Former Premier League keeper Shay Given has called on grassroots coaches in Kent to show more support to their goalkeepers.

The ex-Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Ireland international, wants coaches to develop their skills and experience in supporting the most specialist position in the team.

Speaking about his own development as a goalkeeper, Given said;

“When I was a youth player I was lucky that my coaches spent time with me working on the specifics of my position; it was that advice and coaching that helped me become a pro player.”

Given was on a Kent FA coaching course at Maidstone United last week, as part of the UEFA A-Licence coaching award overseen by the Kent FA’s Head of Coaching Alan Walker.

Given took time out from the sessions to encourage grassroots coaches who work with young players to improve their knowledge of the position, and how to coach young goalkeepers;

“At a professional club we’d have a goalkeeping coach and train on the parts of our game that we need to work on, just as the outfield players work on the specifics of their positions.

“At youth football clubs there’s usually a few volunteer coaches with a coaching badge, but often nobody who has any proper training in how to coach keepers.  I was lucky that my junior coaches could help me along.”

Kent currently has over 1400 youth teams playing from u7 through to u18, yet fewer than 30 coaches per year qualify on the FA Goalkeeping Coaching Award courses.

Alan Walker, Head of Coaching at the Kent FA, explained how club coaches can benefit from taking an additional course in goalkeeper coaching.

“The FA Goalkeeping Coaching Awards cover more than just what the goalkeeper does; it’s about how they interact with the outfield players and managing the transition from defending to attacking play.  Turning defence into an effective attack has become a key part of the game, and the days of the keeper simply booting the ball downfield are gone.”

“Some of the more pro-active grassroots clubs with several age-groups are now nominating one of their coaches to be the goalkeeping co-ordinator and getting that one person through the course.  They will then go back and do extra bits with all the keepers at the different age–groups.  It’s a model that’s worked well at several clubs.”

The Kent FA is running two more Goalkeeper Coaching Awards in 2013; a Level 2 that runs throughout September and a Level 1 in October.

For more information on the FA’s Goalkeeper Coaching Awards and to book online, visit the coaching pages of www.kentfa.com or email Coaching Administrator Megan Simmons on [email protected]