Holloway mourns death of student - The Founder

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22 The Founder | Thursday 15 January 2009 Sport Goalkeepers: Individuals playing team sports? James Stock I recently listened to a radio show under the title of ‘The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper’, and this got me thinking. Goalkeepers have never had an easy time of it, whether it is football, hockey, water polo, or any other sport that involves a team getting a ball into a net past a goalkeeper. One way of looking at it is that, in the case of hockey or football, there are ten people on a pitch trying to get the ball in the back of the net, and one person trying to ruin everyone else’s fun. Of course this is an over-simplification, but it is painfully obvious that to an outsider of a sport such as football or hockey, that there are ten people on one side, ten on the other, and then two people at opposite ends that seem very little to do with what happens in the middle of the pitch. I’ll use hockey as the main example, as this is my first sport, but my points could just as easily be relelvant within the context of football, if you find that sport easier to relate to. To start with, the goalkeeper is wearing completely different attire. It is a stated rule in both hockey and football that the keeper must wear a jersey that is entirely different in colour to that of the rest of his team, and also of the opposition side. In hockey, the extent of the padding that a keeper wears for protection makes it seem that Robo-Cop has entered the fray. Clearly, even just appearances alone set the keeper apart from any other players on the pitch. Keepers also need to be very good at what they do. This is not just an egotistical boost on my part, but to validate this claim I’ll compare a keeper’s job to that of a striker. If a striker has ten shots on goal in a game, scores two but misses the other eight, it will still be considered that that striker had a good game. By contrast, if a keeper misses eight shots and saves two, the team are in considerable trouble. A striker could potentially have several opportunities to prove his worth to the team, whereas a keeper has to do it all game, every game, or the side stands a much bigger chance of losing. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on a keeper. Whilst a keeper could argue that there are ten other players acting as a first line of defence, and if the keeper has to do anything then it suggests a substantial failure of everyone else in front of him, this is not always applicable. Instances of keeper error often results in conceding a goal, but as aforementioned, one mistake by a goalkeeper is far more catastrophic than any other mistake any other player on the pitch can make. Every player on the pitch has a line of defence behind them upon which they can rely; all, except for the keeper. Admittedly, this added pressure and spotlight on a goalkeeper can produce benefits. Because everything a keeper does gets seen, as it is the last line of defence before the goal, everything they do well gets added praise and respect from team mates. By contrast, it is possible for a midfielder to make a run that distracts a defender, which opens a gap for someone else to score. This is an example of something critical to a goal going unnoticed. But in order to succeed, a keeper has to be mentally strong. In the knowledge that they are the last line of defence, there is an incredible amount of pressure not to let the side down. Their job is to protect the goal, organise the defence and their marking, and clear the ball from danger. Failure to do any of these jobs at any given time ultimately leaves the goal largely if not completely unprotected, and this is when the criticism will start appearing from all angles, regardless of whether or not the keeper is to blame. This is why I’m trying to argue that goalkeepers are individuals in a team sport. The unique status of a keeper in sports such as hockey means that whilst their actions are for the team, there is no one else who can do what they do. In hockey especially, there are very few similarities between the keeper and anyone else in the outfield, consequentially leading to a huge sense of individualism. This turns full circle neatly back to the original statement: are goalkeeperss just individuals in team sports? Yes, but through no fault of their own; the sports where goalkeepers are singled out by regulations create the conditions where a goalkeeper becomes an individual, and it is because of this that they occasionally come in for unfair criticism when the going gets tough, regardless of whether or not they are to blame. The leading manufacturer of goalkeeping products for hockey is OBO, and one of their slogans is “Goalkeepers are amazing people”. I hope you’ll now agree.
The Founder | Thursday 15 January 2009 Sport 23 Crossword & Sudoku Easy Medium Hard Royal Holloway Happy New Year Holloway! Alumni Sports Day ‘Alumni day is a great day to catch up with old friends who you used to play sport with every week but it also acts as a reunion of friends from other sports. As a past Student Activities Manager I love coming back and seeing how the place has changed and also catching up with people who I worked so closely with in the Student Activities Department’ - Hannah Booth Saturday sees the return of the annual Royal Holloway Alumni Sports Day to campus, with matches taking place in the following sports: Men’s Football, Men’s Rugby, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Netball, Men’s Hockey, Women’s Hockey, Mixed Lacrosse, Golf and American Football. Pride has never been more at stake as the current students face off against students past for what – let’s be honest – are pretty important bragging rights. However, it is not just about the action itself, but the reuniting of old team mates, and to catch up with those who some may have not seen for years… and, in true Holloway style, afterwards, there will be post-match drinks and a social in Medicine, followed by the Student’s Union. Photos from past Alumni Sports Days Support is much appreciated by all teams, so if you are on campus and just don’t fancy writing that essay or reading those books, get down to Nobles or look around Campus for some exceptional rivalry and competition. All in all it seems set to be a fantastic day and you will be able to find information on the day’s events in the next copy of The Founder.
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Holloway mourns death of student - The Founder

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