heartbreak in their eyes.
......You can recite every brand of goalie glove by quality, price and how quickly they start to smell, lol.
 
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