USL Feature
Friday, February 24, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – United Soccer Leagues National Technical Director Peter Mellor has a long history with U.S. Soccer, as a coach, an instructor and a mentor. Always eager to share his knowledge from his decades as a player and coach, Mellor was recently honored to be asked by U.S. Soccer’s Director of Coaching David Chesler to head a committee - along with friend and counterpart Phil Wheddon - that will re-visit all of the national “A”, “B” and “C” goalkeeping curriculum included in U.S. Soccer’s full National “A”, “B” and “C” licensing courses. The committee will also work to develop a youth goalkeeping curriculum that will accommodate ages U10 up to U18.
“We have to put together a new curriculum with the committee, re-visiting all the old licenses we originally wrote many years ago, because the game changes and moves forward,” Mellor said. “We’re also looking to put in what U S Soccer does not have at the youth level, which is a goalkeeping certificate.“At the moment, most coaches don’t have goalkeeping as part of their background.”
Mellor and Wheddon have been busy assembling the committee, which is expected to include some of the top names in goalkeeping including John Busch of the San Jose Earthquakes, U.S. U17 goalkeeper coach Paul Grafer, and U.S. Soccer national licensing instructor Rob Walker, who assisted Mellor with the original national license. Mellor also hopes to soon add a few more of the biggest names among current U.S. goalkeepers as well.
Nine years ago Mellor was given the task of putting together U.S. Soccer’s first National Goalkeeping License curriculum. It took three years of work with the help of many others, and the result has been an annual goalkeeping license course held on the west coast for the past six years. At Mellor’s urging, U.S. Soccer has decided to offer the course on the east coast for the first time, with the eight-day session set for the pristine IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. from May 13-20.
Mellor and Wheddon will lead the course for qualified coaches looking to add to their credentials. The course is intended for both the goalkeeper coach and the team coach, and will focus on improving coaches’ abilities to train goalkeepers individually, as well as integrate them into team training.
“It was designed for the team coach to have a better understanding of what they should be expecting from the goalkeepers,” Mellor said. “Coaches need to understand goalkeeping these days because the goalkeeper has become the 11th player on the team. We offer that course to help coaches better understand the position, and the feedback from non-goalkeeping coaches has been unbelievable. They’ve said time and time again, ‘It’s given me a whole new perspective of the game.’ ”
Designed to complement U.S. Soccer’s License courses, the eight-day school includes field and classroom sessions and concludes with testing on theoretical and practical applications of the game. The course also includes valuable instruction in coaching methodology, team management and fitness.
“The goalkeeping course is an excellent educational opportunity for the team or goalkeeper coach,” said U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Education Dave Chesler. “Under the leadership of Peter Mellor and Phil Wheddon, we have been able to teach and reach coaches with different objectives. Whether it is a coach who is specific to goalkeeping training or an experienced head coach looking for information on the position, we have been able to teach both.”
Participants will learn the most up-to-date training methods in goalkeeping, prepare them to run correct training sessions and give insight into the goalkeeping position. The course will outline what is required to develop goalkeepers at senior youth, collegiate and professional levels and will enhance the coach’s ability to properly train the goalkeeper and thus accelerate the player’s development.
“Too many times you see goalkeepers training away from the team,” Wheddon said. “Our course focuses on integration and communication, which are essential for developing better goalkeepers and coaches.”
Registration is open to coaches who currently hold a U.S. Soccer “A” or “B” license or those coaches who match these requirements with another license, diploma or professional experience. Upon completion of the eight-day course “A” License coaches will receive eight (8) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) pass or fail, that are needed every four years to keep their ” A” license current.