Footie question from a numptie

[GinForMePlease]

Hi, I'm mum to DS, 12, who loves football amongst other sports. He has just started playing with a team outside of school - they aren't top quality, but seem quite competitive. DS plays in goal, and so far, he has let goals in on four out of the six matches. He is getting stick about this from his team mates.

My question is, what is a good performance for a goalkeeper? He is getting fed up with his team mates criticising him (and the coach has noticed but doesn't seem to be doing much about it), but wants to know if he is actually bad at being in goal, or whether his team mates need to be a bit more realistic about how hard it is to save goals once the other side are through your defence players.

Anyone have anything to help him get a sense of perspective?

Hmm. I'd say that the coach should step in and explain to his team mates that they are a team and that yes, your DS did let in goals, but that was not just his fault... afterall, who let the ball get as far as the goal? The rest of the team did, that's who!

I play hockey, which is similar, and we would never blame our goalie for the goals scored against us as we are supposed to be a team. I'm really surprised the coach allows this to be honest and I would have a word. I coach year 6 hockey and don't allow any whinging at team mates.

Is anyone else jumping up & down to be allowed to try out being goalie? (didn't think so)

In 2/6 matches the other team didn't score at all?! That sounds pretty good to me.

Goalie is just one of Xmany on his team on the pitch.
When my 7yo played a match in goal he got pretty bored because his team was so good at keeping control of the ball & otherwise the main defender is amazing.

Thanks. I agree about the coach - he's not building much sense of team letting this talk happen.

However, it would be good if DS had some idea if he is doing that badly, or is actually ok. Anyone know where I could find out that sort of thing?

Mum-of-a-goalie here!

First question - what size of goals are they playing with? Locally, there is a transition from 'small size' goals to 'full size adult' goals round about [memory fail here] U11ish, maybe U12.

The problem with this is that, at the point of transition, no goalies are tall enough to reach the top corners, or even the bottom corners in a dive, routinely. So the number of goals let in by goalies goes up very sharply at that point - DS let in 2 for the whole season the last year in small goals, 2 in the first couple of goals in the first in large goals - and the rest of the team may take a while to adjust to those new expectations.

Second question - is this in a league? If so, you ought to be able to look up the league table, and see how this team compares with others for 'goals against'.

Thuird question - who was the goalkeeper for this team before? If they had had the same goalie e.g. from U7 until now, then the change will need a period of readjustment, as IME it takes a little while for a goalie and defenders to work out how to play well together. In particular, good goalies organise their defence to help them, and this is really hard for a new recruit to the team.

DS has had this a couple of times - he's been playing in goal in a team outside school since he was 6, and is now an U15. It does need the coach to step in and remind the team that, although the goalie is the 'last line of defence', any goal let in is a failure by the team, not just of the goalie. DS changed teams this year - old one folded - and the new team coach has had to have this conversation with the remainder of the team.

[Have just looked up U13 league for DS. His team let in 21 goals that season, in 18 games - and, without blowing his trumpet too loudly, he's regarded as one of the league's stronger goalkeepers]

(DS only kept 6 clean sheets that year. The next year he kept 8 out of 20 matches - having grown a few extra inches! So 2 clean sheets out of 6 matches is pretty good if they're playing in full-size goals)

Hi teacher. Thanks for your helpful replies! DS now has another 2 clean sheets. I think the goals are small ones (although they look big to me). DS isn't especially tall though. The team have been playing for a couple of years with their old goalie, who now plays defence, so yes, they need to bond I suppose. The coach seems a bit better now, and has been doing some specific trainng with DS on goal craft, which has boosted his confidence too. DS seems happy to be playing again, which is the main thing.