As part of our continuing effort to service and educate our membership, U.S. Soccer Communications Center will send out an informative articles from one of its departments. Once a week, you will receive an article/paper/essay in your inbox that will hopefully enhance your enjoyment and knowledge of the game of soccer - on and off the field.

This article talks about a newly created Goalkeeping License for coaches.

U.S. Soccer announces Goalkeeping License for Coaches

While the U.S. has successful goalkeepers at international and top club levels around the world, there is still more work to be done developing the talent at this position at the lower levels. With this in mind, the U.S. Soccer Coaching Education Department has worked with goalkeeping coaches from around the nation to create the federation’s first-ever U.S. Soccer National Goalkeeper License for coaches.

National Goalkeeping Coach & Staff Coach Peter Mellor and U.S. Women’s National Team Goalkeeper Coach Phil Wheddon led the way in the development of the course for this license. The course will debut with a one-week session this August.

“We are excited that we can continue to increase the educational opportunities for our coaches,” said U.S. Director of Youth Development and Under-17 Men's National Team head coach John Ellinger. “We have put countless hours into developing this license, and this will benefit players and coaches as we continue to improve our coaching licenses player development."

The U.S. Soccer National Goalkeeper License is designed for the more experienced team coach who has never played the goalkeeper position. The license will develop their goalkeeping knowledge useful at the youth, collegiate, senior and professional levels. It will cover the principles and the components that go into developing goalkeepers, and it will encourage the team coach to prepare and plan for the goalkeepers development needs - not just daily - but over an entire season.

Designed as a compliment to the U.S. Soccer A, B & C License courses, the seven-day school includes field and classroom sessions and concludes with intensive testing on theoretical and practical applications of the game.  The course also includes valuable instruction in coaching methodology, team management and fitness.

The course will instruct coaches how to plan and manage their goalkeeper’s development over the course of an entire season at a high level. It features in-depth coverage of the technical, tactical, psychological and fitness components of the goalkeeper position. Similar to other U.S. Soccer Coaching Courses, this course promises to be an interactive learning experience featuring field sessions, audio and video as well as traditional lectures. 

Applicants must hold the following pre-requisites:

• USSF “A” License or,
• NSCAA Premier Diploma and a Goalkeeper level one diploma or,
• USSF “B” License or a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a Goalkeeper level one diploma or,
• USSF “C” License or a NSCAA National Diploma and a Goalkeeper level two diploma.

Upon successful completion of the U.S. Soccer Goalkeeping License, attendees to this school with an A License will receive eight Continuing Education credits  - the entire compliment needed to keep their license fresh. The dates for the course will be availabe at ussoccer.com at a later date. 

For more information, please contact the U.S. Soccer Coaching Department at (312) 528-1219 or coaches@ussoccer.org.