Goalkeeping

from OFC Activity Report 2021

General Secretary's Foreword

OFC’s goalkeeping development continued to build in 2021 with support of our Member Associations through the Football Development Programme. A key focus was building capacity of goalkeeping development officers to deliver goalkeeping programmes and coach education for both male and female goalkeepers and goalkeeper coaches.

A highlight in the female space was Fiji hosting their first course tailored specifically for females online. The Introduction to Goalkeeping Coaching Course ran for two days and saw a total of 17 participants from across Fiji’s, north, south and west divisions interact over Zoom. and development in Member Associations headlined the goalkeeping highlights of 2021.

With COVID restricting travel to our Member Associations this provided a great opportunity with technology playing a key role in connecting the OFC Goalkeeping Development Team. With monthly online workshops across a range of topics, for example OFC Learn and Goalkeeping Development software webinar. These coupled with regular Member Association online meetings connection of our OFC Goalkeeping Development Team has never been better.

The OFC Goalkeeping Development Team has grown with Samoa adding a GK development officer in 2021. Samoa are now conducting regular training sessions at Development Centre Programmes in Apia and Savai’i with up to 12 young keepers in each of these sessions.

Elsewhere, New Zealand Football had 25 goalkeeping coaches pass their OFC/NZF Goalkeeping C Licence, paving the way for both organisations to conduct the Goalkeeping B Licence. The addition of former Premier League goalkeeper Jonathan Gould with New Zealand to the OFC Goalkeeping Development Team has brought huge experience and quality to our region and has already benefitted many both in New Zealand and our other Member Associations.

In Tahiti a four-hour Discovery Goalkeeping Coaching Workshop with 11 participants was conducted and continues the good work FTF are conducting in goalkeeper development.

With support from the OFC Football Development Programme, the Goalkeeping Development Officers team across the region expanded to seven with both New Zealand and Samoa filling these roles in 2021.

Looking ahead, the department will focus on building the profiles of Goalkeeping Development Officers in each MA, while continuing to promote their work.