r/GoalKeepers

Other than filling in for a mate’s team here and there I’ve only ever played 11 a side football my whole career. Hung up the boots 2 years ago in my 30s and recently decided to get into it again, but opted for casual small sided football - haven’t got the time to commit to a club and play 11 a side with work, kids etc these days.

Two games in and I’m finding it pretty underwhelming. It’s just 60 minutes of having the ball blasted at you from 6 yards away, under substandard floodlights. You don’t ever really get to make a save in the way I remember goalkeeping from my 11 a side days. Just one on ones and point blank blocks all night. Feel like at these “casual” sessions a lot of players also take advantage of the fact that no one is going to lay a proper tackle and will dribble it in to point blank range before shooting.

Anyone else had a similar experience? Did you adjust? Did small sided football start to grow on you after a while?

My kid is a goalkeeper and has been playing in goal for three years in club soccer. They weren't put there by a coach because the team needed a keeper—they are genuinely passionate about the position. Like, wake up and work out at 6 a.m. to their own alarm during summer break before it gets hot passionate.

This year, they switched club teams because they wanted the opportunity to play in higher flights during league. They had been stuck on a B team in Flight 3 and really wanted a chance to challenge themselves.

When we joined the new club, the coach told us the team was going to play Flight 2. We just found out that the team was actually registered for Flight 3 back in June and the coach didn't say anything.

We've been playing Flight 2 tournaments and have won some and lost some, no blow out losses primarily keeping it within 1-2 points. We just played a Flight 3 tournament with several teams we would potentially see in league, and honestly, we dominated the other teams.

My kid didn't even enter their own 18 for the majority of the first two games, playing mostly on the upper part of the pitch, and only had to use their hands maybe 4–5 times the entire weekend. They were bored and came away feeling like the weekend wasn't worth it.

They've already been offered starting goalkeeper spots on more competitive teams that are going Flight 1, but they didn't want to leave their current team stranded in Flight 2. They felt like they had made a commitment to them.

Now that we know the team is actually going Flight 3, though, I'm seriously questioning whether staying is the right decision. If they're rarely going to see the ball, how much are they really going to develop as a goalkeeper?

I've seen talented young keepers lose their passion or stall development because they weren't being challenged. At the same time, I don't want to teach my kid that commitments don't matter or that you should leave a team the second a better opportunity comes along. But I also don't want to teach them that when someone misleads you, you still owe them your loyalty.

The team manager sent me a pretty lengthy message saying that they need to honor their commitment, and I understand that perspective. But I also feel like the circumstances are different from what we originally committed to. We were told Flight 2, and that's what they agreed to.

So, am I completely out of line for considering leaving and taking the Flight 1 starting goalkeeper opportunity?

I'm genuinely looking for perspective from coaches, parents, and especially goalkeepers. What would you do?

Hey everyone, I’ve mainly played futsal/5-a-side as a GK and I’m now trying to transition into 11v11.

One thing I’m struggling with is positioning and movement because the game feels much more spread out. Do you generally mirror the ball’s movement when adjusting your position, or is there a different way I should be thinking about it?

Any other advice for making the transition from futsal/5s to full-size football would be appreciated!

Today i had my first training with an actual club, It was very fun during it and a bit after, but now i get this weird feeling, a feeling basically saying that it was pointless. I wanna do something good for myself, become good and make my parents proud. Could also be my emotions fucking with me since i lost two of my good friends and its rainy, school's starting soon, and cause i haven't really made friends yet in the club.

Anyone noticed how Nike gloves have pretty much disappeared from the pro game ?
Like I remember in the premier league alone a good few goalies used to be wearing the vapor grips, now the only one left is Rob Sanchez and he wears the strapless model I’ve forgotten the name.
Not only that it seems like Nike don’t even market for goalkeepers anymore I never see any advertising for Nike goalkeeper gloves, which is kind of a shame because I remember them being really popular and being able to match them to you’re boots was always cool, I guess other brands are just better.

Hey everyone, as the title say my team has a soccer game tonight in Laval, we need a keeper, so if anyone’s interested or know anyone who would like to come please dm me, I can pay you for extra motivation lol

Hello all, I have been having issues with my fingers getting bent too far back on hard driven shots, even with finger save gloves. I've started taping individual fingers before games but I'm hoping for a more proactive solution as well (if that makes sense). Are there any exercises/tools you use/would suggest I pursue in order to prevent my fingers getting blown back as much?

My passes are actually horrible and I struggle to pass to team mates far away

Does Any Goalkeepers Wear Sondico Just Wondering Because I’m Thinking Of Getting Sondico Gear