Demand for Goalkeepers?

Someone told me once that as my DD ages......Goalkeepers are hard to find.  Is there any truth to this?

1.  Do GK'er spots come open often enough on other teams?
2.  What age group do they start becoming in demand?

I get that there a 1 of a kind on the team....but its 1 position to try out for as opposed to a forward that can play midfield/defense aswell.  It would appear that there would be more competition for making 1 spot, than the other trying to make it with 10spots?????

And as teams collapses, wouldn't it make competition tougher??????

Usually at the older age groups teams tend to start carrying two goalkeepers (although I know of some younger teams that do also). So some could be a result of top keepers moving to team and team carrying two. Others could be same as regular some walk away from the sport, injuries become an issue (i know a few who hung up gloves because they kept getting injured), goalkeepers deciding they want to play field. There are many reasons why there could be more teams then there are good goalkeepers. College exposure comes into play well can certain clubs get goalkeepers offers from higher level colleges D1, D2, etc. I think at any age starting with u11 goalkeepers are in demand. They can make a significant difference I think especially in younger age groups. They make a difference at higher level as well but I think its even more key at younger age groups. There always seems to be goalkeeper spots open somewhere from upper level teams to lower.

I think that The very good GK are hard to find. IMHO, there are just not enough young ladies being steered in the Goal Keeping Direction. If a coach has a choice with a very talented young athlete, who is smart and fast, they usually will steer that young athlete to striker or to a wing player to benefit there team. Honestly there is little to no interest from the big 5 club soccer organizations to Develop top level young academy GK's. I for one don't understand this mentality but it has created a shortage of young academy GK's that are ready for the select age group. For instance, look at the 04 age group that is about to qualify this summer. I have seen the top GK's in this age group and could count on one hand how many I wouldn't want to replace with a better one if the opportunity presented it's self. There has been little to no development for these young ladies. The ones that I wouldn't replace have gone outside the their respective club for extra training to develop. I had a chance to watch a young GK that plays on one of the top five teams here in NTX play and train with my daughter at a recent camp and game and when I realized who she played for I was shocked. It's not that the young lady has no talent, it's that she clearly is lacking in development. I think a lot of coaches just look at the talent in the younger age groups and think, oh I can convert Suzy to GK right before select and be okay. That mentality has worked before and Big clubs have had success with that. I believe our whole mentality needs to change on Goal keeping. A team with a great GK is a well rounded
Team. Great Goal keeping changes the way a game is played. To answer the question yes there is a big shortage of GK's out there, especially really good ones.
I think they start coming into demand at the u8-u9 age and the shortage gets even bigger as they get older.

I don't blame the clubs, i blame the leagues and the size of the goals they use. You put a u7 in goal for there first game and they concede 5 or 6 goals there goes the excitement of it plus there parents are already saying no way is my son or daughter playing gk again. If you put a u7 goalkeeper in a small goal and they make 5 or 6 saves and parents are cheering and clapping there is the excitement and now the other parents are saying when does my son or daughter get ago at being goalkeeper.
I am currently the goalkeeper coach at the moment at Andromeda and i have u7 & u8 boys and girls turning up every week because i make it fun.
Plus to many teams are playing full time keepers at such a young age. Every team should have at least two players that want to play goalkeeper and two more who know how to play goalkeeper.

Keeper is a hard position for 2 reasons. 1-it is more pressure because you are expected to stop all of the goals, even if your defense totally screws up, the Keeper gets the blame for the points and 2 it is a lot of timing and reaction skills. My DD is U9 and she has played Keeper for 2 or 3 years now. I totally agree with the lack of development towards Goal Keeping. It isn't as easy as my DD makes it look. HAA HAA  

I should say that there seems to be plenty of Goal Keeping skills training in Carrollton/ Grapevine/ Frisco area just not anywhere close to us in Rowlett, Garland Mesquite.

AKeepersMomma wrote:I should say that there seems to be plenty of Goal Keeping skills training in Carrollton/ Grapevine/ Frisco area just not anywhere close to us in Rowlett, Garland Mesquite.

That is questionable at best about the GK training at least in Frisco. My dd has been a full time keeper for 5yrs now. We live in the Frisco area and while we do have a wonderful GK coach here in Frisco he is not part of the club my dd plays for (Sting). We have to pay out of pocket for his training which we gladly do because he is very valueable to my dd and her success. If we want team training then we have to drive all the way to Richardson to the Sting complex to receive training.

We are lucky because dd coach does train her too during team practice. She has learned a lot of valueable skills (GK and defensive) from her club coach. That is not the norm by any means as her past coaches just put her in the goal box and didn't do anything with her during team training. It's a shame the lack of training coaches give to GK as it is a specialized position.

From my experience with my DD who is a GK, it's been hard finding elite level training for her. After coaching her myself for two years and trying to find her a great GK coach for about half that time, I finally stumbled upon a coach for her that trains the young ones at a high level. I just think the clubs should make it easier to have access to the GK coaches that train older girls within the club. I also think that there are young ladies out there that aren't ready for that type of training. Hopefully the clubs will change their stance on this issue soon!

I also agree that in some leagues the goal is too big for academy play. I know at CFBAL where my dd plays, the goals are quite a bit smaller then regulation size. Cox has the perfect size goals for u8-u10. My DD is average height for her age and can get to most high balls there. I think it is very important for young keeper to build confidence in playing the position. However it does take a more aggressive Mentality to play the position. The young ones can't play scared. If they do it just makes it easier on forwards to finish. I know my DD loves playing keeper because she loves to talk and be a leader, which is I think one of the most important qualities in a young academy keeper. Maybe NTSSA should mandate a certain size goal for academy play, this would help with that issue. Last thing we should want for young keepers is to run them out there just to give up 9-10 goals and destroy there confidence.

AKeepersMomma wrote:Keeper is a hard position for 2 reasons.  1-it is more pressure because you are expected to stop all of the goals, even if your defense totally screws up, the Keeper gets the blame for the points and 2 it is a lot of timing and reaction skills. My DD is U9 and she has played Keeper for 2 or 3 years now.  I totally agree with the lack of development towards Goal Keeping. It isn't as easy as my DD makes it look.  HAA HAA  

If your DD is getting blamed for giving up goals by either the players, coach, or parents you need to find a new team.

db10 wrote:

AKeepersMomma wrote:Keeper is a hard position for 2 reasons.  1-it is more pressure because you are expected to stop all of the goals, even if your defense totally screws up, the Keeper gets the blame for the points and 2 it is a lot of timing and reaction skills. My DD is U9 and she has played Keeper for 2 or 3 years now.  I totally agree with the lack of development towards Goal Keeping. It isn't as easy as my DD makes it look.  HAA HAA  

If your DD is getting blamed for giving up goals by either the players, coach, or parents you need to find a new team.

No, it is not like anyone calls her out. We have a GREAT Coach that would shut that down in a heartbeat, but my DD feels it. The crowd cheers or groans loudest when the ball is lost or saved at the goal. All eyes on you and the ball...that is some heavy pressure sometimes.

AKeepersMomma wrote:

db10 wrote:

AKeepersMomma wrote:Keeper is a hard position for 2 reasons.  1-it is more pressure because you are expected to stop all of the goals, even if your defense totally screws up, the Keeper gets the blame for the points and 2 it is a lot of timing and reaction skills. My DD is U9 and she has played Keeper for 2 or 3 years now.  I totally agree with the lack of development towards Goal Keeping. It isn't as easy as my DD makes it look.  HAA HAA  

If your DD is getting blamed for giving up goals by either the players, coach, or parents you need to find a new team.

No, it is not like anyone calls her out. We have a GREAT Coach that would shut that down in a heartbeat, but my DD feels it. The crowd cheers or groans loudest when the ball is lost or saved at the goal.   All eyes on you and the ball...that is some heavy pressure sometimes.

Of course she does. That's what makes it the toughest position on the field. She may sit for an hour not touching the ball. Then her D blows a coverage and she's on a one on one situation and given the fact the goal is 32x the size of her it's stacked against her. It's the strong ones that shrug it off whether they make the save or not. That's what you congratulate her for....the courage to get out there and do it all again. Tell her not to worry if her CM on completed 30% of her passes or her CF only coverts 10% of her chances it will all work out in the end.

AKeepersMomma wrote:Keeper is a hard position for 2 reasons.  1-it is more pressure because you are expected to stop all of the goals, even if your defense totally screws up, the Keeper gets the blame for the points and 2 it is a lot of timing and reaction skills. My DD is U9 and she has played Keeper for 2 or 3 years now.  I totally agree with the lack of development towards Goal Keeping. It isn't as easy as my DD makes it look.  HAA HAA  

I like your style!

My DD played on a team where she was blamed for ALL losses with the majority of those losses being no goals scored on our side. Kindof hard to figure out how to win when you don't score goals. Off that team and no longer crying after games from comments of players and parents. On a great team now -- wins and losses are all on the team not on a player. What a nightmare that year was. Keeper is very hard and takes a certain love for the game and dedication. There are some great keeper training opportunities out there--mostly not with big clubs but outside trainers. If she loves find a good one that can connect with her. Good luck to her. My DD loves the game now. What a difference the coach makes!

Unfortunately when it comes to gk trainers the old saying is true "You get what you pay for". Alot of people can train a goalkeeper but not many can coach a goalkeeper. With the academy age keepers, to get good coaching you really have to go out on your own and that's a shame. What I've noticed at the U10 age(my DD's age) the factor that starts seperating average/good keepers from great keepers is the fear factor. You can't teach em to be fearless, they either have or they don't.

If my DD played GK and I wanted to get her the best training, I would watch other GK play in games. If I saw one who demonstrated good technique and appeared to be knowledgeable at the position I would ask either the coach or her parents where she trained.

I would probably even ask the coach if there were another team of the same age group within the club. If that team is not a strong team it would be better to get a lot of repetitions and some strong coaching then no reps and poor coaching.

I'm sure I'll get blasted again but honestly at the academy level you want your DD playing on the field if she can because it will honestly make her a better GK as she gets older. Those are the words I've been told by countless former GK's who aren't trying to make a living by giving lessons. Now if she absolutely doesn't want to play in the field and truly has a passion for playing GK (the fearless gene that was mentioned earlier helps) then by all means keep her at GK, there's nothing wrong with it. The point of academy soccer is to have fun and play a game you enjoy. If it were me though I'd make sure I had her involved in something like Futsal which will encourage her to be part of the action with her feet as well as her hands. Eventaully she will be asked to have balls played back to her and will need to be as comfortable with the ball at her feet as in her hands. However I promise you, IF she has what it takes mentally to be a GK then physically she can figure it out once she matures after academy.

I think part of the reason clubs don't put too much effort into academy keeper training is they realize that until the DD's mature it's way to hard to figure out who will be a good keeper or not. However if they pour their efforts into making as technically sound soccer players as they can, after the DD's mature you can start seeing who will make a quality keeper.

Keeper is by far the most pressure packed position on the field. If a keeper makes a mistake there is no one there generally to bail them out. My heart goes out to every keeper and their parent.

There's always a demand for a good keeper but there are not that many of them that have the killer insticts and the athletic ability. Quite a few will have one of the traits but not both. It's a hard position to fill.

I agree with GTS. Get you DD keeper on the field and the earlier the better. If she can think like a foward and know how to position defenders because she's played it, then they are on their way to being a much better keeper than if keeper was all she did.

Another key IMO is doing some other sports as well. Basketball, volleyball, track, thumb wrestling anything to make them a well rounded athlete.

Looking toward college most coaches prefer 5'10"+ in goal. SMU lists their goalies at 5'11, 5'11, TCU 5'9,5'11, 5'6. Fla State 5'10, 5'11. So if dd is going to be under 5'7 college interest will be slim. And If your dd has skills to play in the field on a top 5 team right now there is no way you put her in the goal. If your plan is to develop her into a top level goalie, and she's going to be 5'10, let her take club/private goalie skills 2 times a week, and play in the field until u14. Colleges will love her.

somebody better tell UNC they are doing it wrong. Their tallest keeper is 5-8. the other 2 are 5-7.

everyone's at least an inch taller on the roster.

Cleansheets wrote:Unfortunately when it comes to gk trainers the old saying is true "You get what you pay for". Alot of people can train a goalkeeper but not many can coach a goalkeeper. With the academy age keepers, to get good coaching you really have to go out on your own and that's a shame. What I've noticed at the U10 age(my DD's age) the factor that starts seperating average/good keepers from great keepers is the fear factor. You can't teach em to be fearless, they either have or they don't.

Yes, I totally agree. Basic drills help with confidence but you can't just stick the girl in goal and have the team shoot on her. That is only part of it.

And UCLA has a 6'0, 5'11, Notre Dame 5'9, 5'10, 6'0, and 5'8. Starting goalie at UT 5'9. Baylor 5'10, 5'10. Then its 5'9, 5'10, 6'1 at UNT. So If your dd isn't going to be 5'8+ you may want to keep her out of the goal no matter what the team says they need, or how much the coach tells you that she is a natural at the position. When it comes to college the tall kids will get the money. If it's not about college soccer for your dd then no problem.

I don't understand the mentality of get your keeper on the field, at some point they will want the keeper to be able to handle the ball with their feet. That's definitely a plus at the academy level but what's easier to learn? Diving the right way or trapping a ball and using an outside move to pass the ball. I would rather my DD learn to dive the right way, catch a high ball, or learn keeper strategies/angles. This is what I believe is the problem with our academy system and a mantality like this is what is preventing the big clubs from offering elite training to our young ones that want to play keeper. The field positions are glorified & playing keeper is villianized. We should be letting our young athletes have fun, and if they think diving around trying to save goals is better than scoring goals than let them have at it. My DD plays for a coach that teaches the defenders to look at the keeper and use her, but why would they need to play on the field to learn that? My DD listens to what her coach tells all the field players what to do and where to be. She can line them up in any situation. Because she listens & Learns. I tell her all the time soccer whether you play Striker or GK is 50% physical & 50% mental. I think elite GK training for young academy Keepers is a must. Unfortunately for now you will have to go outside the club to get it. It's worth every penny if you can afford it.

On the height issue, I think it's way over rated! I've seen the shorter GK's easily out play a tall GK. Unfortunately GK's are stereo typed big time. The prototype keeper is 6' tall and a great athlete. This is great in a perfect world. Just look at our national Keeper is 5'9" tall and doesn't appear to be a great athlete from far away, but she makes saves and plays really smart! She had some really great training at GK but was forced to play forward her whole youth, until College when they needed a GK. Just because a girl is short when they are 8-10 years old doesn't mean they should give up their Dreams does it? My DD is Average Height for her age and will probably be in the 5'9" to 5'10" height range but even without that I would still encourage her to play GK as long as that's what she wants. I see all to often coaches take the biggest girl who is to slow to play on the field And throw them in the goal, that's wrong IMHO.

Amen to that!

DrSoccer wrote:And UCLA has a 6'0, 5'11, Notre Dame 5'9, 5'10, 6'0, and 5'8. Starting goalie at UT 5'9. Baylor 5'10, 5'10. Then its 5'9, 5'10, 6'1 at UNT. So If your dd isn't going to be 5'8+ you may want to keep her out of the goal no matter what the team says they need, or how much the coach tells you that she is a natural at the position. When it comes to college the tall kids will get the money. If it's not about college soccer for your dd then no problem.

Let's see...2011 Women's World Cup

Japan 5'-4 1/2" (winners)
France 5'-8"
Mexico 5'-7"
Colombia 5'-4"
Australia 5'-6"
Brazil 5'-7 1/2"

And 5'-9" keepers for US, Canada, Germany, and NZ
All also play professionally for clubs

Having time on my hands sitting in a hotel I also came up with these numbers from the last Top 25 teams with GK 5'-8" or less on their rosters

UCLA 5'-6"
VaTech 5'-7" and 5'-8"
UNC 2x 5'-7" and 2x 5'-8"
Michigan 5'-8"
Santa Clara 2x 5'-8"
Stanford 5'-7"
Portland 5'-8"
WVA 5'-7" and 5'-8"
South Carolina 5'-8"
BC 2x 5'-7" and 5'-8"
GTown 5'-7" and 5'-8"
Wake Forest 5'-6" and 5'-7"
Denver 5'-8"

Plus an additional 4 schools not included above had GK's that were 5'-9".

Moral of the story...if your "short" DD wants to play GK and is very good at it she can make it as far as the 6'-0" girl (which only a handful of teams above had on their rosters)

If you had two girls of equal ability in goal and on the field, would you put the taller girl at keeper or center back?