Photo Credit: OFC Media/NZF Media
Oceania has taken a major step forward in establishing top-tier goalkeepers across the region, thanks to the recent completion of the OFC/NZF Goalkeeping B Licence course.
After a successful first-half of the course in April, coaches returned for part-two, which saw them bring to life all that they’d learned in terms of the coaching process, and incorporating outfielders to ensure match realistic training sessions.
The coach practicals for the second-half of the course were demanding, but Chris Marsh, OFC Education Consultant and lead coach developer of the course, was delighted with how the coaches rose to the challenge.
“The coaches delivered their coaching practicals so well. We feel very proud of their progress, they’ve been working hard and applying their learning on the pitch. Now we’re seeing the results,” added Marsh.
“It’s a very strong cohort, with many international & professional coaches. The goalkeeper union is strong. They’ve been getting on well and learning and growing together, what could be better.”
Among the participants was Bailey Jordan who, at just 21-years-old, was the youngest on the course. He currently is the women’s first-team goalkeeper coach for New Zealand National League’s Canterbury Pride and also works in the women’s space for Cashmere Technical.
For Jordan, the course provided an opportunity to lean on and learn from more experienced peers, which he is eager to apply in his coaching roles at Mainland Football and Cashmere Technical.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learnt is just being able to use the experience of the other coaches around me. We’ve probably got 100 international caps within the coaching staff. And I think just being around them every day, being able to talk, deliver sessions with, has been huge for me,” said Jordan.
The program represents the culmination of a two-year project for Marsh and his excellent team, involving global research, the development of a competency framework, and a detailed course delivery plan.
During part-two of the course, coaches had the chance to observe an Auckland FC training session from their goalkeeping coach and former Celtic goalkeeper Jonathan Gould – a session that left a last impacting on the participants.
“I think being able to watch Gouldy work in there with some very good keepers, working at the highest level, I guess, we can in New Zealand. And with Alex Paulsen, who’s obviously in a top set up at the moment, seeing how he works day to day and how his week looks. I think it’s been pretty eye opening for me and I think a lot of the candidates as well,” said Jordan.
“Pretty cool to go into a professional environment and actually watch how they operate, watch how the top elite operate, watch how they handle themselves. And then you sort of see the difference in mentality, that we can take away into our environment and instil into the young goalkeepers,” added Issac Tetteh.
Originally from Ghana and now a goalkeeping coach at Auckland United, Tetteh, couldn’t stress enough the significance of being on the course and working towards achieving his goalkeeping B-Licence.
“It’s a huge step being able to achieve that qualification. Obviously having that means you’re on a good track for your A Licence, and if you want to further your education through goalkeeping, then you have the opportunity to keep chasing your dream of becoming a top goalkeeper coach in this country and support as many goalkeepers as you can,” explained Tetteh.
The course not only provided practical coaching insights but also fostered a sense of personal and professional growth for participants like Nick Stanton, the A-League Women’s Goalkeeper Coach at Wellington Phoenix.
“A lot of coaches can get stuck in the mind of, well, the way I do it is the way I do it, and it works. But the game’s not like that, football evolves, especially in a goalkeeping sense. You think in the last ten years what’s happened in goalkeeping, the goalkeeper ten years ago is not what the goalkeeper is now. So us as coaches have to evolve for that. And courses like this, learning new things, adapting to new things, is phenomenal,” said Stanton.
Tessa Nicol, New Zealand Football’s U-20 women’s goalkeeper coach, echoed the sentiments of growth, mentioning that the course has equipped her with “new tools to take back and implement in her coaching role in Dunedin”.
The next step for the coaches is their final assessment, which involves them analysing a match, then planning a session based on the analysis. Coaches then need to film a training session that is match realistic & brings to life their coaching process, then reflect on it.
Success in this assessment will earn them the prestigious OFC/NZF Goalkeeping B Licence, setting them on a path toward higher coaching qualifications and continued development in the world of goalkeeping.
Marsh has confirmed that plans are already in place for next year’s Goalkeeping B Licence, with registrations to open soon, as well as the creation of an advanced OFC/NZF Goalkeeping A Licence course.