# Goalkeeper Shortage



## timbuck (Jul 26, 2018)

I've seen a lot of postings lately for teams looking for a goalkeeper.  Here and on social media.
Sort of common to see this at the younger ages, since it's hard to find enough kids under the age of 10 to play GK full time.
But I've noticed a trend of older teams desperately looking for a GK.  Injury and relocation seem to be the culprit.
Or have we reached a point where there are too many teams and not enough GKs out there now?
If you are a parent of a GK - will your player be playing 2 games at your club every Saturday? (and Sunday when scheduled).  
Based on this apparent shortage, I'd also guess that some teams will be using the GK from a younger age group as well.


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## Dargle (Jul 26, 2018)

timbuck said:


> I've seen a lot of postings lately for teams looking for a goalkeeper.  Here and on social media.
> Sort of common to see this at the younger ages, since it's hard to find enough kids under the age of 10 to play GK full time.
> But I've noticed a trend of older teams desperately looking for a GK.  Injury and relocation seem to be the culprit.
> Or have we reached a point where there are too many teams and not enough GKs out there now?
> ...


I don't know how they've been doing it in SCDSL, but the change in the CSL rules to allow players to guest play on another team within the club as long as that team is at a higher level has definitely opened up some opportunities for GKs.  Clubs can legitimately offer the GK who is second best in the age group the chance to play regularly for their own team, while still potentially getting called up to the higher level team for spot start opportunities when the first team GK is unavailable.  It also reduces some of the pressure to carry two goalkeepers on the top team.  

As for the causes of the shortage, one factor at least on the boys side is the proliferation of DA clubs.  There are kids who will take backup GK spots on a DA team that would have been regular starters on many club teams.  Moreover, not only did they open up DA at the U12 level last year, which pushed some GKs to DA at an age when there isn't an overabundance of full-time GKs yet anyway, but this year they increased the number of U13 DA clubs/teams.


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## timbuck (Jul 26, 2018)

Scdsl allows gks to play two games per day as long as it is the same or older age group.  Flights or tiers don’t matter. 
A gk could play 1/2 in goal and half on the field in the 1st game of the day. But must play in goal or sit the bench for the 2nd game. IE- no field play is allowed. Not sure how they track it unless someone complains. (Which is the same for other field players. Not really tracked until a complain and investigation)


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## Grace T. (Jul 26, 2018)

Not scientific at all and purely based on observations of the soccer announcement boards and the announcements here, it seems the GK shortage is more pronounced with the girls than with the boys.  With the boys it doesn't seem to get to be a problem until the DA ages and then mostly at the higher levels, perhaps for the reasons Dargle pointed out.  The girls, by contrast, are constantly advertising even at the younger ages (I just saw one up for a 2009 FT girls keeper...FT ).  Again anecdotally, but for the boys it seems that until the higher levels, the coaches can generally find a larger boy (who may not necessarily get a whole lot of playing time on field due to speed) to put between the sticks...give him a lot of attention, a special shirt, a little bit of training and problem usually considered solved.  Besides, given goal sizes and that most younger goalkeepers aren't taught (and shouldn't be expected to perform) the extension dive, there's only so much the boys keepers can do at that age (particularly considering that by boys U10 even the median of bronze clubs teams can regularly hit it into goal in the air and not always straight to the keeper), the most important factor for many coaches in a boy's keeper is their distribution.


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## Mystery Train (Jul 26, 2018)

timbuck said:


> I've seen a lot of postings lately for teams looking for a goalkeeper.  Here and on social media.
> Sort of common to see this at the younger ages, since it's hard to find enough kids under the age of 10 to play GK full time.
> But I've noticed a trend of older teams desperately looking for a GK.  Injury and relocation seem to be the culprit.
> Or have we reached a point where there are too many teams and not enough GKs out there now?
> ...


I've watched the ebb and flow of youth keeper populations over the past 5-6 years, and noticed a few trends (mostly in the girls side, but may apply to boys as well).  

Just looking at the whole youth player population, there's definitely a drop off in full-time participation right about U15.  Because keepers are already smaller population, that drop off is even more noticeable.  For example, if a club fields 2 teams at an age group with 32 players (16 players each including one GK each) but the next year 6 kids drop out of soccer, you could still field two teams of 13 each, but if one of those 6 players was a keeper, the second team is screwed.  That creates the first shortage.

The second factor impacting the older kids is, as you mention, injury.  The collisions get bigger as the players get bigger and concussion awareness nowadays means that you don't just bring your kid back to play next week after they got their "bell rung."  So the older keeper population gets an additional thinning agent there, too.  

One thing I noticed on the girls' side is what I called the Hope Solo effect.  She, for better or worse, had a period of about 5-6 years where she was a true celebrity, arguably the most well recognizable US soccer player, men's or women's.   This was right after my DD started playing keeper.  Around that time, I noticed a big increase in the number of girls trying out as keepers.  That was an artificial bubble, however.  Not sustainable or repeatable.

The biggest factor I see in creating a GK shortage is an inability of clubs and coaches to manage the development of their young goalkeepers to the point that they want to keep playing as they get older.  I've been continually shocked to watch club coaches completely mis-handle the coaching of GK's.  And some of these guys are very established, very respected coaches, successful coaches.  What I realized is that 99% of them are field player coaches.  The extent of their coaching for a GK is "Nice save!" or "You need to make that play!" And that's pretty much it.  I would reckon that the majority of GK parents (if you've watched your kid for more than 3 seasons) know more about the ins and outs of the position than the majority of club coaches.  My DD has had several coaches who are so hands off about the position, that when she asked them for guidance, they just defer to the club GK coach.  The club GK coach on the other hand, can teach all the technique drills in the world, but they will tell you that to integrate your keeper with the defense you need the head coach to do that, so they take a very hands-off approach to teaching tactics.  This disconnect means that keepers as a whole are woe-fully under taught, and coaches take the easy way out by recruiting the most athletic kid they can find to play keeper and rely on the kid's natural ability to bail them out.  Problem is, these kids generally play other sports, too.  Because they are super athletic.  

In short, because too many youth coaches/clubs/parents are concerned with winning games, and you can win youngers games with a big early-puberty monster in the net with no training, they invest their time in the areas where it makes a difference in the W/L column.  Developing a keeper from scratch is a long, long, slow process and not worth the investment in time for a coach who just needs to finish near the top of the table to keep his team together and not get canned by his DoC.  

That's my rant...

But to answer your question, yes.  We have too many teams at this point.  Unless youngers coaches and clubs will take a step back and re-work how they handle the position, this won't change.


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## Grace T. (Jul 26, 2018)

Mystery Train said:


> The biggest factor I see in creating a GK shortage is an inability of clubs and coaches to manage the development of their young goalkeepers to the point that they want to keep playing as they get older.  I've been continually shocked to watch club coaches completely mis-handle the coaching of GK's.  And some of these guys are very established, very respected coaches, successful coaches.  What I realized is that 99% of them are field player coaches.  The extent of their coaching for a GK is "Nice save!" or "You need to make that play!" And that's pretty much it.  I would reckon that the majority of GK parents (if you've watched your kid for more than 3 seasons) know more about the ins and outs of the position than the majority of club coaches.  My DD has had several coaches who are so hands off about the position, that when she asked them for guidance, they just defer to the club GK coach.  The club GK coach on the other hand, can teach all the technique drills in the world, but they will tell you that to integrate your keeper with the defense you need the head coach to do that, so they take a very hands-off approach to teaching tactics.  This disconnect means that keepers as a whole are woe-fully under taught, and coaches take the easy way out by recruiting the most athletic kid they can find to play keeper and rely on the kid's natural ability to bail them out.  Problem is, these kids generally play other sports, too.  Because they are super athletic.
> 
> .


This is soooo true.  But I also think it's a function that so many American (and British imports) also place such a high value on offense.  Even at some of the intermediate/higher level soccer camps my son attended this summer, a lot of the emphasis seems to be on offense.

But in any case, if anyone is looking for this type of training, just a reminder that Ian Feuer's last soccer camp of the summer is coming up August 6-9.  It's expensive, particularly when you only get 2 hours and change of training and only part of that is in goal, but this is exactly the kind of stuff his camp touches on....game like scenarios that coaches should be doing in practice with their GKs and defenders but don't usually.  At the last camp he covered day 1 shot stopping and back pass tactics, day 2 defending against corners and crosses, day 3 one v one and distribution, day 4 review.  It's my son's favorite of the camps my son attended and the one he says he learned the most from.


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (Jul 26, 2018)

timbuck said:


> Scdsl allows gks to play two games per day as long as it is the same or older age group.  Flights or tiers don’t matter.
> A gk could play 1/2 in goal and half on the field in the 1st game of the day. But must play in goal or sit the bench for the 2nd game. IE- no field play is allowed. Not sure how they track it unless someone complains. (Which is the same for other field players. Not really tracked until a complain and investigation)


Correct.  My daughter did this last year for a few games when the '03 goalie for the club's top team went down due to an injury.  It does still wear them out; I believe more mentally than physically.      It was a good experience and we are both glad she did it, but don't downplay the stress the kid will be under.  Good luck to you and your keeper.


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## timbuck (Jul 26, 2018)

Seems a club either has too many or not enough.  
2 local high schools. 
Incoming freshman girls at school A has 2 or 3 keepers.  
School b - a few miles away doesn’t have anyone with recent experience.


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## pewpew (Jul 26, 2018)

5 teams posting in this sub-forum alone are looking for a G03 goalkeeper...what does that tell you.


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## timbuck (Jul 26, 2018)

It’s grest to be able to find a 10 year old full time keeper. But somewhat rare. 
Up until maybe u13-  I think teams should have least 2 players splitting time.  If you have 2 that are willing/able- great.  
If you only have 1-  have her play 1/2 in goal and rotate a few others. 
That way you at least have some additional players that have at least tried it out and aren’t scared to death in the event they are needed.


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## Eagle33 (Jul 27, 2018)

The biggest drop out of keepers at older age group is HS sports. Once they get to HS, they discover sports that they never heard about and finding out that they are actually good at some of them. Many also getting older/smarter and start realizing that they will not be next Tim Howard or Hope Solo.


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## espola (Jul 27, 2018)

timbuck said:


> I've seen a lot of postings lately for teams looking for a goalkeeper.  Here and on social media.
> Sort of common to see this at the younger ages, since it's hard to find enough kids under the age of 10 to play GK full time.
> But I've noticed a trend of older teams desperately looking for a GK.  Injury and relocation seem to be the culprit.
> Or have we reached a point where there are too many teams and not enough GKs out there now?
> ...


My older son wanted to be a keeper from about age 8 or so.  He was never on a club team where he was the primary keeper, but he also good on the field, so his usual role was as a backup keeper, or alternating with the other keeper in two-game-a-day tournaments.  He got into 2 games with his high school team, coming in to relieve the Senior keeper when he was hurt or having a bad day, and two games at Gothia Cup when the team's starter arrived late because he was at a family event on Sunday.  

On the other hand, the younger son filled in at keeper in a practice scrimmage and broke his thumb.


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## mulliganmom (Aug 3, 2018)

Depends on the club and geographic area it seems. Also what age/grade you are in at school. There were 4 keepers in my DDs HS summer camp that were incoming freshman (03/04). My understanding is there are is on sophomore and one junior who are keepers. No seniors. That also speaks to aging out or leaving the sport as well. And, of course, this is just HS, but gives you an idea.


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## timbuck (May 21, 2019)

timbuck said:


> I've seen a lot of postings lately for teams looking for a goalkeeper.  Here and on social media.
> Sort of common to see this at the younger ages, since it's hard to find enough kids under the age of 10 to play GK full time.
> But I've noticed a trend of older teams desperately looking for a GK.  Injury and relocation seem to be the culprit.
> Or have we reached a point where there are too many teams and not enough GKs out there now?
> ...


Bumping this back up for the new year.  Is it ok to bump your own post?
Seems to be even more teams looking for goalkeepers now than last year.
Good luck!


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## socalkdg (May 21, 2019)

I’ve watched so many games the last couple months where coaches don’t let their keepers take goal kicks and never play back to the keeper.  Both boys and girls.  I’m pretty sure my daughter wouldn’t want to play keeper for many of these coaches.  

I also wonder how many of these boys and girls wanted to play keeper when they were younger and how many were put there because they were big and slow.  Or the parents and coaches that blame the keeper for goals and losses.  Maybe they just don’t want to play it anymore.


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## Grace T. (May 21, 2019)

socalkdg said:


> I also wonder how many of these boys and girls wanted to play keeper when they were younger and how many were put there because they were big and slow.  Or the parents and coaches that blame the keeper for goals and losses.  Maybe they just don’t want to play it anymore.


On the boys side this is definitely true.  At the younger ages (8, 9, 10) it's the bigger kids that tend to be put there (because they can block more of the goal, aren't afraid to dive in there for lose balls and can't keep up with the running on the field).  By 12, these keepers are beginning to get weeded out.  By high school, they simply don't have the athleticism required for the jumps, the power for the low dives, or the speed required for the footwork to keep up.  The superathletic boys (usually with a baseball cross over) also begin to leave the position because they know the keeper slot is a no win proposition (either you are bored or getting blamed for the loss usually) while on the field they can make an impact without so much of the pressure and stay in it throughout the game (instead of in drips and drabs).


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## Jake Theil (May 22, 2019)

I will add some perspective from our own experience. Son has played as a keeper since he was 9. His choice as we tried to keep him away from the position particularly early on. He has played in over 250 games never missing a game (iron man). He has played through injuries that include dislocated elbow, torn rib cartridge, countless strains, sprains and fractures to the hand and the craziness of growing pains. He never once complained or failed to put himself on the field to help the teams with whom he shared the pitch. Keeper training in large part is not available at the club level and that includes DA. Lining a kid up and doing pepper drills is not keeper training. 
Just watch the warm ups for the keeper at the start of a game and you will get an idea of whats what. So off the keepers going doing an additional day of training. All this amounts to this, it takes a special kind of person to line up between the sticks. The meek need not apply! If you find one that is smart enough and willing develop them. I wouldn't change his decision at 9 for anything today although is was fun seeing him play as striker before then. Applause for the keepers!


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## Grace T. (May 22, 2019)

Jake Theil said:


> The meek need not apply! If you find one that is smart enough and willing develop them.


Best GK line ever!!!  Of course the issue is that most coaches either don't know how or don't want to make the effort to develop them.  They are looking at the short term outcome of the season, not the long term player development. I think it was Howard that said the reason why the US is able to develop worldclass keepers is (despite all the problems at the youth soccer level) that we have a lot of players that come from other handling sports (basketball/baseball/football receivers).  But the issue is that the goalkeeper position has changed so much at the highest levels, and the ball is so light and moving so fast, that this advantage is going to disappear.


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## Mystery Train (May 22, 2019)

timbuck said:


> Bumping this back up for the new year.  Is it ok to bump your own post?
> Seems to be even more teams looking for goalkeepers now than last year.
> Good luck!


From what I understand, keeper shortages are a near constant in youth soccer, year in and year out and this has been the case ever since the explosion of club soccer in the early 2000's.  Probably even before that. 

From my observations (mostly from the girls side), it seems the biggest shortage is in the late youngers and early olders levels, between the ages of 11-15.  Not surprisingly, these are the ages with the biggest glut of competitive teams.  It's a numbers game.   Just a pure guess, but I think out of 50 randomly selected soccer-loving 10 year olds, you'll find less than 10 that like the idea of playing keeper full time.  Of that group, you'd be lucky to have  even 1 or at best 2 that are cut out both mentally and physically for the job at 10 or 11 years old.   That means that there's going to be a lot of young keepers who are either being forced to play the position out of necessity, or who aren't given the opportunities or support and training needed to develop (because they are late bloomers or "small" or not great natural athletes).  So as those kids get older, they leave the sport altogether because who wants all that abuse with so little reward?!  

As the kids get older and the participation numbers drop across all players, the older teams (U17-19) that are lower level end up folding or disintegrating, meaning that those keepers who stick with it end up playing for higher level teams eventually and the number of teams looking for keepers drops because there are simply fewer of them competing at all by junior year in HS.  

The other thing I noticed was "The Solo Effect."  For a few years when my kid was just starting in club soccer, Hope Solo was a legitimate celebrity and there seemed to be way more girls willing to get in the cage than before.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect that she made the position seem more glamorous and some of the better athletes that in eras past would have played in the field early on actually ended up playing keeper.  Maybe Tim Howard's heroics in the World Cup in Brazil could have had a similar effect across both genders, but he never had the high profile public image and endorsements that Solo had.   Nothing against Ashlyn Harris or Alyssa Naeher, who are probably far better citizens than Hope Solo, but neither one of them are creating any magnetism towards being a GK.  Even on the male side, there's only one or two keepers at any given moment who have the magnetism to inspire youth players to look at the GK position with any glamour (Neuer being the only present one that really comes to mind).


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## Mystery Train (May 22, 2019)

Sorry... I realized I just repeated almost the exact same response I gave last year when you posted this thread.  lol


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## Grace T. (May 22, 2019)

Mystery Train said:


> Even on the male side, there's only one or two keepers at any given moment who have the magnetism to inspire youth players to look at the GK position with any glamour (Neuer being the only present one that really comes to mind).


Neuer is on the outs right now...same like De Gea.  There have been so many high profile fails in recent months that it's hard to see who's actually on top....maybe Becker or Ederson?

The Americans have not been doing well overseas recently.  Horvath?  There's arguments over whether it's just a drought or whether soccer is passing the American advantage in goalkeeping by (given we should be in the window of keepers inspired by Howard, I think there's a strong argument for the latter).

The SoCal boys seem to be a pyramid with lots eager to start but gradually winnowing up.


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## socalkdg (May 22, 2019)

Mystery Train said:


> Sorry... I realized I just repeated almost the exact same response I gave last year when you posted this thread.  lol


Impressive on your consistency.


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## Mystery Train (May 22, 2019)

socalkdg said:


> Impressive on your consistency.


My wife would say "broken record."  Next time I'll tell her I'm impressively consistent!


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## VillageKeeper (May 22, 2019)

Mystery Train said:


> I've watched the ebb and flow of youth keeper populations over the past 5-6 years, and noticed a few trends (mostly in the girls side, but may apply to boys as well).
> 
> Just looking at the whole youth player population, there's definitely a drop off in full-time participation right about U15.  Because keepers are already smaller population, that drop off is even more noticeable.  For example, if a club fields 2 teams at an age group with 32 players (16 players each including one GK each) but the next year 6 kids drop out of soccer, you could still field two teams of 13 each, but if one of those 6 players was a keeper, the second team is screwed.  That creates the first shortage.
> 
> ...


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## SoccerMama45 (May 25, 2019)

My son is the primary Goalkeeper and has played 3 years in club. He is very good for his age and is extremely athletic ( plays multiple sports). He made the top tier team. Problem is Coach picked players that are fast for offense but most can’t defend. For the top flight, you expect more. After several games and tournaments, Coach still has not fixed the issue in the back. Any advice? It’s frustrating as a parent and you don’t want your kid to get frustrated. We have offers from other clubs. Please any advice or suggestions?


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (May 25, 2019)

SoccerMama45 said:


> My son is the primary Goalkeeper and has played 3 years in club. He is very good for his age and is extremely athletic ( plays multiple sports). He made the top tier team. Problem is Coach picked players that are fast for offense but most can’t defend. For the top flight, you expect more. After several games and tournaments, Coach still has not fixed the issue in the back. Any advice? It’s frustrating as a parent and you don’t want your kid to get frustrated. We have offers from other clubs. Please any advice or suggestions?


Not sure of your sons age, but the ability to deal with adversity will not hurt in the long run for a keeper.  Also, playing on a team that can't defend will allow him to see more shots, work on angles and will help develop his control with the defense as long as he isn't getting blamed for goals and losses.  If he is frustrated that is one issue, but if you are frustrated, then I would recommend you let him keep playing and see how the season pans out. Lots of time to develop and eventually  it is their choice.  Good luck.


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## espola (May 25, 2019)

MyDaughtersAKeeper said:


> Not sure of your sons age, but the ability to deal with diversity will not hurt in the long run for a keeper.  Also, playing on a team that can't defend will allow him to see more shots, work on angles and will help develop his control with the defense as long as he isn't getting blamed for goals and losses.  If he is frustrated that is one issue, but if you are frustrated, then I would recommend you let him keep playing and see how the season pans out. Lots of time to develop and eventually  it is their choice.  Good luck.


Diversity?  Adversity?


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## SoccerMama45 (May 25, 2019)

MyDaughtersAKeeper said:


> Not sure of your sons age, but the ability to deal with diversity will not hurt in the long run for a keeper.  Also, playing on a team that can't defend will allow him to see more shots, work on angles and will help develop his control with the defense as long as he isn't getting blamed for goals and losses.  If he is frustrated that is one issue, but if you are frustrated, then I would recommend you let him keep playing and see how the season pans out. Lots of time to develop and eventually  it is their choice.  Good luck.


Thanks so much. He is under 10. So just worried he will get frustrated at his age. But I do see the benefit of that. That is what another Coach advised. But frustrating when we are playing tougher teams. Also frustrating because some players are missing games and practices due to other commitments. So their commitment is not there. Not fair to other players that show up.


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## Grace T. (May 25, 2019)

SoccerMama45 said:


> Thanks so much. He is under 10. So just worried he will get frustrated at his age. But I do see the benefit of that. That is what another Coach advised. But frustrating when we are playing tougher teams. Also frustrating because some players are missing games and practices due to other commitments. So their commitment is not there. Not fair to other players that show up.


 The thing I'm realizing about the keeper slot is that the most important factor (there are others...speed, strength, technical ability, height...but the most important) is picking yourself up and dealing with adversity.  It's always something and there's always some issue.  If anything, it's better at age 10 for the defense to be bad so that he gets practice instead of the team being good so he's picking grass and not developing.  The wins are meaningless, and if losing a lot is going to break him, then maybe that's a concern because the most important thing he needs to develop as a keeper is mental toughness.  My son's puny little bronze team was put up against a rising gold team in spring league....almost 30 shots on goal...let 9 in...his best game ever and probably the game he learned the most from...got a round of applause from the opposite team's parents at the end of it.

He's 10 and he played 3 years in club?..so he started club when he was 7?  For most of the players isn't this their introductory year?  It doesn't help, of course, if the coach picked athletes instead of soccer players, but some do on the understanding it may take a while to build them into soccer players but they start from a really great place athletically....it will take time.


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## SoccerMama45 (May 25, 2019)

Grace T. said:


> The thing I'm realizing about the keeper slot is that the most important factor (there are others...speed, strength, technical ability, height...but the most important) is picking yourself up and dealing with adversity.  It's always something and there's always some issue.  If anything, it's better at age 10 for the defense to be bad so that he gets practice instead of the team being good so he's picking grass and not developing.  The wins are meaningless, and if losing a lot is going to break him, then maybe that's a concern because the most important thing he needs to develop as a keeper is mental toughness.  My son's puny little bronze team was put up against a rising gold team in spring league....almost 30 shots on goal...let 9 in...his best game ever and probably the game he learned the most from...got a round of applause from the opposite team's parents at the end of it.
> 
> He's 10 and he played 3 years in club?..so he started club when he was 7?  For most of the players isn't this their introductory year?  It doesn't help, of course, if the coach picked athletes instead of soccer players, but some do on the understanding it may take a while to build them into soccer players but they start from a really great place athletically....it will take time.


Thanks for your advice. It’s nice to hear from other goalie parents. I don’t think other parents get it. My son is mentally tough but he is also competitive.


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## timbuck (May 25, 2019)

If you hear of other parents giving a hard time about your gk-  just say “I know. We want him on a team with a weak defense so he could get lots of action.”


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## SoccerMama45 (May 25, 2019)

thanks for that!!!


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## pewpew (May 26, 2019)

timbuck said:


> If you hear of other parents giving a hard time about your gk-  just say “I know. We want him on a team with a weak defense so he could get lots of action.”


And add "plus a team that has trouble scoring so it'll make him work harder to keep a clean sheet to keep things level..if we can't score..we won't let them score either!"  Then you can tell the defender parents and the attacking parents they can all go pound sand!!


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## Grace T. (May 26, 2019)

I reffed a U10 boys game this weekend and our team camped by the U10 field Saturday to tailgate so watched quite a bit of games.  All the U10 boys had one of two types of goalkeepers (except 1 team): the real strong athletic kids rotating through the slot, or the big boys that couldn't run in the slot.   The vast majority of those boys won't be keeping 3 years down the line....the strong athletic kids have other options and will sour on the position because unless the ball is loose or kicked right to them they can't really do anything to stop it....the big kids lack the speed to be effective in the goalkeeper slot and won't have the speed to play the field...the 1 exception was a boy who clearly loved it and was learning the technique.

My son's first club team was impatient with his development and blamed him for the mediocre season, so they "upgraded" during tryouts and reduced him to the backup keeper but when he showed up the starter at a tournie forced him out.  We faced them at a tournie this weekend now 2 years later.  That starter had walked away for other opportunities (the grapevine said the kid was unhappy at the way he was treated too) and they didn't have a backup.  They threw some poor kid in there for the tournie against my son's mediocre bronze team.  Should have been two zip in their favor (they are a silver team) but the keeper dropped a couple balls and we walked away with a tie.  My son was so happy because the loss of a keeper really cost them (and in the semifinal game as well where 2 other kids were rotated in the slot).  Even better was the former assistant coach for his second year club team was now the assistant coach for this weaker team and my son got to hold his own against them and show what he could do.  I can testify sometimes keeper karma happens!!!


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## San Diego (May 27, 2019)

timbuck said:


> I've seen a lot of postings lately for teams looking for a goalkeeper.  Here and on social media.
> Sort of common to see this at the younger ages, since it's hard to find enough kids under the age of 10 to play GK full time.
> But I've noticed a trend of older teams desperately looking for a GK.  Injury and relocation seem to be the culprit.
> Or have we reached a point where there are too many teams and not enough GKs out there now?
> ...


What ever happened to that GK from Surf? She was originally committed to Washington State, then landed at USC as a walk-on, now she's no longer there. Rough go of things...


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## Eagle33 (May 28, 2019)

SoccerMama45 said:


> My son is the primary Goalkeeper and has played 3 years in club. He is very good for his age and is extremely athletic ( plays multiple sports). He made the top tier team. Problem is Coach picked players that are fast for offense but most can’t defend. For the top flight, you expect more. After several games and tournaments, Coach still has not fixed the issue in the back. Any advice? It’s frustrating as a parent and you don’t want your kid to get frustrated. We have offers from other clubs. Please any advice or suggestions?


There is nothing wrong with having a lot of action for a goalkeeper, specially at the younger age. All you need is to get a good goalkeeper trainer who is not only will work with him on shot stopping but also on his footwork as well.


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## SoccerMama45 (May 28, 2019)

Eagle33 said:


> There is nothing wrong with having a lot of action for a goalkeeper, specially at the younger age. All you need is to get a good goalkeeper trainer who is not only will work with him on shot stopping but also on his footwork as well.


I agree. He does have a great trainer. Just frustrating at times.


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## multisportson (May 29, 2019)

SoccerMama45 said:


> I agree. He does have a great trainer. Just frustrating at times.


Last season, my kid's team lost every single game.  Many by HUGE margins.  Yes, he saw a lot of action, but it was also really, really frustrating for him.


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## Keepersdad (May 29, 2019)

Maybe kids that play goalie, and their parents, get tired of being blamed for losses and goals  by ignorant parents.


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (May 29, 2019)

multisportson said:


> Last season, my kid's team lost every single game.  Many by HUGE margins.  Yes, he saw a lot of action, but it was also really, really frustrating for him.


Getting your teeth kicked in every game is not fun and will take it's toll, that is not good for anyone.  Having a goalie on a team that is close to the appropriate level and is working on improving and not leaving the goalie exposed and beaten up is not a bad thing.


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (May 29, 2019)

Keepersdad said:


> Maybe kids that play goalie, and their parents, get tired of being blamed for losses and goals  by ignorant parents.


Nothing worse than parents that blame the keeper for every loss.  For my DD's journey, the higher the level the team she played for, the more understanding of soccer (and goalies) and supportive the parents have been.


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## multisportson (May 29, 2019)

MyDaughtersAKeeper said:


> Getting your teeth kicked in every game is not fun and will take it's toll, that is not good for anyone.  Having a goalie on a team that is close to the appropriate level and is working on improving and not leaving the goalie exposed and beaten up is not a bad thing.


I am hopeful that this season will be better.  I know that they say that losing is valuable experience, but I think my son has now had PLENTY of experience in being peppered with shots and having his team spend nearly the entire game in our zone.  Thankfully, the rest of the team was very supportive of my keeper.  With a less supportive coach, team, and parents, I can see where many keepers would quit.


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## Keepermom2 (Jun 1, 2019)

SoccerMama45 said:


> I agree. He does have a great trainer. Just frustrating at times.


Just recently I found myself frustrated because my daughter is now on a really good team so she doesn't get as much action.  My daughter is 12 so I have always looked for teams in the mid range so she could get lots of experience both technically and emotionally...the ability to recover emotionally after a missed ball is invaluable later on.


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## Grace T. (Jun 4, 2019)

Keepermom2 said:


> Just recently I found myself frustrated because my daughter is now on a really good team so she doesn't get as much action.  My daughter is 12 so I have always looked for teams in the mid range so she could get lots of experience both technically and emotionally...the ability to recover emotionally after a missed ball is invaluable later on.


That was my son's experience last year, but the issue was when they advanced in League and State Cup, they weren't ready as a result because the last defensive line and he hadn't been thrown against that experience.  It's why finding the right slot is so hard: you want a team that really believes in possession (and does so even when under pressure), a coach that knows the role (or at least won't actively undermine their training), a coach that can empathize with the role and understand it and isn't a screamer, either only one GK or two keepers that can work together, great GK training (preferably with someone on staff instead of just contracting), parents that are supportive of the keeper (or at a minimum not total jerks) and a team that isn't too good or too bad for the bracket (knowing that might change the following year).   You need the unicorn.

The other thing that's misunderstood is the expectation for the goalkeeper coverage of the goal.  The NSCAA training materials have some charts showing what a goalkeeper should be expected to cover (with just their body for the very ULittle to the entire goal for high school keepers).  But it's also a function of the size of the goal, the level of play and the level of training a particular goalkeeper has.  Watching the U10s over the weekend, it's clear that the expectation for beginners really should be just catching the bouncing hail marys, covering shots directly placed at them, and jumping on the loose balls.  Even beyond that, it's unfair to compare a U12 keeper that's just coming out of AYSO to a keeper that's been dive training for over a year....unless the AYSO keeper has received special training he's unlikely to execute a dive properly (which many coaches believe just involves falling on your side...given the speed of the ball, until the keeper has mastered the technique and gotten it into muscle memory, almost any fast shot or near shot is going to sneak under the keeper).


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## Keepermom2 (Jun 5, 2019)

Grace T. said:


> It's why finding the right slot is so hard: you want a team that really believes in possession (and does so even when under pressure), a coach that knows the role (or at least won't actively undermine their training), a coach that can empathize with the role and understand it and isn't a screamer, either only one GK or two keepers that can work together, great GK training (preferably with someone on staff instead of just contracting), parents that are supportive of the keeper (or at a minimum not total jerks) and a team that isn't too good or too bad for the bracket (knowing that might change the following year).   You need the unicorn.


I have spent the last 3 years my daughter has been in club (yes club hopping which if I didn't do, she wouldn't have come as far as she has) trying to figure out what was reasonable expectations considering the reality of it, and what was important to keep my daughter loving it as much as she does.  We worked on what was a priority to us and started looking for a team for 19/20 season.  We had only hoped for 50% of what you mentioned above and were surprised to get it all and more.  Because of our experience, we appreciate it soooooooo much and know how wonderful it is.  We have a coach that recognizes that this newly formed team is a great team and keeps looking to increase our competition one step at a time.  If you are winning every game, you are not being challenged and you are diminishing the learning aspect.  Our coach recognizes that.  We have great Keeper training with a passionate trainer too that the Club actually pays him so he won't leave half way through the season like happened at our last club.  My point.....the unicorns are out there.


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## hughvh (Jun 11, 2019)

My son is not a keeper, although has played when he needs to.  It seems that this is a position we should be putting our most athletic kids.  My Sons 08 team is looking for a keeper, they play top level, and we seem to be looking for an athletic kid we can train.  I think the best keepers will come from other sports where they prove to be good with their hands.


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (Jun 12, 2019)

hughvh said:


> My son is not a keeper, although has played when he needs to.  It seems that this is a position we should be putting our most athletic kids.  My Sons 08 team is looking for a keeper, they play top level, and we seem to be looking for an athletic kid we can train.  I think the best keepers will come from other sports where they prove to be good with their hands.


My DD growing up was not the most athletic kid and did not play other sports (although she likes to say she plays 3 sports: soccer, arena soccer and futsal) but has worked her tail off to get better.  At her end of year team party this weekend they were throwing around the football and I was surprised that she could fling the ball around and catch as well as some of the multi-sport athletes on the team. Point being, with hard work even the kids that didn't start off great can still come along.  And I encourage you not to downplay the mental part of the position; it is my firm belief that the mental aspect is the true difference between good and great keepers.


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## pewpew (Jun 12, 2019)

The most athletic kid on your team will most likely NOT be the best choice for GK. Athleticism will not make up for intelligence. If a GK isn't smart enough to know where they should be position-wise, distributing, catching, etc. etc. then they will get burned repeatedly. Their athletic talent will only carry them so far. And as stated above, mental toughness AND physical toughness are a pre-requisite. Mentally tough to handle the highs and lows. Physically tough to handle getting trampled on..hands stepped on..kicked in the face..slammed into by multiple players. 
My G03 knows she's not the most athletic one out there. But her mental toughness and physical toughness is beyond reproach. One team she played on years ago..the coach told the girls to go out and run until they were spent. They all went out sprinting for about 1.5 miles and then dropped. While they were resting and he was talking to them he realized she wasn't there. She was still out running a decent pace working past her 10th lap when he told her to stop. She asked him why he wanted her to stop..she said she wasn't done yet. She's a diesel not a Ferrari. 
Earlier this year she trained for over a week on a broken ankle. Didn't know it was broken. She just thought it was from a nagging ankle sprain from last year and just chalked it up to growing pains and the healing process dragging on. The day she came home from school saying "it hurts a bit" it was swollen HUGE!!  I asked how long it's been like this and she said about a week. She just kept icing/Motrin and pushing thru. 
And that my friends is what sets GKs apart. Some parents can say their kid is tough..GK parents have real proof. My .02


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## Grace T. (Jun 12, 2019)

pewpew said:


> The most athletic kid on your team will most likely NOT be the best choice for GK. Athleticism will not make up for intelligence. If a GK isn't smart enough to know where they should be position-wise, distributing, catching, etc. etc. then they will get burned repeatedly. Their athletic talent will only carry them so far. And as stated above, mental toughness AND physical toughness are a pre-requisite. Mentally tough to handle the highs and lows. Physically tough to handle getting trampled on..hands stepped on..kicked in the face..slammed into by multiple players.
> My G03 knows she's not the most athletic one out there. But her mental toughness and physical toughness is beyond reproach. One team she played on years ago..the coach told the girls to go out and run until they were spent. They all went out sprinting for about 1.5 miles and then dropped. While they were resting and he was talking to them he realized she wasn't there. She was still out running a decent pace working past her 10th lap when he told her to stop. She asked him why he wanted her to stop..she said she wasn't done yet. She's a diesel not a Ferrari.
> Earlier this year she trained for over a week on a broken ankle. Didn't know it was broken. She just thought it was from a nagging ankle sprain from last year and just chalked it up to growing pains and the healing process dragging on. The day she came home from school saying "it hurts a bit" it was swollen HUGE!!  I asked how long it's been like this and she said about a week. She just kept icing/Motrin and pushing thru.
> And that my friends is what sets GKs apart. Some parents can say their kid is tough..GK parents have real proof. My .02


Pewpew absolutely hits the nail on the head.  The reality is the super athletic kids can make an impact at other parts of the field, and without the aggravation.  The superathletic kid might also want the glory of another position.   Goalkeepers are the drummers of the team....tireless keeping the beat but at times unrecognized and behind away from the lights.  Rationally, most kids, unless they have the weird GK vibe, will gravitate to other positions if forced into the GK role.  Even for those on a dominant team, the moment of reckoning eventually arrives somewhere in League or State cup, if not before against a more dominant opponent during league play.

Catching is a good foundation for a goalkeeper (particularly from baseball) and can serve a goalkeeper well especially early on (years 12 and under) when many balls are hail marys lofted high.  It's one of the reasons why for the longest time the US produced world class keepers capable of playing in Europe.  But the game has changed...those lofty balls change to corner shots and low driven shots at most levels around age 12.  And the ball has become so light that catching those placed shots is really hard.  Don't get me wrong...a goalkeeper that has an excellent catch is starting from a position of strength and if you train with Ian Feuer, for example, for the first few months pretty much the only thing you will be doing is catching.  BUT, it's not enough anymore...the training the keepers have to do to get for example the low dive correct and into muscle memory is repetitive and incessant.  To be successful, a goalkeeper must train these skills over and over again, and many of the skills don't have a corresponding skill in another sport.

Goalkeeping around the world is changing very rapidly.  The days of player going from another sport and just being able to do it and catch up with the training are rapidly ending, if anything because the foot skills have become so important too.  In the other forum, we were talking about the U20 US-France game....all 5 goals there were conceded in part by really basic GK errors on both sides and in a few years time that won't be tolerated.  To see why, you only need to look at the hapless Thai keeper in the WWC against the US, and compare her to the properly trained American-born keeper that kept Jamaica competitive.


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