Goalies and Goalie Gear

At BAC, we don't introduce goalies until the U9/10 age level. The U7/8s play 4v4 games on small goals with no goalies, after which point they transition to the larger fields (typically at Patriot Park) where goalies start getting utilized. 

If you have an aspiring goalie, you may be asking whether or not you need to invest in any special equipment. While ultimately the decision to purchase gloves or a goalie jersey are your call, I don't know that I'd advocate for purchasing specialized gear unless you're sure that goalie is something your child wants to pursue. 

As a coach, I generally pick up a couple pairs of gloves prior to the start of the season that can be shared by my team, but that's totally up to the coaches on how they want to handle that. For awareness, goalie gloves come in different sizes and I've generally found that size 4s, 5s and 6s will cover the entire cross-section of the U9/10 age group. It's certainly debatable whether or not the gloves make a significant difference in performance at this age, but it does seem to boost players' confidence who might otherwise not be excited about trying out the position. 

Because we're only talking about rec soccer, a penny is generally sufficient to serve as a goalie jersey as you really only need a means to distinguish them from other players on your team. We do have kids that have their own goalie jerseys, but those kids are generally playing goalie every week as opposed to just once in a while. 

The club does provide goalkeeper training throughout the season in conjunction with the Age Group Training program. Historically this has been on Wednesdays, but the schedule for the spring season has not yet been finalized so I wouldn't mark your calendars just yet. This training is open to all players U9-U12 and is generally capped at 20 players/week, so we try to limit how many players attend from each team at a given time. The club also offers goalkeeper training as part of its summer and winter camp/clinic programs, so if that's something you might be interested in, please let me know (smitters@hotmail.com) and I'll make sure that as those opportunities come up that you're notified.