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The FA · free preview

FA National Goalkeeping Course

The first goalkeeping award: the keeper’s role, the core techniques and how to run a goalkeeping session.

£75 · one day plus pre-course videos · face-to-face practical · needs the UEFA C and in-date Safeguarding

Take the courseCreate a free accountCourse fee: £75 in-game · with Full AccessCourse fees are in-game money, paid from your in-game wallet — never real money.

Free lesson · The goalkeeper’s role

The National Goalkeeping Course: what you are signing up for

The National Goalkeeping Course is The FA’s single entry point to goalkeeper coaching. It replaced the old FA Level 1 and Level 2 in Coaching Goalkeepers, and it is the first rung of a three-step ladder: National Goalkeeping Course → UEFA Goalkeeping B → UEFA Goalkeeping A. It builds directly on the UEFA C, with the focus moved onto the one player who can handle the ball.

The real course
EntryUEFA C Diploma (or the old FA Level 2), an in-date first-aid certificate, and the Safeguarding Children Course completed in the last three years
Age16 or over, in line with the UEFA C
Cost£75
Length and formatOne day, face to face, practical, with coach development support
AssessmentOn the practical day; first aid and safeguarding must still be in date for you to be certified
  • Design and deliver effective goalkeeping practices.
  • Support keepers with basic technique and tactics.
  • Understand the position, and the growth and maturation challenges keepers face.
  • Get real practice bringing keepers into sessions, and reinforce the UEFA C messages.

Source: Coaching certifications reference · 7. Goalkeeping Track

The syllabus: 3 modules, 12 lessons

  1. 1

    The goalkeeper’s role

    • The National Goalkeeping Course: what you are signing up for free preview
    • From shot-stopper to sweeper-keeper
    • The keeper in the four moments of the game
    • Perception, decision, action — and the keeper’s voice
  2. 2

    Core technique: set position, handling, footwork, diving

    Pitch practical Make the save: set, then attack the ball on the right line.

    • Handling: the W, the basket and the scoop
    • Footwork and the set position
    • Diving: collapse, step and the three laws
    • Making the save: set, then attack the ball on the right line
  3. 3

    Designing a goalkeeping session

    • The five-block goalkeeping session
    • Safe sessions for young keepers
    • Young keepers: late specialisation and the height trap
    • Keepers in team sessions, and the beginner’s eye