Reply to How does a goalkeeper find the right team?

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[quote=Anonymous]Talk to the prospective coach to find out his/her mentality towards keepers. Most coaches have no training and even less knowledge about the position. So finding one that VALUES the position is key. How can you tell?

First, is the coach is honest that s/he never played the position and has not taken any courses in coaching gks, let alone has gk coaching certifications.

Second, the coach will demonstrate that he recognizes the value of the position by being very accomodating of any gk training that might conflict w team practice.

Third, a decent club will provide gk traing sessions. Stay away from clubs that don't have professional gk staff unless they have, or the coach/team has hired, outside certified gk trainers. Ask for the trainers' names and credentials and research them. Attend 2 sessions, see how your kid likes the coaches.

Fourth, an awesome coach/team will provide gk training for his keepers at no additional charge and integrate it with regular team practice.

Yes, playing time will have to be shared, this is youth sports after all. Your kid should want the most minutes s/he can get.

Fifth, ask the coach how minutes will be managed. Competition for minutes can be an excellent motivator for your kid to improve. But as others said, it will be a miserable time if your kid will always be on the bench - what's the effin' point of that?!?!?

There is a clear pecking order on my kid's team but the coach was clear from the outset with both keepers and their parents that the other kid will get minutes, too. Sixth, stay away from any coach that isn't totally comfortable talking about AND implementing that because that coach's development is stunted and deficient.

Sixth, and most important, does the coach have the attitude of, and instill in the team, a culture where the gk is not blamed for every goal that the rest of the team allowed the opponent to shoot? A good coach will have a team culture that supports the gk by recognizing the failures of the field players, and holding them accountable, for allowing the other team a scoring opportunity.

Good luck with finding all of that.

I only got that for my kid during his early years by becoming the manager and an asst coach of his teams and ensuring it happened. But when he was entertaining offers from ECNL and Next 1 teams I grilled the coaches and clubs and we ended up having to accept some compromise on some issues. So far so good, even as we (I) am not completely happy with some parts. But thats how it goes....[/quote]

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