World at their feet

While coaching recently, I overheard a couple of other coaches discussing an under-nines goalkeeper and whether he would be good enough to progress to the higher development group.

A big part of the conversation revolved around how tall his parents are. This is not an unusual conversation, particularly within professional clubs, but it struck a chord with me.

Height is obviously a big factor for goalkeepers as they grow up and progress within the game, and the respective heights of their parents will clearly give a good indication of what the future holds for the child.

But it also highlights how vital it is for players to not be given labels at a young age.

The player enjoys playing in goal now and is clearly talented for his age. But what if he is never destined to reach six-foot-plus? By labelling him as a goalkeeper now, he could be missing out on vital development time with the ball at his feet.