In the last few years, soccer among girls has taken off. I know that in the US, many generations of girls have been playing the game since the 90s. In the rest of the world, the boom has taken place over the last five years or so. Of course, all of us who feel part of this world welcome the fact that girls are able to enjoy the beautiful game.
Through working with goalkeepers, though, I do get the sense that goalkeeper is not the position that most parents want their daughters to play. To be completely honest, I don’t blame them. Goalkeeper is an awkward position because if you look at the top pro leagues, you’ll see that, for the most part, the same keeper can play for years on end with the same club without a massive injury. However, in the youth game, we’d have to be honest and say that it’s one of if not the most dangerous positions on the field.
Knowing that it’s the most dangerous position on the field may not be what parents want to hear. On this site, though, my goal is to be completely honest. With that in mind, what I want to do today is talk about three reasons why you may not want to let your daughter play in goal. While also providing three reasons why it may turn out to be a great idea!
Why Goalkeeping Can Be Dangerous
I’ve written a couple of times about this topic on the site. One of the things that I always tell parents is that their kids are going to be asked to put their bodies in between the ball and the goal. A lot of times, that’s not a great spot to be in. Getting with the ball in the face and other parts of the body is usually not fun, either. To be honest, that’s part of the job description: you have to be willing to put your body on the line.
There’s a phrase that describes the dangers of goalkeeping really well. It says the goalkeeper puts their face where the other players put their feet. This is a very true statement, and it can make for nerve-wracking moments for parents. That’s especially going to be the case when your daughter is young, and some of the girls are just kicking at the ball without any real sense. I remember I had a school picture with a swollen cheek from getting kicked in the face. That was at around 7 years old or so.
Those moments are going to be a part of the journey for parents. If you feel that you’re not going to be able to enjoy your daughter’s games due to the stress, then maybe you should help her pursue another position. Goalkeeping is hard to give up, though; I know that much, so good luck!
Health & Fitness Benefits of Playing Goalkeeper for Girls
After scaring you a bit let’s talk about one of the major upsides that goalkeeping has. Many people get the sense that goalkeepers are lazy and that you don’t get a true workout if you play the position. To be fair, if your daughter doesn’t train and just stands in goal on the weekends, that’s a true statement. That can be a real problem, though. She won’t be getting the training that can help her develop a proper technique to stay safer on the field.
If she is doing the proper training she’s going to be getting quite the workout. The only thing that I could compare it to for people who are not well-versed on the matter is military training. I’m not saying it’s Navy Seal training, but it includes having to throw yourself on the ground a ton of times. Jumping exercises, as well as push-ups and sit-ups, are a regular part of training and the game.
When you’re in the right goalkeeping training program, you can see a ton of health benefits. Your body can start to change quickly as well. I would say if you’re somewhat serious about the position, going to specialized goalkeeper training about 3 times a week is a good number. That can provide you with some of these health benefits that I’m talking about. You really wouldn’t need to compliment the activity with any other exercise routine.
Dealing With the Bumps and Bruises
This is actually something that you can help a lot with as a parent. That’s especially going to be the case if you don’t want your daughter to take over-the-counter pills every single time after practice. I do get the sense that the pain is not as rough in some of the earlier stages, at least not in regard to the bumps and bruises that are typical of goalkeeping.
It is important, though, to find effective recovery methods. If you don’t have ice packs at home, you’re going to benefit from buying a couple. Parents who want to go all in may want to think about getting their kids a way to take ice baths at home. These can be really helpful for recovery. If your daughter gets really serious about the game and is training daily at one point, these could be very cool items to have.
Finding some type of topical cream that you know can help reduce the swelling can also be a massive step forward. I’ve used a ton over my career, and to be honest, there are very few that really did the trick. It’s always important, though, to find ways to recover without the need for pills. There are moments when you’re going to need them, but that’s probably not where you want to start.
Self-Reliant & Resilient Ladies
Do you want your daughter to feel like you can handle herself? This is one of the best ways to be able to do it. Let me give a bit more context because I think it’s important. Goalkeeping is a lonely position and you’ve pretty much only have yourself to blame for the mistakes or to celebrate for your triumphs. Specialized goalkeeper training with other goalkeepers is really important, though, because it can help you see how other people in your position deal with things. There’s always a sense of comradery between goalkeepers, even if they’re fighting for the position. The reason why that’s the case is because we all understand how lonely standing between the sticks is.
This sense of feeling lonely and feeling like you have no one but yourself to get you through any situation can help create a real positive mindset. Being able to share that loneliness essentially can bring you the best of both worlds. When you’re a goalkeeper, you become a problem solver; you’re the last line of defense. A lot of times I do feel that this mindset carries over to other aspects of life.
Learning, for example, to literally pick yourself up off the ground after conceding a goal or making a mistake brings a ton of life lessons. It’s a hard journey a lot of times, I’m not going to lie. I do feel though that there are not that many things in sports at least that you can do which will prepare you better for life. This is specifically talking about the hard times in life and being someone who’s accustomed to finding solutions to the adverse situations that they may find themselves in.
It Can Be Boring for Highly Social Girls
I’d say that this can be the counterargument to the one that I just made about making girls very independent. This can certainly be a position that girls who are into soccer because of the social element that it brings may not enjoy as much. If this is the case, though, I don’t think that you’re going to have to worry about your daughter sticking to goalkeeping for a long time.
Many young girls try their hand at goalkeeping at some point in practice but are quickly dismayed by a few things. If they’re scared of the ball coming towards their face and they don’t want to get hit, they’re going to take themselves out of the situation sooner rather than later. The second thing that usually makes girls want to play out in the field is this lack of interaction.
Usually, I don’t admit this on the site, but if you’re playing for a good team, games can get really boring as a goalkeeper. It does take a special personality to deal with that and come back week after week and still think that you’re playing the best position in the world. There are rare cases, though, where a girl who is very social in her personal life likes the idea of playing goalie to keep to herself for a little while. It’s not all that common, at least not from what I’ve seen, but it does happen.
Unique Outfits
Goalkeepers are allowed to choose their own outfits. This is going to be a perfect scenario for the girl who loves shopping. You may not think that this is a major deal, but I do get the sense that when you fall in love with the position, you really enjoy this part of it. Going back to my personal experience here, I don’t love shopping for anything else but goalkeeper gear. Finding cool outfits in wacky colors is right up my alley.
Remember that you’re going to need to be wearing colors that are different from the ones that your team wears. If you have a home and away jersey for field players, you may want to get at least two jerseys that can be of a different color than your team’s. Otherwise, they may force you to wear one of those bibs; I just don’t like the way that those look. To be honest, you look like an improvised goalkeeper if you do that.
You may have to pony up some money for training outfits as well. One of the things that I say a lot on this site is that I admire many ladies who want to play goalkeeper in shorts. That’s something that I’m never going to recommend. Get at least a pair of goalkeeper pants or leggings for training. Your daughter’s knees are going to thank you.
Final Thoughts
If you’re reading that last paragraph thinking that it’s more expensive to have a daughter who’s a goalkeeper, you’re right on point. You’re going to have to buy gloves, gear, jerseys, and other things that you may not be getting directly from the team. Some parents could push their daughters away from the idea of playing that position because of the cost alone. I wouldn’t necessarily blame them.
In spite of the difficulties that come with playing goalkeeper, it’s a position that can teach you a ton of things. There are life lessons that I’ve learned on the field that I apply to my daily routine. There’s, in a sense, a lot of value to be had. A lot of times, people who haven’t played the position can’t really grasp everything there is to it.
I hope that this article has given you a better perspective on the position. One of the things that I didn’t want to shy away from is saying that playing goalkeeper can be scary for parents. In my opinion, it’s been worth it every step of the way. Even though I maybe didn’t have the long career that I would’ve wanted.
