Involving your goalkeeper in the training session - by Steve Quinones
(16 field players and 2 goalkeepers)
This training session not only involves the goalkeepers, but it also allows him or her to work on many facets of their craft, including playing with their feet, crosses and handling, learning to read the game, saving at feet, distribution and communication.

Warm up
3 groups of 6 playing 4 v 2, each in a 10x15 area

Possession game in a large area
2 teams of 8
- both goalies are neutral and help the team with ball keep possession (as field players using their feet only).
- if the team in possession passes to a goalkeeper in the air, the goalkeeper catches the ball (if he drops it or is passed to on ground, he/she has to use their feet).
-if a goalkeeper catches the ball in the air, he/she must throw it long to the other goalkeeper who catches it in the air also, and then distributes short to the team in possession - the defending team is allowed to try to intercept the pass between two goalkeepers.
- one of the goalkeepers is then assigned to each team - offensively balls in air they catch/balls on ground they use feet - defensively using only their hands, they try to intercept passes to gain possession for their team.
- after five passes team must play in the air to their goalkeeper - one point every time the goalkeeper catches the ball - 3 points wins the game.

Possession to large goals
7 v 7 + gks in large goals in an area approximately 60x35
The field is divided in half with four defenders and three attackers in each half - everyone must stay in their own half of the field.
- if a team wins the ball in their defensive half, they must play back to their own goalkeeper before they can pass into the attacking half... if an attacker plays the ball back into his/her own defensive half of the field, the defenders must still go back to their goalkeeper before playing the ball back into their offensive half.

Game
8 v 8 free play... no restrictions.

Steve Quinones
Steve Quinones is the head coach of women’s soccer at the University of Southern Maine. Coach Steve Quinones is in his fourth season as USM's women's soccer head coach. Away from USM, Quinones coaches the U-14 girls' ODP team for Maine and a U-16 boys' club team. He is also a United States Youth Soccer Region 1 coach.

Prior to arriving at USM, Quinones spent two seasons as an assistant at Franklin Pierce College, the NCAA Division II National Champions in both those years (1996, 1997). He also played professional soccer, both indoor and outdoor, for five years. A native of Oneonta, New York, Quinones is a graduate of Franklin Pierce where he played soccer during all four years; he was frequently named to the All New England and ALL NECC All-Star teams and still holds several school goalkeeping records.

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