The FA Licensed Coaches’ Club will be hosting its first ever Goalkeeper Conference at St. George’s Park next month.

High profile guest speakers will join FA National Goalkeeping Coaches to deliver a series of goalkeeping-focused practical and theoretical presentations to 400 attendees.

The conference programme has been designed by FA National Youth Goalkeeping Coach, Martin Thomas.

He spoke to SGP Insider this week and revealed that while the focus will ultimately be on goalkeeping, all coaches who choose to attend will be able to take something away from the two days.

He explained: “The two days will deal specifically with the goalkeeper, whether it is from the technical point of view or the tactical point of view.

“In terms of interaction within the team, it is open to all coaches from Level 1 through to Level 4.

“There will something there for everyone to enhance their knowledge base, look at practices and have an opportunity to meet fellow goalkeeping enthusiasts.”

Some of the biggest names from across the goalkeeping coaching community will attend the conference along with Thomas, who played more than 500 games in the Football League for clubs including Bristol Rovers, Newcastle United and Birmingham City.

With representatives from international football, the Premier League, women’s football and Futsal, there will be a wealth of experience and knowledge for the attendees to draw from.

Thomas added: “What they’ll get are very experienced coaches. The likes of Eric Steele, who is currently at Manchester United and a very proactive member of staff for The FA, [will be there].

“Myself and Simon Smith (FA National Youth Goalkeeper Coach) will be putting on sessions; Leanne Hall, the ex-England goalkeeper who is currently working with Sheffield United Academy, is also doing a session.

“Tony Elliot, who is the national Futsal goalkeeper coach, is putting a session on about the Futsal goalkeeper. [He will] cross-reference that into the 11-a-side game [and show] how some of the Futsal practices can actually benefit in the 11-a-side game as well.”

One of the presentations will focus on the benefits of integrating goalkeepers in outfield training sessions.

It is a practice Thomas is a strong advocate of and one he believes is necessary in developing goalkeepers capable of coping with the myriad demands asked of modern goalkeepers.

“The days of the goalkeeping coach just working with the goalkeepers on the corner of a pitch, going in and out of some discs and doing some handling [are over],” he confirms.

“All you are ever going to produce is a technically efficient goalkeeper, but to actually develop tactically efficient goalkeepers they have to be involved in outfield practices and decision-making practices.

“What we look at is how an outfield coach can actually incorporate that within their sessions and actually link in the technical side of it within the possession practices.”

With the role of the goalkeeper evolving dramatically, Thomas believes a similar evolutionary shift must be embraced by goalkeeping coaches in order to ensure keepers develop skills that stretch further than shot-stopping and handling.

Thomas explains further: “The goalkeeping coach needs to understand the game.

“If the goalkeeping coach thinks that goalkeeping coaching is serving and volleying at the goalkeeper then they are, for me, doing only 20 per cent of their job.

“The role of the goalkeeping coach for me is to firstly understand the game and secondly transfer that knowledge to the goalkeeper.

“At the end of it, the goalkeeper will be assessed on how good he is in a game situation and his decision making.

“He will never be assessed on going in and out of discs or whether or not he has a lovely catching technique. So it is imperative that the coach understands the game and to transfer that knowledge.”

You can book your place on the Goalkeeper Conference now by:

Web: Click Here

Phone: 0844 980 8212

Email: FALicenceQuery@TheFA.com