The average height of men’s goalkeepers in college:
D3: 6’0”
D2: 6’1”
D1: 6’2”
OP, I know you said your son is tall, but I feel like it can be very hard to predict height pre-puberty.
My husband and D19 were both excellent goalies, but stopped growing at 5’9” and 5’4” respectively. They both ended up in outdoor adventure sports in college. (D21 is 5’10”, but didn’t like playing in goal )
Intramurals and club sports are other great options in college for people who thrive when active. I was able to take triathlon training as a gym class—was not very fast but had a blast!
My son is 6’1” with broad shoulders and long arms, his dad coached his town travel team, and he ended up a goalie because of his height, and because no one else wanted the position. He was the starting varsity goalie in high school, but just played club in college, which he loved.
I have no idea whether my kid will play in college, and I don’t really care. He could change his preferences or decide to quit sports altogether. I really just came to ask whether my mother was nuts, and then I stayed for the soccer talk.
But my husband is 6’ 3” and so far this kid has beaten all the heights in the baby book my MIL kept for him. My guess is that if he doesn’t keep playing it won’t be because he’s too short.
At 10 though, my impression is that the reason they want him in he goal is that he’s willing to fling himself onto the ground to make a save, and if he misses he just brushes himself off and his head is back in the game.
Of course, there were many other teams in the area, but very few were able to make the cut for this team.
P.S. In this city, students had to get IQ & maturity level assessed by one of a designated group of PhD psychologists just to apply to the numerous elite kindergartens–so, by age 10, the competition & intensity was second nature.
My son has had coaches that played in the Premier League, were MLS standouts and/or coached their country’s Men’s National Team. We’ve never had to deal with coaches being “too intense” to talk to us. In fact, on more than one occasion I’ve had a beer with each of my son’s coaches over the years.
My son has been on a high level team since he was 11. Being unapproachable isn’t a quality of good coaches at the younger ages. Now, I haven’t talked to a coach about my son for 4-5 years, but, that’s a function of my son’s ability to advocate for himself rather than some “pseudo-professional” club environment for 5th graders.
As for inactivity at goalkeeper, that’s not the experience of modern goalkeepers. Boredom isn’t an issue. Sweeper keepers are becoming the norm. More than ever goalkeepers are involved heavily in building out of the back as well, which requires being in position to receive a pass back, then distribute it long, or short, to other teammates. Keepers at my son’s club actively participate in field player possession training because they are expected to be very good with their feet. Additionally, beyond attending all of the field player trainings and fitness, most keepers also attend 2-3 keeper specific trainings. My son practices 5 days a week for 10 months a year. The old view of just standing around in the 18 yard box just isn’t the reality at the higher levels these days.
@Sportsball You’re on a perfectly acceptable path for a player that isn’t completely dominating in their current league and/or playing up 1 or 2 age groups already. See how things pan out by next April and then make a decision about club soccer for the fall of 2022.
Those super intense teams serve a purpose, though intense is a relative term. If college isn’t the goal then there’s no need to be on the “top” team within driving distance. If your son settles into a sport that he excels at you may want to chase a spot on the “top” team. Otherwise, let him enjoy himself, get some exercise and experience the team atmosphere.
Are you trying to use sports as an avenue to get him into a certain school or type of school? If your goal is to help him get into a upper tier school (Ivy, D1, NESCAC) I would have him concentrate on being a strong student who cultivates a variety of interests. If he has a passion and talent for a sport, he would need to pursue it at the highest levels. One of my sons is a college lacrosse player. He would have been able to get into his school regardless of whether he played a sport or not. We supported his goal of playing in college, but it involved a huge time and financial commitment- lots of travel to big tournaments, playing on club teams, and effort in communicating with coaches. He is a rising senior and although he loves his sport, he finds that it became a bit of a grind. He’s made great friendships but it’s been a big drain on his time. The training, practices, travel, etc. has resulted in sacrificing experiences in other areas.
My other son also plays lacrosse. His focus is on academics, but he is also a good athlete. He’s had a bunch of inquiries and offers from college lacrosse coaches, but they are from schools that are less academically competitive. In the end, he was able to choose between a few selective schools. He may try to walk on at his future college, but if he decides not to, he can also play a club sport to keep himself fit and active.
Unless your son is a phenom, the best way to increase chances of getting into a competitive college is to focus on getting good grades and becoming a well spoken and well rounded individual who displays a certain energy/ vibe that is attractive to admissions officers. This may include sports but it is certainly not necessary. We’ve known many kids who focused on lacrosse but end up at schools no one has ever heard of, just to play the game they’ve (or their parents) committed most of their young lives to.
Keep him in a position where he can set his own goals when he’s old enough to. So, for example, I don’t want to be in a position when he’s 15 and he decides he wants something, whether that’s to play in college or whatever, and he missed that boat because he didn’t have the right experiences.
He’s a strong student, and that will continue to be a focus, but he also wants to play.
Great goals. To be realistic, the level of skill and athleticism to be recruitable is higher than a lot of parents realize. Unfortunately it means an almost year round commitment unless your kid is an athletic savant. My kids played for big public ranked HS teams in softball and baseball in a hot bed state for both sports. The softball team even made it to the state championship my D’s junior year. 7 of the 9 starters went on to the next level, although only 4 finished collegiate careers. Only 2 played at the D1 level, the rest went on to D2, NAIA, D3 or Juco’s. Similar story for the baseball team, with only 1 D1 player from my kid’s class.
Both of my kids pursued Ivy and academic D3 schools, so we attended a number of camps focused on academic schools. There was some very good talent at all of these camps, but I must say there were also some delusional parents and kids to the point where there were safety issues. Some kids probably never saw pitches in the 60’s for softball or mid 80’s to 90+ in baseball. The point is as your kid progresses, it is important that he both enjoy the sport and that you expose him to high level competition so that you can realistically measure him up as to skills and athleticism. The recruiting road is a great way to get a higher probability path to a selective school, but to be recruitable requires talent, skill, time and money. I don’t know how many times I have told parents (usually to deaf ears) on my kids’ travel teams that if they spent as much time and money on prepping their kids academically vs chasing a partial athletic scholarship they’d have so much better financial and life outcomes.
I think many students who want to play in college can but they have to be willing to play at the schools that match their athletic abilities and training. They also may see a lot more playing time if they are the top dog on the lower ranked team than if they ride the pine at a school that is just beyond their skill level.
I’ve been a head lax coach for a decent high-school program for many years. I have sent players to NESCACs and top Post-Grad preps in N.E. among other programs.
Never a D1.
My advice? You have to be amazing at this sport to get looks by top schools, even with 3.9+ (weighted). Amazing! Top-line regional awards etc. Amazing!
Thinking D1 Duke/UVA and Ivy you must be a lacrosse freak. A freak! National teams etc.
Just my 2-cents. Get real, folks. It’s a full-time job. Let your kid show you if they have it.
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