GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 23 – April 10, 2015 | Page 54

THE GOALKEEPER
- NO LONGER THE LAST MAN PICKED?
GAA coach and international sports academic, Joe Trolan,
in his latest column questions goalkeeper coaching methods.
– JOE TROLAN
APRIL 8, 2015

If we think back to our younger days playing GAA in
any code – the goalkeeper was always the position no
one wanted to be given. As a keeper, you could not run
and beat people with the ball, you could not score and
basically you got none of the praise for the most part
compared to the quick forward and all dominating midfielder. Those days though have changed in Ireland and
especially overseas. While, the goalkeeper is a specialist
position, today more and more goalkeepers are required
to be able to act as an outfield player when needed.
In Ireland, there are several top county goalkeepers who
are confident of moving with the ball and passing and receiving it back. The goalkeepers are also as physically fit
as many outfield players and are central to many counties
success. Similarly, in many clubs around the country the
goalkeeper is an integral part of any successful team.

INTERNATIONAL GAME
The position of goalkeeper is an especially important
component of a team, particularly, in the areas of the
Middle East and Asia, where they play a modified 9-aside

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game. In these competitions, the goalkeeper is constantly looking for the opportunity to move forward with tactical awareness. This “extra outfielder” gives teams an
advantage when the goalkeeper is comfortable on the ball
and able to read the game. While, goalkeepers in Ireland
will not have as much freedom to move forward, it is still
important for a coach to make sure that his/her goalkeeper is extremely comfortable in giving and receiving the
ball and how to use it properly.

GOALIE TRAINING
Unfortunately, coaches have tended to neglect emphasizing goalkeeper training. Most likely coaches maybe
had an outfielder take shots on them from different angles but not really work on positioning, distribution,
communication, or tactics. As a coach you cannot expect
a goalkeeper to do his job properly, if he is not trained
prop \