Football Queensland recently caught up with Nambour Yandina United Director of Coaching and Club Coach Coordinator Korey Nix, who discussed how the integration of specialised goalkeeper coaching has made an impact at the club.
Since the beginning of his career Nix noticed an unusual shortage of specialised goalkeeping programs at club level.
Following the arrival of Brendan Prickett, their number one goalkeeper, Nix and other club members combined passion with drive to form training opportunities that would become crucial for the goalkeepers at their club.
“It’s extremely important to manage goalkeepers because it’s a specialised position that requires specialised training. Goalkeeper training gets overlooked a lot, but you can see a huge difference between the clubs that do provide it and the ones that don’t,” Nix said.
“Naturally, it made sense to use Brendan’s experience between the sticks to help develop our budding goalkeepers through specialised training sessions.”
At Nambour Yandina, Nix has made it a priority to work with designated coaches who understand the importance of training goalkeepers.
“We utilised the Club Development Program at Football Queensland and assigned a club goalkeeper coach who assists team coaches with weekly training and game play,” he said.
“For our club, development-focused communication has been key for feedback among team coaches, especially within the goalkeeper scene.”
Nix also praised the specialised coaching for its impact on increasing participation and improving confidence among teams, highlighting the importance of this due to the shortage of goalkeepers at many clubs.
“The development of goalkeepers has been really successful in our club, and it has encouraged many other players to try it out,” Nix said.
“Even though football is a team sport, it is made up of specific roles and once a player is well-trained in their position, they will feel more confident on the field.”
With the next generation of star goalkeepers currently playing at grassroots clubs across the state, Nix stresses the importance of providing appropriate development opportunities and coaching to help them reach their full potential.
“At the end of the day, local clubs form the groundwork for future professional goalkeepers, and that shouldn’t be neglected,” he said.
“It’s extremely valuable to offer this specific form of coaching on a club basis because that’s where it all starts and not many clubs are taking advantage of this.”
When asked what advice he has for other coaches, Nix noted the importance of working together as one club.
“My vision for the club is to create valuable training opportunities and to build a family culture that brings everyone closer together,” he said.
“I have found the only way you can operate as a united club is by opening up your communication lines between all of the coaches, the players and the technical committee working hard behind the scenes.
“For us at Namour Yandina, no individual or team is more important than another within the club.”
Visit FQ’s Coach Pathway webpage for more information on becoming an accredited goalkeeper coach.
Words: Charlotte Monteath
