I recently cooperated with a European soccer club that offered a series of soccer camps in Florida. After having a preliminary online meeting with the staff I noticed that there was something very wrong. The first red flag was that the staff that was going to take part in this event was very young and had barely any experience at all, but the second and most important red flag was they requested at the events I should only work on the “technical” aspect of goalkeeper training.

Even coming from low-experienced coaches I still found this very strange. In that meeting I did “Hint” that a tactical curriculum should be attached to the goalkeeper training, this however was ignored.

At the first of the two events I was coaching goalkeepers that came from a variety of MLS Next and MLS2 programs and because of the level of keepers I was working with I did (against the organizers will) put in place several tactical training drills, covering many “Real-Game-Set” training situations. The Goalkeepers did enjoy the training very much and were asking a lot of questions about when to use certain techniques and how to implement them correctly. This led to additional training drills that further explained more in depth the reason of the suggested training and it was very appreciated by the goalkeepers as in the past they had difficulty dealing with certain situations during “Gameday“.  Needless to say I was very excited to have demonstrated to the goalkeepers something new and useful.

This is what we stand for and is implemented at every goalkeeper camp that our academy offers. It is not an “add-on” to a training curriculum, it’s actually a MUST!

If you offer a Goalkeeper Camp Service, you have to offer a lot more than just basic technical training. Don’t get me wrong, technical training is very important and is 60% of what goalkeepers should be learning. Making contact with the ball, ball control, how to handle and attack a ball, speed and stepping are all vital, but it is not everything and the only thing you should be teaching a goalkeeper.

Goalkeepers get all the technical training they can get at their club, when they sign up to a camp they’re expecting more than just technical. Why pay extra at a camp for the same training I get at my club? This obviously was not understood by the camp directors and their European coaches. Parents will notice this and will no longer be willing to invest in your camps in the future. Goalkeepers will get frustrated (not to say Bored) and will no longer want to attend your events. You have to offer something that they can take back to the club and the game-day field!

Not only did I notice this massive “Flaw” in their camp training system, but an even more surprising situation came to light on day one of the camp. Just after 45 minutes of goalkeeper training the keepers were called to help with the field player sessions. The keepers stood in goal for more than 3 hours just making saves while the coaches would give coaching points and training drill coordination’s to the field players only. So basically it was a soccer camp that did not integrate the goalkeepers like they should. This was another example of how poorly trained the coaches were.

Neglecting goalkeepers and using them to fill in your field drills is an even bigger “No-No” that parents (the investors!) will notice!! Then more red flags are when you’re asked to bring your own ball, or in the case of the second of the two camps there was a lack of equipment and full size goals.

I got more and more frustrated over what I was constantly witnessing and I did not feel that my name or my Goalkeeper Academy should be affiliated with an organization that has such poor attention to all aspects of these camps. The camp director noticed my frustration and that I was distancing myself from then and finally on day two of the second camp I was asked not to come back for the final days. I politely accepted and let them know I was no longer willing to take part in their future camps. This was a relief, but it is also very educational to witness first hand how sloppy and badly organized even “some” European soccer organizations can be. There is always something positive that comes out of negative situations and in this case it’s that to “never” repeat at the camps you organize what you witnessed elsewhere. Always go all the way to be fully equipped, to have experienced coaches teaching the students, to offer more than what the goalkeepers and their parents expect from the event!

A list of suggestions that I can give parents that are hunting around on the web for quality soccer/goalkeeper camps to avoid the following:

Hosts that do not post the names of the coaches (lack of coaching credentials)
Coach/camper Ratio – Soccer 1/12 – Goalkeeper 1/6 MAX!
No “Full length” videos of their training sessions are made public
They request that you bring your own ball
No Google reviews (huge red flag)
Ask to see if they are insured and by who are they covered

Coach Rick Zucchi
UEFA A License
DOC ZEE Goalkeeper Academy
Dir. of GK IdeaSport S.A.

 

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Older Back 2 School Goalkeeper Camp – July 25-26 2025 – Cocoa, Florida.