A must read for any parent of a goalkeeper in USA!

I am just writing this article in a hope to educate mums an dads in the USA. Normally I would keep quiet about things like this but when it involves preventing children progressing and developing, I feel I need to speak out!

I have been running J4K goalkeeper training schools now for 15 years in 21 countries and across 5 continents and whichever country Just4keepers goes into the local soccer clubs goalkeeper coaches welcome us with open arms as they know we can help assist their club. This is because they are educated and have belief in themselves and understand the importance of their players getting coached by as many experienced coaches as possible.

As no other gk coaching schools comes close to the Just4keepers experience, history and proven success track record, soccer clubs normally very keen for J4K to help their goalkeeper coach and goalkeepers.

So when I started Just4keepers gk schools USA in 2013 and I saw soccer growing at the rapid rate that it is, I expected the same response from soccer clubs.

So I was shocked to see some of the hostility towards J4K from many club goalkeeper coaches.  Now normally I take no notice of this because what normally happens when parents and keepers find out about J4K, they come to us anyway when they see what we offer.

But was has happened over the past few months, I am in total disbelief at the way some soccer club goalkeeper coaches have poorly conducted themselves.

Believe it or not, we have had club keeper coaches threatening to cut their club goalkeepers from their team if they participate in the J4K training. Some of these keepers have just been 8 year old. Imagine a grown man threatening a child in this way!

I have been involved in soccer at every level for over 30 years now and I have never heard of a coach threatening a child like this! This is so so low!

However me, being me, I wanted to know why some goalkeeper coaches did not want their soccer club keepers to attend our training because if it was something lacking with J4K I wanted to put this right within my organisation.

But after looking into J4K I knew we were not doing anything wrong but when researching these goalie coaches, I quickly realised it had nothing to do with j4K, it was either that the club goalkeeper coach huge ego or the coach not wanting to be found out as lacking in their abilities.

What I mean by this is… more or less every club keeper coach that I checked out, had NO proven experience or success as a goalkeeper. So they were basically frightened that if their club goalkeepers came to J4K and seen the gk coaching that we do, they would be found out!

So basically these club goalie coaches are protecting themselves… which is embarrassing!

Unbelievably these club goalkeeper coaches are actually preventing their club keepers going to an environment where they will get developed and will get educated so no questions get asked about their lack of abilities as a coach.

In EVERY country I run Just4keepers, soccer clubs and goalkeeper coaches encourage children to go to other soccer coaches because the more exposure children get to different soccer coaches, they will learn a lot quicker, which is common sense!

So this is has been a huge eye opener to me as I have so much respect for everything the USA does, but honestly I did not expect to see coaches act in such an unprofessional manner to protect their short comings.

So if you are parent what should you do?

First of all… NEVER let anyone tell you where you can or cannot take your child!

Lets put it this way, if your child was in 6^th grade and loved music and you took them for a extra weekly private tuition  to help them improve, what would you say if  your childs school music teacher said to you… ‘Heh I have heard your child is having private tuition, well if you do not stop this right now, I am going to get him kicked out of school!’

If your childs schoolteacher stated this, you would quite rightly flip and put in a serious complaint with the school head because this teacher is basically preventing your child develop!

Well what these keeper coaches are doing is EXACTLY the same!

And for some reason mums and dads in the USA allow these soccer coaches to do this to their children!

AS A PARENT you need to grow a backbone …- If your soccer coach tells your child they cannot be developed somewhere different to your soccer club, you  need to research this coach…. And if they have not got a proven track record of helping their club students to become a success… DO NOT listen to this soccer coach!

On a personal note, after doing all my homework on the coaches that threatened the j4k students from being cut from their soccer team 100% NO track record developing children, NO prior record making their students a success… so how dare they prevent their club keepers go elsewhere.

I am confident if you did your research on any soccer coach that tells you, you cannot take your child elsewhere is doing this to cover their short fallings, so beware.

I am telling you this as a parent myself not as a soccer coach with a proven track record for success….. Unless your club soccer coach can guarantee your child’s development and success (and trust me 95% cannot) if they tell you that you cannot take your child elsewhere for extra soccer coaching… tell them to get stuffed!

If they state they will get your child cut from the soccer team, go one better and say… I tell you what, we quit and we are going to find a soccer club with a coach who is not threatening my child!

In every country that I run J4K, if a goalkeeper coach threatened a child with getting cut from the team just because they went elsewhere to be developed, there would be uproar and this gk coach would get a serious backlash!

But for some reason parents in the US let soccer coaches who do not know what they are talking about for the most part, dictate to them what their child can or cannot do. This is crazy crazy crazy!

As I said above mums and dads should NEVER allow this and should start standing up for their children in a situation when a club soccer coach is holding their child back!

One last point for anyone who thinks I am saying this our of sour grapes. All I can say to this, is we coach over 5000 plus goalkeepers every week in 21 countries and in just 13 months of opening in the US we have a presence in 10 states!

So I do not state this out of sour grapes!

No, I state the above because I have a burning passion to help children and it really really annoys me when a grown man is willing to sacrifice a childs development to protect their short comings.

Mums and Dads please take note and pass this to as many other parents as you can… as this needs to be stopped and stopped FAST as I know it is not just J4k that is seeing this.

Remember its parents that hold their chilrens future in their hands…  NOT soccer coaches!

Just4keepers Founder Ray Newland with Joe hart

I have just found this photograph is in my draw… its a picture of a young England keeper Joe Hart (can you spot him)

I'm pictured far right failing trying to look casual in my hoody!

Also in this picture is other professional keepers, Nicky Weaver, Kasper Schmeichel (son of Man U goalkeeper Peter  Schmeichel) and the then Swedish International Andreas Isaksson.
The coach in the white t short was the then Manchester City goalkeeping coach and ex England International goalkeeper Tim Flowers.

This is a few years old now, and was when I was invited to watch the Manchester City goalkeepers train at their new training centre. You will also see in this pic Just4Keepers goalkeeping coaches Carlo and Ricardo Grecco who had flown in from Canada to see me to be trained up with their new J4K business. So it was a nice surprise for them both to also see how premiership keepers get trained.

They noted what they saw with the gk training session was a major difference between the goalkeeper training in North America, was the high intensity training, and also the attention to detail when it comes to developing a goalkeepers technique.

Win Free Goalkeeper Gloves

As there are few goalkeeper glove competitions on the internet, I and Just4keepers have been running some quality genuine goalie glove competitions for over a year now.

As you probably know, most keeper glove draws are only run because glove companies because they are launching a new keeperglove brand or you have to give them your email address, so they can then pester the life out of you with promotions, deals and so called glove offers.

However at J4K we are different because even though we have our own goalkeeper glove brand and they are very popular internationally, we do NOT see ourselves as a glove company. we still see ourselves as goalkeeper coaches, and as goalkeeper coaches we see things through the eyes of our students and also the eyes of the students parents (as use are the guys who are forking out every month for these goalkeeping gloves).

With the Just4keepers free goalkeeper glove draw...

We NEVER ask you for a email address
We NEVER try and ram our new glove rage down your throat
We NEVER bump up our prices, so we can give you a so called great deal.

Our free gk glove draw are 100% genuine!

So check out just4keepers and are 'every other week' free goalkeeper glove competition.

Just4keepers NEO Goalkeeper Glove

Over the past fifteen years or so running J4K goalkeeping training schools...  I have been asked soooo many times , 'why are we the number one goalkeeper training schools worldwide?'

Too be 100% honest I cannot not answer the above question because when I started just4keepers many many years back, I never really had a vision of Just4keepers going global across 21 countries and across 5 continents... I basically just wanted to provide quality goalkeeper training, coaching and help young keepers have the opportunity that I never really had growing up as a young keeper dreaming of become a progressional goalkeeper!

I think goalkeepers attend Just4keepers because they see our coaches combined experience from the coaches and they know that they have more of a chance achieving their dream of being a pro goalkeeper with J4K than any other coaching organisation... however do not take my word for it, listen to what these keepers say about the Just4keepers goalkeeper  training schools.


Best of Goalkeeping
Ray Newland
CEO and Founder of Just4keepers

Are you wearing the WRONG Goalkeeper Glove?

Did you know 90% of  young keepers do not wear the goalkeeping glove that is correct for their hand which can caue many problems.

 

Result: A lot of drop balls making you look bad as a goalkeeper! so you need to get the correct goalie glove.

Also your gloves wear away ALOT quicker when you wear the wrong glove, meaning you have to buy even more gloves costing you more money.Other goalkeeper glove companies will not tell you this for obvious reasons! ie, they want you ro keep buying ... but at J4K we like to give you the knowledge to save money!

 

EVERY goalkeeping glove on the market has its own cut, so one glove can differ from another, so you need to know what is the best keeper glove cut for you and your hand... this is  important!

 

When goalies look for goalkeeper gloves for sale they just buy the gloves that their favourite professional keeper wears. This is a BIG MISTAKE… because what is good for this pro goalkeeper might not be good for the goalkeeper that copies them!

 

For example, did you know that rollfinger goalkeeper gloves are best for keepers with thin slim hands, and negative cut gloves are best for keepers with broad chunky hands! So if you get this the wrong way around, this will not help your goalkeeping! and this is a common mistake keepers make!

 

Unfortunately  the ONLY way you are going to find out  which is the best goalkeeper glove for your hand shape is trying them on in a game situation or ideally in a training session. Now this means you will most probably waste  a bit of money to try a few pairs on over the months  to see whats best for you BUT as there are only really four main keeper glove cuts, Flat, Roll, Hybrid and negative it will not break  your bank (Or your parents bank.. lol ), to find out the best glove for your hand shape.

 

The best goalkeeping glove help and advice that I can give you, is when you put on a pair of  goalie gloves on that feel really comfortable… go with your gut instinct and use this type of glove as you need to feel like you have not even got a pair of gloves on if this makes sense?

WARNING – If you put on soccer gloves on and they feel wrong, even by a small bit DO NOT wear these gloves as the chances are these are not good for your hand shape.

 

Hope this quick tip helps?

 

Best of Goalkeeping

 

 

Ray Newland

CEO and Founder of Just4keepers

Pro Goalkeeper having some fun!

J4k Goalkeeping now sponsors many many professional goalkeepers around the world as well as sponsoring young grass root keepers globally.

So it was cool to see one of our professional keepers that we sponsor Patrick Hannigan who plays for San Antonio Scorpions FC who are based in Texas, USA, habing a bit of fun with this short video that he done wearing his just4keepers gloves.

Great to see the fun side of pro goalkeeper not taking himself too seriously and trying to have a bit of laugh!

Check out his goalkeeping video below…

Another J4K Goalkeeper Success Story

Over the pst 15 years or so, J4K has helped more goalkeepers achieve their goalkeeping dreams than any other goalkeeping coaching school in history... and we are very proud to say that we have yet again... another goalkeeping success story!

J4k have had yet another goalkeeper sign for a professional club. Young Joe Coleman from Ashford UK has joined Gillingham FC under 14's on a 2 year deal taking him up to scholarship age.

Joe has been part of Just4keepers for over four years and was given a six week trial at the start of this season, he went on to shine during these soccer games and is now their number one choice for their Centre of Excellence side for this season.

A HUGE congratulations to Joe for all the hard work he has put in during the last few years!

go


J4K Goalkeeper student Joe Coleman with his J4K coach, Andy woodcock!

How to wash your goalkeeper gloves

How to clean your goalkeeper gloves
I always get asked from goalkeepers 'how do I clean my goalkeeper gloves' and 'why are more goalkeeper gloves ripping'
The easy answer to that is that they are not looking after there goalkeeper gloves properly.
Watch the video below and this will show you how to clean your goalkeeper gloves to make them last longer. Another tip to remember is to make sure your gloves are damp whilst playing and training. Do not let them dry out!

Goalkeeper Trials

Over the years, one of the most common asked question I have got asked is, ‘How do I become a professional goalkeeper?.

Running Just4keepers over the past 13 plus years has been a privilege as I have directly and indirectly helped over 300 goalkeepers get to professional football clubs. 

So I am very excited to say that we have launched www.goalkeepertrials.com to take our services to the next level in terms of helping goalkeepers achieve their dream of becoming a professional goalkeeper or get to a professional club.

Please check this website out and if you feel you are a goalkeeper who has got ability but for some reason you are not got the breaks you deserve, hopefully we can help you!

Best of goalkeeping

Ray Newland

Goalkeeper Glove Size Guide

If you are a keeper or a parent of a goalkeeper it can be so difficult trying to pick the exact goalkeeper glove for your hand, especially if you are buying online because if you make a error and get the wrong size goalkeeping glove, you

1.      Have to return these gloves at YOUR own expenditure!

2.      Get the goalkeeper Glove Company to send you right size, again at YOUR expenditure!

So by picking the incorrect size glove the extra postage alone to put this right, can cost  you a small fortune, adding a good portion of cash to this gk glove, and this extra money onto your glove, makes it a very expensive glove.

Also if you are a parent of a keeper and you are trying to choose the correct glove for your child, the chances are you will unfortunately make this expensive mistake.

As we are keepers ourselves we do not want fellow goalkeepers and or their parents to make this costly error so what J4K  has done is designed a very unique goalkeeper glove size guide.

What you basically do is look at the goalkeeper glove size chart and check out the sizes and see which matches up to your hand size. You can also print of these size guides if you wish.

So please feel free to check out the guide are goalkeeper glove size chart and use this free service from Just4keepers..

Best of goalkeeping and we hope this helps you save money!

Another Happy Just4keepers Goalkeeper

I have Just received my J4K sponsorship goalie gloves and they are some of the best keeper gloves I have used, at a quality price as well!!

Thank you for offering me such a special deal J4K, It really helps young keepers like me with great gloves and helps save me an awful lot of money !!

I cannot recommend J4K enough!

Thumbs up to J4k!

Ross Drinkell

Discounted Goalkeeper Gloves

Goalkeeping gloves are the most important parts of a keeper’s equipment. If you’re a casual GK, you may be able to get away with a pair of cheap discounted gloves. However, if you play with any degree of seriousness, cheap discounted gloves could cost you significantly more in the long run, both financially and professionally. 

Disadvantages of cheap Discounted Goalkeeper Gloves

Cheap gloves may save you a bit money up front, but that is pretty much the only benefit. If you end up having to buy new gloves constantly, then then benefit quickly dissappear.

·         Poor fit. cheap gloves tend to fit bery poorly or the palms are only 2cm thick. this is not good for a goalkeeper.

      Poor materials. on cheap gloves, nomally the materials are of poor standard. again this is no good for the keepers

·         Poor overall quality. Even if a pair of cheap discounted gloves is made with fairly decent materials, it may be poorly designed normally these gloves fall apart after just a few games.

Your gloves really aren’t the best place to be sacrificing quality to save money becasue in the long run, you will most probaby end up spending more money. 

Another tip: Always try your glove out first in your goalkeeping training. This way you can make sure its ok before you use in a game.