Goalkeeper of the Month

For the months of December 2012 and January 2013 no "Goalkeeper of the Month" awards were made due to the limited amount of sessions that took place due to Christmas and the recent poor weather. 

Weds 23rd Jan Session OFF

Due to the Astro turf at Ruskin School still being covered in snow the session on Wednesday 23rd January is OFF

We hope that the weather improves for the next session on Wednesday 30th January 

Futsal Goalkeeping?

If you are aged between 16 & 18 and either currently play as a goalkeeper in Futsal or would like to then please drop me a line with your full contact details: Name, D.O.B address, telephone number and email address 

These details will be passed on to a Futsal specialist goalkeeping coach who will shortly be running some goalkeeping sessions at the Futsal centre in Swindon with the aim of looking for future England Futsal goalkeepers.

Please email me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alex Penny Interview Blog

This week I caught up with Alex Penny, an experienced goalkeeping coach who has worked at a number of professional clubs and alongside a vast array of top quality coaches.

What is your coaching background and who do you currently coach? 

I am an UEFA A licence coach with over 15 years coaching experience at various different levels.

I have worked right the way through from grassroots to 1^st team. I started out as a community coach at Bristol City before moving onto the academy.

Following this I had over 3 years with Derby County working with players such as Lee Camp before moving to Wolves and the 1^st team working alongside Bobby Mimms. I also worked for the Wolves Womens team at this time.

I was then recommended to Birmingham City and had over 2 years working with their development under 16 to 18s goalkeepers.

My next role saw me return to Bristol City where my wife was academy physiotherapist, as academy goalkeeping coach for the 6 to 18 age range.

I have also worked with Dominica national players during the world cup qualifiers and Southampton FC.

I am currently the professional phase coach for Cheltenham Town FC where I have been very lucky to have an excellent team to turn to from Mark Yates the 1^st team manager to Russell Milton, Antoine Thompson, Jamie Victory and James Murphy at the academy.

Unfortunately my coaching is limited in this role as I have to manage a very large programme. I still like to stand in if the goalkeeper coach is away. (You never leave the union!)

What goalkeeping coaches have impressed you over the years and why?  

As a young player I was fortunate to be coached by Bob Wilson (former Arsenal goalkeeper and one of the first recognised goalkeeping coaches) which enhanced my playing ability greatly. I would also like to mention my old youth team coach at my local football team Roger Hughes, he instilled some great values and thanks to that group he created I still have good friends to this day.

As a coach I have been lucky to work with some top coaches. Some of the best non goalkeeper coaches who helped me develop and really understood the importance of the position were John Ward, Dennis Mortimer, Dean Holtham, Steve Round, Dave Jones, Will Royall and John Clayton but goalkeeper coaches I would say Bobby Mimms, Chris Woods, Eric Steele, Alan Hodgkinson, Tony Pennock and Martin Thomas.

Bobby was a huge influence on my coaching and I cannot begin to say how great he was. He has played and worked at the highest level and you only need to see how good the goalkeepers have become that have worked with him.

When I was at Derby I saw at close hand how good Eric Steele (current Man Utd Goalkeeping Coach) was as he was brining on Mart Poom, Russell Hoult, Lee Camp and Lee Grant. I loved his energy and enthusiasm for the job.

Chris Woods who is the goalkeeper coach at Everton was very studious and always interested in different working practices.

Alan Hodgkinson really motivated me to become a better coach and you could see why he was at Man Utd for so long.

Also finally Martin Thomas, who took me for my goalkeeping B licence and all I can say is what a true professional he was I learnt so much in a short space of time and he is a credit to football.

What current goalkeepers impress you and why?

Having worked with Matt Murray at Wolves I believe he would be the current England number one but due to injury he had to retire. I still feel I need to mention him as if any young keeper wants to see a dominant, powerful, area commanding shot stopper then watch him on youtube.

There are a number of very good goalkeepers out there right across the leagues. I have always been impressed with Chris Weale at Shrewsbury, his work ethic is incredible and he is a top professional. Scott Brown at Cheltenham to serve a club for 10 years and still producing some great displays shows true love for the game, he hasn’t change from his early days at Wolves.

Lee Camp at Nottingham Forest is now a full international and has delivered consistent performances for a long time its no coincidence that teams he has played for are always knocking on the door for promotion.

Hugo Lloris was excellent for France and I feel has a big future in the game if he develops his qualities to the English game.

Ali Al Habsi is proving an excellent shot stopper and a real top performer in the premier league.

Michael Vorm reminds me of Pepe Reina, they are both excellent technicians and have good all round ability.

What is your coaching philosophy or what is important to you when coaching goalkeepers?

I like to create a positive, fun, creative learning environment which is open and honest. I try and develop sound fundamentals even if they are a top international goalkeeper who knows what works for them. I always demand 20 mins of quality basics.

How would you prioritise the various different aspects of goalkeeping coaching?

Age range dictates priority as they all develop at different levels.

I work to an evolving scheme of work which covers all aspects.

I always implement solid fundamentals and reinforce the positives. I like the FA four corners model as it breaks each aspect down and gives the coach a clearer vision of a players make up. I am a big fan of the FA youth modules and recommend all coaches to do the courses.

Nowadays there are many different pieces of equipment that can be used when coaching goalkeepers such as ladders, poles, rebound nets, response balls (balls with lumps on that bounce differently to create reaction saves), what do you think about using this type of equipment?

All methods need to be explored and used to your liking. I like the idea of fresh and new sessions that take keepers out of their comfort zones so I am all for it.

I get a lot of equipment from Zapkam sports and it has always enhanced the sessions.

I find that goalkeepers who do a lot of different activities especially at a young age develop into better players. So changing equipment to support development is great.

What gives you the most satisfaction as a coach?

The buzz of coaching and helping to teach young players.

I would just like to personally thank Alex for taking the time out to talk about his philosophy

Watch this space for the next in the series of interviews coming up shortly................................

My Blog Update

It’s been nearly four months since I updated my own blog as I’ve been concentrating on a series of interview blogs with other goalkeeping coaches or goalkeepers so I thought it was about time I had a “waffle” on.

Make yourself a cup of tea, find a comfy seat......and i’ll begin!

The interviews I have carried out I have certainly enjoyed and hopefully anyone reading them will have been able to take something from them. I still intend to try and get some more done and am still waiting responses back on a few so watch this space for more hopefully.

One of my interviewees, former Swindon Town goalkeeper Dave Lucas has since doing the interview actually moved on to more of a coaching than playing role. Dave was purely a contracted playing goalkeeper at Championship club Birmingham City at the time but recently he has left Birmingham to go to League two high flyers Fleetwood Town as “player goalkeeping coach”. Dave will concentrate on coaching the clubs two senior goalkeepers while still providing playing back up as and when required. While Dave was at Swindon I got to know him and he kindly came to my two day summer course in 2010 to hand out trophies, sign autographs, pose for pictures and answer questions, as you can see on my gallery page. While at Swindon Dave had also started to look at doing his coaching badges and he came up to the Academy and got involved in a session alongside me and you could tell straight away he had a great personality with the kids and they took to him well. Also during his time at the club Dave was excellent with the young scholar and young pro goalkeepers such as the likes of Jamie Stephens, Calm Antell, Mark Scott, Leigh Bedwell and Conor Thompson. He made them feel welcome and often offered advice and support to them about aspects of their game. Both with Dave’s personality and his vast experience I’m sure he will go on to be an excellent goalkeeping coach over the years ahead and work his way up in the game.

At the start of this season when I had to move the night that my goalkeeping school operates due to my increased commitments at Swindon Town I must admit I was worried that things would take a dip and I might have to close it. Monday worked out to be a good night as not many teams train on a Monday so I had access to a wide range of goalkeepers. Having to change to a Wednesday I knew would cause some problems as a lot of grass roots teams do train on a Wednesday evening and straight away I was sad to lose some of my regular goalkeepers generally for this reason alone. Although I have lost some regulars I have been pleased to have picked up some new goalkeepers over the course of the season and I am still topping over 30 goalkeepers across my two age groups as we start back after the Christmas break.

There is no question that specific goalkeeping coaching is needed in the modern game and many grass roots clubs simply haven’t got the people involved in their club with the necessary qualifications and/or experience to be able to seriously help their clubs young goalkeepers. A goalkeeper, like an outfield player who week in week out practises in a team environment on his/her passing, receiving, heading, shooting, tackling skills etc needs regular work on all his/her goalkeeping techniques for them to develop.

As much as I love my role at Swindon Town and working with the more advanced goalkeepers I still get a buzz out of working with grass roots goalkeepers and seeing them develop and improve whether they are 6 or 15 years of age. It’s great when I see a member of my goalkeeping school mentioned in the grass roots supplement in the Evening Advertiser having performed well in a game at the weekend. Mind you this week I had a shock having picked up the paper as it was both my coaches James Whitlock (Chippy) and Dan Callaghan who got a mention! Chippy, or the “veteran” as it called him saved a penalty for his adult Saturday side he still turns out for and more surprisingly Dan Callaghan who was having a go out on the pitch for his local side bagged himself a goal!

At Swindon I’m halfway through my year’s contract and time has really flown by! Our Academy recently took some stick in one or two media outlets which I thought was extremely harsh if I’m honest. The staff carry out excellent jobs with the resources available to us compared to other clubs and we are constantly striving to improve both the way we do things and obviously the young players we work with.  As a category three academy setup our regular games programme entails playing the likes of Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Oxford Utd, Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle, Hereford Utd etc. However and with no disrespect meant to those clubs to improve in anything you do in life not just playing football, you need to be challenged. Our Academy Manager Jeremy Newton has worked tirelessly and built up some great contacts enabling both our younger age groups and our full time scholars the chance to play against top premiership sides. Our scholars have already this season played Liverpool, Everton, Fulham, Aston Villa and Reading and had a game with Man Utd called off due to weather. The differences between our academy setup and what we spend and these academies are huge but to play against them provides big challenges for our players which is far more important than the actual result itself in any of these games. From a goalkeeping perspective our goalkeepers, in particular our scholar goalkeeper has to deal with players that have a greater array of talents who can do more with the ball. The pace, power and accuracy of the finishing that he has faced so far in these games has been greater than that of a normal games programme game so this has meant he has had to improve to deal with it. If you take the Liverpool game alone when we played them in the FA Youth cup, they had players in their team on the pitch from all over Europe that they had paid transfer fees alone to the value of 5 times more than we spend on our entire academy in one season! Getting beat 5-0 of course wasn’t nice but what a great lesson for our lads and goalkeeper in particular. He will have learnt more from that game than from when we beat non league sides Sholing and Cirencester Town comfortably in the previous rounds.

On the subject of learning a recent incident for a former member of my goalkeeping school really highlighted to me how the modern game has changed and how goalkeepers have had to adapt because of this. Jack Goodenough who was one of my pupils in the early days of setting up my goalkeeping school is now 18 years of age and playing for local side Shrivenham in the Hellenic Premier division of senior football. They are currently having a tough season and are bottom, but fighting to avoid relegation. They took on Binfield who are third and fighting for the title so the game was always going to be a tough ask for Shrivenham. Despite this they were doing well at 0-0 until just after half time when the Binfield striker broke through on goal from the angle of the penalty area. Jack came flying out and went down at his feet and from the clip I saw barely touched him. However over the striker went, arms flying everywhere and the referee awarded a penalty and sent Jack off and Shrivenham then went on to lose 5-0.

If you look at some of the top goalkeepers of recent times, particularly Peter Schmeichel and now such as Joe Hart and Iker Casillas you will notice they have modified how they deal with one v one situations. No longer do they come flying out at a player’s feet, they come out and stay big for longer and almost spread like a “starfish” in an attempt to block the ball rather than try and claim it. Going back to Jack’s situation in the game for Shrivenham, I am not saying he should just give up and let the striker score easily but in hindsight he may have approached his course of action differently. Unless he was easily going to get to the ball first by spreading, I feel he would have been better suited to have advanced, making himself big and just tried to get between the goal and the striker and try and get a block on the ball. Players go down easily these days looking for penalties, free kicks and to get opponents sent off and referees although they have a hard task are quick to book or send off goalkeepers in particular in these situations. If perhaps Jack had tried this approach, he may have made a blocking save but worst case scenario otherwise would have been his side 1-0 down but with both 11 players on the pitch and importantly still a recognised goalkeeper between the posts. Shrivenham would have had a far better chance getting back into the game then, than with only 10 men and an outfield player in goal. Jack is a young goalkeeper still learning the game so hopefully Jack will have learnt from this situation, but it does highlight to me how goalkeepers have to change how they deal with one v ones these days.

Having mentioned Dave Lucas earlier, I just want to also give a quick mention to another former Swindon Town goalkeeper, Phil Smith who has just signed another month long deal at Portsmouth. Phil, who like Dave has also attended one of my two day summer courses (2011) to hand out trophies, sign autographs, pose for pictures and answer questions was released from Swindon at the end of last season despite being a good and loyal servant to the club. Now many people will have this thought that all footballers are rich and famous and made for life and that maybe the case at the higher end of the game. It isn’t the case lower down however and Phil has a young family to support and has looked at other types of jobs away from football to support his family and is still doing so. However the chance to train then sign at Portsmouth even though short term at the moment due to their financial troubles was a way back into the game for Phil. I am pleased that having completed one month with the South Coast side they have extended his deal for another month and I hope things can keep progressing for Phil as he was a model professional during his time with Swindon.

Hopefully you have reached this final paragraph still awake! As I said previously I am still hoping to get a couple more guest blog interviews done so keep your eyes peeled for those.

Until the next time..................................

Tony Roberts Interview Blog

I recently spoke to Tony Roberts who is now one of the goalkeeping coaches at Premiership side Arsenal having had a good professional playing career. Tony played over 800 games with 150+ of them coming with Queens Park Rangers and over 550+ with Dagenham & Redbridge through from when they were a non league side into the football league. He was also capped for Wales and he talks a bit about himself and what his goalkeeping coaching philosophies are.

First, a little about myself. I am currently 43 years young and have been involved in professional football since I left Holyhead in North Wales at the ripe age of 16. My career started when I signed for Queens Park Rangers in December of 1986.  I made my way through the ranks from, the youth team right through to becoming the clubs number one goalkeeper, playing over 150 times, many of those coming in the Premier League. As a result, I was recognised internationally, representing Wales at all levels from U18’s to the senior national team. During this time I was involved in both European and World Cup qualifying campaigns; a tremendous honour and experience.

Unfortunately, injury forced me to retire at the age of 28; however, with the help of a surgeon I consulted during a brief stint playing in America, I was able to resurrect my professional playing career, assisted by a specially designed splint which protected my finger. This fantastic aid allowed me to rack up another 550+ appearances for Dagenham and Redbridge, going from the national Conference to League One via a Wembley win in 2010. I finally hung up my gloves (permanently, this time!) in 2011 to pursue my career in coaching.

After qualifying as an F.A Goalkeeping Coach, I have enjoyed almost ten years’ experience in coaching at every level from grass roots right through to the professional game.  As the 1^st Team Goalkeeping Coach at Queens Park Rangers, I was in charge of the development of all goalkeepers for over seven years.  I then moved on to Arsenal, where I started out coaching the young up and coming goalkeepers, managing their development on their journey from youth football to the senior game. This brings me to my current position, where I occupy the role of Assistant 1^st Team Goalkeeper Coach.

Here, I work with the senior goalkeepers; obviously a fantastic honour at the very top level of the game. As well as this I oversee and help manage the progress and development of all of the goalkeepers from 17-21 years of age. 

Over the years, I have worked with some great international goalkeepers, as well as some of the game’s best coaches. Names that spring to mind include Neville Southall (Everton and Wales), David Seaman (Arsenal and England), Jan Stejskal (QPR and Czechoslovakia), Bob Wilson (Arsenal and Scotland) and Mike Kelly (QPR and Ireland).  I was also lucky enough (or not so in some cases!), to have played against some true greats such as Peter Schmeichel, David James, and Tim Flowers to name just three.  Hopefully you can see that I have worked with and faced some of the best in the game.  This has greatly assisted my own personal learning and development, and I now I feel I have the necessary knowledge to pass on to the next generation of goalkeepers.

My Philosophy.

I believe that goalkeeper performance is made up of elements relating to four fundamental areas; technical, tactical, physical and mental.

Each of these components is vital in providing the foundation for peak performance between the sticks.

My coaching philosophy involves various methods, both on and off the pitch. These are designed and delivered in a way that maximises performance and knowledge acquisition. A huge part of development is about creating an environment conducive to improving; one in which we work hard, but most importantly enjoy it!

It is the above principles which have shaped the way in which I work and the results that I achieve. Just ask some of boys!

Below is a brief taster of some of the areas that are covered under the four key components listed above:

Technical

Shot stopping

Angle recognition

Attacking the ball and recovery lines

Dealing with Crosses    

Situational starting positions 

My specific timing techniques

Support & Communication

Situational starting positions

Specific techniques (diving at feet, spread and block, etc) 

The goalkeeper’s vocabulary

Distribution:

1^st touch/control and passing varieties

Throwing techniques

Tactical  

Organisational skills in specific situations

Know your role!

Physical

Specific goalkeeper related fitness drills

Developing core strength, speed, agility, co-ordination and power

Mental

Seeing the pictures early!

Mental toughness

Dealing with adversity

Lifestyle and preparation

“Know, learn and understand your role in the team.”

I would just like to personally thank Tony for taking the time out to talk about his philosophy

Watch this space for the next in the series of interviews coming up shortly................................

Domenico Doardo Interview Blog

This week I sat down and chatted with Domenico Doardo who joined Paolo Di Canio’s backroom team at Swindon Town FC as Goalkeeping coach in June 2011. Domenico has overseen the terrific form of goalkeeper Wes Foderingham in that time helping him become one of the top rated young goalkeepers outside of the premiership.

What is your background in your native country, Italy, who did you play for and coach before coming over to work with Paolo Di Canio and Swindon Town FC?

Torino – Serie A

Helles Verona – Serie A

Genoa – Serie B

Cremonese –Serie B

Italy under 21’s

Novara – First Division

Coaching – Benevento Academy

Who has been your favourite Italian Goalkeeper?

In the past Luca Marchegiani who played for Lazio and Torino for the bulk of his career and 9 times for Italy. Currently I like Christian Abbiati at Milan who has represented Italy 4 times and Gianluigi Buffon who has played a fantastic 123 times for Italy and an amazing 333 times for Juventus.

Would you say the style of goalkeeping in Italy is different to that in England and in what way?

I feel the techniques differ slightly; in particular we attack the ball more in our diving techniques. The way we train our goalkeepers I feel is also slightly different. For example I have found that whereas many goalkeeping coaches like to do lots of volleys when working handling, I prefer to do this in a more game related way with shots from the floor and movements in between each piece of handling.

What would be a typical week for you in terms of a training schedule for your goalkeepers?

Monday – Strength work

Tuesday – Diving saves

Wednesday – Distribution

Thursday – Crosses

Friday – Sharp/Reaction/Reflex

Saturday – Game

Sunday – Wes Foderingham – Recovery. Leigh Bedwell - Power work

If a Tuesday game, the Monday session would be a small mix of various goalkeeping components.

Over the years do you feel the game has changed much for a goalkeeper and if so what effect does that have on coaching goalkeepers?

Before the back-pass rule the main aim was making saves. Now as well as this the goalkeeper obviously has to be very good with his feet and now the modern goalkeeper actually starts a lot of the attacks, such as Victor Valdes at Barcelona. This has meant the style of the game has also changed and has become more physical and more of a high tempo game. With this in mind we have to work with the goalkeeper’s footwork skills and also their fitness levels as they have to be more athletic to meet the demands of the game.

How would you prioritise the various different aspects of goalkeeping coaching?

The most important aspect for me is good positioning in your goal in relation to where the ball is for the shot or cross. This gives you the best chance of being an effective goalkeeper. Then obviously technique is very important for when you come to make the save or deal with the cross.

How would your coaching differ across the younger age ranges up to senior goalkeepers?

I would do a lot more balance; co-ordination and technique work with the younger goalkeepers. It’s important to build them up from a young age. It’s also important to make it even more fun for the younger goalkeepers as their concentration levels aren’t as big as the senior goalkeepers. With the senior goalkeepers it is then about tidying up small parts of their game and maintaining a good standard.

Nowadays there are many different pieces of equipment that can be used when coaching goalkeepers such as ladders, poles, rebound nets, response balls (balls with lumps on that bounce differently to create reaction saves), what do you think about using this type of equipment?

I like to use different pieces of equipment for variety. This way I can still work on a specific aspect of goalkeeping but do it in a different way to keep it interesting for the goalkeepers.

What is the most satisfying aspect of coaching goalkeepers, either at junior or senior level?

With the junior goalkeepers it’s great to see such clear improvements in their game over a period. Then seeing them take that into their games.  With the senior goalkeeper it can be making a great save or having a good performance. It could also be one aspect of their game they have worked hard on that week and it has come off in the game on a Saturday.

I would just like to personally thank Domenico for taking the time out to answer my questions.

Watch this space for the next in the series of interviews coming up shortly................................

Andy Quy Interview Blog

This week we talk to Andy Quy who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur on an YTS contract.  After failing to make the grade at Spurs Andy moved on to Derby County as a young professional and also spent time out on loan at Stalybridge Celtic. After another unsuccessful time at Grimsby Town he had short spells with Stevenage Borough and Kettering Town before finally finding regular football with Hereford United. However his career was cut short by injury and Andy retired and decided to take up coaching.

He began working with Derby County's and Aston Villa's Academy before working with the first team at Lincoln City. In 2007 he joined premiership side Stoke City as goalkeeping coach and now coaches established premiership goalkeepers Thomas Sorensen and Asmir Begovic.

You are currently coaching two very good premiership goalkeepers and internationals, in Thomas Sorensen and Asmir Begovic. Do you have a standard schedule for them both each week or does it vary depending on who they will be playing against?

Each week I try to cover all aspects of goalkeeping within the week. That is then prioritised by aspects identified for each individual keepers needs, along with strengths and weaknesses of the opposition for the next game.

Over the years do you feel the game has changed much for a goalkeeper and if so what effect does that have on coaching the goalkeepers you work with?

The need for the goalkeeper to be an outfield player has become more and more apparent. The keeper has become more recognised for starting attacks and a way of keeping possession as well as stopping goals. 70% of the keeper’s game is distribution.

Is there a big difference in the type of footballs used in the modern game and has that had an effect on how a goalkeeper goes about his / her job?

The type of balls being used, continue to change, but I believe the balls currently out there are about as good as they get.

Goalkeepers have had to adjust to the pace and movement of modern balls over the years and this is another major area that goalkeeping has changed.

Goalkeepers have had to change their positioning and how they make saves. It is not as easy to catch balls and therefore more balls are parried and deflected. Also the way in which balls are kicked has changed in terms of technique.

How would you prioritise the various different aspects of goalkeeping coaching?

I’d prioritise the different aspects of goalkeeping based on the age and experience of the players and their individual strengths and weakness. For young keepers all handling and diving techniques are a must, then to look at positioning and dealing with crosses. Alongside this all types of distribution must be worked on and to become comfortable with the ball at your feet. As players get older and more comfortable with handling techniques, crossing becomes a bigger part of the game and therefore time should be proportioned to this a lot more. Taking up good starting positions, lines of attack and catch/punch decisions are the 3 main areas to work on when doing this.

How would your coaching differ across the younger age ranges up to senior goalkeepers?

The pace and technical/tactical content would differ from the young ages upwards but ultimately your looking for the players of all ages to transfer what they learn with the goalkeeping coach into game situations and be effective in keeping the ball out of the goal.

Nowadays there are many different pieces of equipment that can be used when coaching goalkeepers such as ladders, poles, rebound nets, response balls (balls with lumps on that bounce differently to create reaction saves), what do you think about using this type of equipment?

All of these pieces of equipment have their place and when used correctly can help enhance performance. More importantly coaching needs to be specific and game related.

What is the most satisfying aspect of coaching goalkeepers, either at junior or senior level?

For me at all levels the most satisfying thing is to see a player take what you have taught them in training and execute it correctly in a game.

I would just like to personally thank Andy for taking the time out to answer my questions.

Watch this space for the next in the series of interviews coming up shortly................................

GK Union Starts Young!

There is an unwritten membership that some may of heard of called the "GK Union"............you don't have to pay a monthly subscription to join it, you just have to be a goalkeeper, at any level of the game. Its a relatively small band of people in the whole scheme of things when you think how many people actually play football in any position.

Only another goalkeeper will know what it feels like to play in goal, the different emotions that you go through, the pressure you are under and how you are different to the other 10 players on your team. At the same time how your position is probably the most important in the team (well I am biased!). Thats why the "GK Union" as its known is where goalkeepers and goalkeeping coaches tend to stick together and fight each others corner and support each other through thick and thin.

Well at about 6:10pm on Wednesday 7th November 2012 just at the end of the younger group session something happened to send a nice feeling through the heart of all the goalkeepers and coaches in attendance. Little Louis Scarpino-Cocking who had this week celebrated his birthday kindly brought along "Birthday Football Cup-cakes" for the rest of his goalkeeping group and the coaches.

At that moment it got me thinking about some of the reasons that I run my goalkeeping school. Obviously one of my main priorities is to help develop young goalkeepers in the area and improve them in their respective position. However it is also about trying to teach them respect for themselves and others, responsibility, confidence, social skills and team-work. All of these factors are important in football but in everyday life as well and I enjoy seeing their personalities develop along with their goalkeeping skills.

A big thank you to Louis and his parents for their cake making skills and their kindness in sharing these with all his fellow goalkeepers.....and coaches of course...!!!

Wayne Brown Interview Blog

This week I caught up with current Player / Goalkeeping Coach at Oxford Utd FC, Wayne Brown. Wayne has made just under 500 professional appearances and is still a current registered player at Oxford though he has also taken on the role of goalkeeping coach working with both the professional and scholar goalkeepers at the Kassam Stadium. Wayne is a vastly experienced goalkeeper who also spent a season playing professionally in South Africa and is now taking the first steps into goalkeeping coaching.

What is your coaching background and who do you currently coach?

FA Goalkeeping B licence.

Coached the South African Under 19 & 21's keeper in South Africa. Also held a coaching role Spurs African development squad.

Currently holds 5 Academy goalkeeping schools in Oxford & Hampshire

Player/Goalkeeper coach at Oxford United FC

What goalkeeping coaches have impressed you over the years and why?

Too many to mention!

I would say Jon Ibarrola (Mamelodi Sundowns FC- South Africa), Neville Southall, Pat Mountain to name a few.

All have different styles. Jon was fully hard core on technique, spring & the modern game. Neville was just a work horse, every session was a beasting! Pat was very chilled & mixed his session which is always great for keepers. Don't think I did the same session twice with him. Really helped me.

What is your coaching philosophy or what is important to you when coaching goalkeepers?

.

Technique and a positive attitude are huge!

I love my keepers to try things in training. I'm still learning different techniques of goalkeeping even at 36...it's great!

How would you prioritise the various different aspects of goalkeeping coaching?

Technique technique technique!

It’s huge with me, I really can't have poor hands. Even if you have great hands you should be constantly working on them.

Explosive power is big with our keepers. Deadlifts, squats, plyometrics.

Being excellent with the ball at your feet is a must these days. I encourage our keepers to play outfield too, best practise ever for them.

Finally, a positive keeper is great to watch. I’ve seen loads of good goalkeepers who struggled to make the grade because they were never on the front foot. They never had a good starting position, never had the go & get attitude etc. It causes huge self doubts in you & your team if they haven’t got this.

How would your coaching differ across the younger age ranges up to senior goalkeepers?

With the younger guys it’s the basics, repetition, making it fun for them.

The seniors are all about tweaking. It could be a tiny problem which just needs ironing out.

Nowadays there are many different pieces of equipment that can be used when coaching goalkeepers such as ladders, poles, rebound nets, response balls (balls with lumps on that bounce differently to create reaction saves), what do you think about using this type of equipment?

We use many of the above & they are great. Not sure on the response ball though.

We used half core balls which are great for stability. We also use the bungee rope for power, crossing and footwork.

What gives you the most satisfaction as a coach?

As a coach I always think its great when young keepers put their new techniques they've learnt into games....and they come off!  I love that!

With the professionals I get a buzz when they have kept clean sheets or when the keeper has played & everyone says he had a quiet game today.

What they haven't noticed is the 4/5 crosses they have caught clean, that quick step to make a shot look easier than it was, the way they dealt with that dodgy back pass. Or just how exhausted they are after 90 minutes of talking, organising, being on the front foot & generally being the owner of their 18yd box. They come off the pitch knowing it’s a job well done without really being on the radar. That's a nice buzz!

I say to the younger keepers.........goalkeepers are the drummers of the band. Little bit mad, we have our own thoughts, own circles but everyone always has an eye on the keeper just in case something fantastic or ridiculous happens. Without us you can’t make proper music & you can't have a football match.

I would just like to personally thank Wayne for taking the time out to answer my questions.

Watch this space for the next in the series of interviews coming up shortly................................