About Us
About The Academy
ELITE GOALKEEPER ACADEMY was started up by Steven Rodden (Former FC Seattle, Carlisle United FC Academy, Durham Women FC, Durham RTC and Newcastle United Academy Goalkeeper Coach) in 2012 with the aim to providing young goalkeepers of the North East specialised goalkeeper coaching. Having noticed a distinct lack in depth of goalkeeper coaches at Grassroots Level he set about putting in place services that would be affordable and inclusive to all. Steven has put in place a number of coaching options available to goalkeepers of all ages with the aim to providing the complete goalkeeper coaching package.
Please see below for all current options available to young goalkeepers, teams and clubs around the North East.
Our goalkeeping options are:
– Open Group Training: One hour coaching session once a week. This program is designed to teach attendees basic techniques and gradually progress through to more advanced techniques and drills.
– Advanced Goalkeeping: One hour of goalkeeper training per week for goalkeepers who have a good grasp of basic goalkeeping technique. Here your goalkeeper will go through more advanced, game based goalkeeping sessions with the aim to developing a greater tactical understanding whilst applying psychological processes to their game.
– Specialist One-on-One Coaching: One on One coaching is designed to suit the needs of each individual. We will work to your own specifications and deliver sessions to improve areas you wish to work on as well as perfecting basic techniques.
-Group Coaching: Don’t want to train on your own? We also offer group coaching sessions. Train with your friends, make sessions more competitve and improve at an excelerated rate.
*** Please note: Prices for each of the above vary, please email: elitegoalkeeperacademy@gmail.com for more information and prices ***
What To Expect
- A fun, friendly and challenging environment for goalkeepers to learn in
- In-depth and intense goalkeeper coaching
- Drills that are relevant to goalkeeper progression
- Coaching for all levels and all ages of goalkeeper
- Help and guidance throughout
Coaching sessions are thoroughly structured and are created to cover all aspects of goalkeeping. Every session will begin with a correct warm up then advance into the coaching session covering the following aspects of goalkeeping:
- Handling
- Diving
- Footwork
- Positioning
- Dealing with One v Ones
- Dealing with Crosses
- Distribution
- Support and Communication
- Reactions
- Shot Stopping
- Fitness
The coaching sessions will be conducted by Steven Rodden (UEFA B Qualified Coach with First Aid Training and Advanced CRB checked); a goalkeeper with over 15 years playing experience and also over 10 years coaching experience including coaching in the US for FC Seattle, Carlisle United FC Academy, Durham Women FC and Durham RTC and Newcastle United FC Academy.
Our Coaches
Steven Rodden
Founder
Steven is the founder of Elite Goalkeeper Academy and began his coaching career at the age of 19 when an opportunity arose in America with FC Seattle, Steven has worked in a number of elite environments over the years having worked at Carlisle United FC Academy, Durham Women FC, Durham RTC and Newcastle United Academy.
Steven: ” My aim when setting up Elite Goalkeeper Academy was to offer something that I rarely had when growing up and playing as a goalkeeper; a regular, affordable place to go with good contact time with specialist goalkeeper coaches. I wanted to try and help as many young goalkeepers as I could in the region and hopefully, one day, produce a future England goalkeeper, but most of all I want young goalkeepers to come to me to learn and have fun whilst doing something that they thoroughly enjoy.”
Qualifications
UEFA B
UEFA B GK
FA Youth Award
Certified 1st Aid Person, FA Safeguarding, Advanced DBS Checked.
Our Coaching Philosophy
Through the implementation of all of the below points we hope to develop our goalkeepers to a very high standard. We aim to do this through carefully designed training sessions which encompass the technical and tactical sides of the game, offering the goalkeeper the opportunity to fine tune their craft by teaching key goalkeeping techniques, allowing them to use them in practices with varied outcomes and finally introducing more open practices which allows them to make key decisions in game realistic sessions.
For any more information please email: info@elitegkacademy.com
- Create a fun and friendly environment for our goalkeepers to thrive in
- Always be approachable and be on hand to not just be a coach but also a mentor to our young goalkeepers
- Create progressive, challenging sessions
- To always remain professional
- To continue to learn and improve through regular FA CPD Events and Coach Education days provided by Elite Goalkeeper Academy
- Encourage our goalkeepers to express themselves throughout each session
- To encourage goalkeepers to want to improve
- To have been goalkeepers themselves which enables to pass on knowledge and experience to others
- Encourage goalkeepers to act as the 11th player through incorporation of footwork/ passing exercises
- Encourage correct practice through sound technical advice
- Set a great example to goalkeepers by showing respect to all
- Ensure all goalkeepers show respect, not only to the coach but also others
- Encourage young goalkeepers to pass on knowledge and experience to each other
- Assess a goalkeepers understanding of the position by various coaching methods
- Display the correct attitude throughout each session to ensure they develop as much as they can
- Show respect to the coaches and other goalkeepers
- Never know when they are beaten, don’t give up on anything
- Use disappointment to drive them forwards
- To demand excellence of themselves whilst having fun
- Help other goalkeepers where we can
- To continue to use techniques and methods learned at goalkeeper training within team training and games
- Understand that they will make mistakes attempting to do the right things but to not give up and revert back to old methods
- To be comfortable on the ball and be happy to play with the ball at their feet
- To understand that being a great goalkeeper isn’t achieved overnight. It requires a lot of hard work
- Understand that you will sometimes take hard knocks as a goalkeeper, don’t let that deter you, those hard knocks may win your team a game!
- Use all of the tools given to you by your coach to be able to make the right decision at the right time
- Don’t make excuses. If it isn’t going right, work harder to get it right