Coaching Academy Level Goalkeepers

What is Academy Coaching? 

Once recruited to an academy a goalkeeper immediately becomes part of a long term coaching plan with the aim of making him a professional goalkeeper.   The drills in this section of the site are intended for goalkeepers of a good level of ability and are more demanding in terms of concentration and techniques.  

As I mentioned previously, in an academy each goalkeeper would have a long term development plan that suits his own needs and the drills in this section have all been used to help develop academy goalkeepers, the development plan is up to you and the goalkeepers you work with. 

 About my philosophy 

My philosophy has been built over the 10 years working at this level during which time I helped to produce numerous goalkeepers who have gone on to be professionals and three who have represented England at under 16 level. 

As with my philosophy on coaching at community level it is based on my beliefs about continuity, standards and goalkeeping development.

6 point philosophy for coaching at academy level

1. Start with the end in mind
2. Coach with the future in mind
3. Test them in every session, make it challenging in every aspect
4. Coach them to be independent, they don’t need you
5. We set the standard
6. Continuity

1)     Start with the end in mind  

Because the ultimate aim of Academies is to produce players for the clubs first team it is vital we identify the long and short term goals of both the goalkeepers we work with and the club they will one day play for. Identify what it is that you need to achieve with each goalkeeper by certain points in the season and plan your way there. I must add to this that I am not totally conviced by the statement ‘we are here to produce players for this clubs first team’ I believe that is setting the standard too low. Firstly how do you know what league the club will be in by the time he is ready for the first team? Secondly what if the manager changes and wants a different type of player? 

I have always set out to make the goalkeepers I work with the best they can be, to be able to do every goalkeeping attribute very well and I use this situation to remind me. When a goalkeeper has been through my academy program and is being considered for a scholarship or professional contract someone who makes the decisions will want to know about him and they sometimes ask what are his strengths? I make it my aim to be able to reply ‘everything’

  2)     Coach with the future in mind 

The game is constantly evolving and we always hear pundits say that the game now is so much faster than it was 10 years ago. I believe this to be true and always coach with the assumption that in ten years time the game will be even faster and demanding then it is now because it can only be positive for the goalkeepers I work with. 

This theory really hit home when a 9 year old said something to a senior pro during a question and answer session. I regularly like the Academy goalkeepers to see the senior pros train so they are inspired and see what they could one day be like. In this particular session the academy keepers had been watching Joe Lewis in a kicking practice, after the session he came over to chat to the young keepers that had been watching. Joe is one of the best kickers I have ever worked with and so I asked a 9 year old keeper if after seeing the practise if he thought he would be that good at kicking one day. His response shocked all of us and enlightened me, he said ‘no’ and after a slight pause he added ‘I’ll be better then that’

  3)     Test them in every session, make it challenging in every aspect 

Demand quality, concentration, consistency and focus on the job in hand and always organise practices that challenge each of these aspects. We all know the pressure of playing in goal and it can be daunting for young goalkeepers but as with everything in life it is only daunting if we are not used to it.  The sooner they become used to pressure situations the sooner they will progress.  

When a young goalkeeper is playing a game he must be able to solve his own problems, he can’t stop the game to talk to us. Therefore we, as coaches must endeavour to provide goalkeepers with all the answers in training because once the game starts it’s too late. Young goalkeepers all need advice and they will take time to learn all the attributes needed but as mentioned before start with the end in mind. Set up your sessions so when it really counts they don’t need you because you have already taught them.   

5)     We set the standard not them 

We all have opinions on the minimum standard a goalkeeper should be at an age or certain point in there development. To say that we set the standard touches on the first point of my philosophy, start with the end in mind, in this case you must establish what you expect the goalkeepers to be able to do by a certain point.  

6)     Continuity  

When your role is to produce goalkeepers to play in the first team you must be efficient in everything you do, coaching, planning and organising. The route that the goalkeepers take must be consistent in terms of coaching syllabus.  Scouts, community coaches, elite centre and academy coaches working with you must know the qualities you are looking for, the coaching syllabus and the standards you have set. We must dedicate time to organising and educating this entire set up, it is essential if you are to be successful.