Photo Credit: OFC Media
For the first time in five years, goalkeeper development officers from across the Pacific gathered to exchange knowledge, hone skills, and share insights at the Home of Football in Auckland.
As the modern game has evolved, the goalkeeper’s role has become increasingly critical — not just as the last line of defence, but as an integral part of a team’s tactical setup.
That’s why this three-day workshop, attended by representatives from 10 of the 11 MAs, served as an important platform for both seasoned professionals and emerging talent to align their approaches and strengthen bonds.
“There is an exciting opportunity for our region to take great strides forward in our goalkeeping development. It’s not always an easy position with the pressures involved and certainly there is more work to be done in this space,” said OFC Goalkeeping Consultant James Bannatyne.
Throughout the workshop, the overarching focus was on the OFC strategy, which emphasized education, development, and high performance in goalkeeping.
“From the education side, all the participants delivered both on the field and in the class and showed real confidence. They left armed with the skills and commitment to deliver the one-day Introduction to Goalkeeping Course around their MA, not just in one location. Really taking it to the people, which is exciting,” explained Bannatyne.
The workshop, involved many key speakers, including OFC Safeguarding and Wellbeing Manager Palu Tu’amoheloa. She touched on the holistic care of goalkeepers and coaches, impressing on participants the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for players in their respective MAs.
Fijian Goalkeeping Development officer Sanaila Waqanicakau, reflecting on the experience, said, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be here. Over the past three days, I’ve learned so much.
“The importance of safeguarding, the players’ welfare, the players trying to reach your goalkeepers in becoming a coach. Knowing your players and their mental well-being and the importance of being a good a leader.”
New Zealand Football High Performance Goalkeeping Development Lead & All Whites Goalkeeper CoachPaul Gothard, shared valuable insight to his pears around high-performance, and the All Whites processes around goalkeeping preparation for OFC tournaments and some of their successes.
Participants engaged in various classroom presentations, from creating a training session to understanding the role of goalkeeper coach. All designed to boost communication skills and confidence in delivering training, while also educating their fellow pairs.
On the grass, development officers put their classroom-crafted sessions into practice. Bannatyne, alongside the hugely experienced Gothard, observed and provided hands-on guidance.
Waqanicakau, the newest member of the Goalkeeping Development Officer team, had only been in his role for three days before arriving in Auckland for the workshop. He plans to share his newfound knowledge with local coaches in Fiji, aiming to bolster goalkeeping in his region.
“We need to recruit more goalkeepers back in Fiji, so in order to do that they’ll have to start from grassroots and then go out to other districts and educate them on becoming a goalkeeper, and teach them the skills and whatever they need in order to become a goalkeeper.”
One of the workshop’s highlights was a session led by Football Ferns coach Michael Mayne, recently back from an Olympic campaign in Paris. Mayne shared his expertise in leadership and best practices for connecting and empowering people in Oceania. This session resonated deeply with all the goalkeeping development officers, especially those new to their roles, as well as OFC staff who were present.
New Caledonia’s national goalkeeping coach, Marc Ounemoa, described the course as an eye-opener, expressing his determination to bring these insights back home to educate and advance football in his country.
“I’m going to inform my superiors because there’s a lot of work to do when I see what’s been shown. There’s a lot of work but if no-one does it, no-one will. So, I’m going to try to move things forward.”
Across the jam-packed three days, everyone worked well and committed to regular connection with each other both formally and informally. Connection was a key component of the workshop and a competitive advantage opportunity for goalkeeping development professionals in Oceania. The OFC Goalkeeping Development team will share intentions, successes and challenges while collaborating on solutions to improve goalkeeping in our region.