The Road to Professional Goalkeeping
You see talent, lots of it and you are sure that a professional career is looming for a young goalkeeper you know or your protege, son or daughter. What is the best way to support this?
This is another very big question and it’s big because it’s what everyone strives for as we watch our football sporting heroes every week.
This is my explanation, in a very detailed way. I will use a typical 11 year old goalkeeper as an example.
- What time do you go to bed? Bed at 8pm & wake up at 7am.
- How many hours are you at School? 6 hours.
- How many hours do you spend doing homework? 4 hours.
- How many hours do you do goalkeeper training per week? 1 and a half.
- How many hours do you train with your team and play? 4 hours.
- How many hours do you participate in after school clubs? 2 hours.
- How many hours do you watch tv per week? 25 hours.
- How many hours per week do you play computer games, tablets or game consoles? Around 25 hours per week.
So in a week, we have 168 hours, of which you are awake for 91 hours.
So in 91 hours, after schooling, after school clubs and homework this brings it down to 79 hours. Take away 5.5 hours of football activity then it becomes 73.5 hours.
So what are you doing the rest of the time, which equates to 50 hours plus? Watching tv or gaming? So your dream is to become a professional goalkeeper?
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the only professional you will become is a gaming professional.
There is no such thing as natural talent. In my eyes, we have to practice, commit and work hard. The young goalkeepers in my academy, who are representing top premier league clubs, their district, county school teams are training around 10-14 hours per week, around 40 hours per month. Nor compare this to an average 11 year old training 22 hours per month…
Who is going to be more developed? The answer is simple. To become a professional goalkeeper is not easy. If it were, there would be inevitably be millions of them.
Believe in your ability.
