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James Bannatyne will lead the first OFC/NZF ‘C’ Licence goalkeeper coaching courses in Auckland and Christchurch later this year.
The 40-hour course will be spread across five days in each location and will require participants to complete some extra practical goalkeeping coaching work too.
Bannatyne, OFC’s Goalkeeping Development Consultant, will run the courses alongside experienced coaches Jonathan Gould, Mark Oates and Chris Marsh. Owain Prosser, OFC’s Head of Education and High Performance, will also assist.
Part 1 of the course in Auckland will run from November 6-8 with Part 2 on November 14-15; Part 1 in Christchurch will run from November 27-29 with Part 2 taking place on December 5-6.
Bannatyne said he was pleased with the caliber of early applicants and would like to see 25 coaches at each site.
“We are excited to give the New Zealand goalkeeping coaches support to develop their own competencies before working with our goalkeepers,” Bannatyne said.
“I think there’s a lot of interest out there from the goalkeeping community to get engaged in further development opportunities. It’ll be awesome to connect all of these people.”
Bannatyne said having a wider network of goalkeeping coaches throughout the Pacific would provide further chances to share ideas and expand on the OFC philosophy of goalkeeping coaching.
The former All White conducted the OFC Goalkeeping C Licence coaching course in Fiji last year and is excited about bringing the course to New Zealand and OFC’s other Member Associations in the future.
Bannatyne also wants to expand the network of goalkeeping coaches across Oceania with a focus on collaboration and connection.
Gould, who boasts an extensive goalkeeping coaching CV with stops in the A-League with the Wellington Phoenix and West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League among others, has recently returned to Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand.
Bannatyne said having someone with the experience of Gould, a former Scottish international in his playing days, would be a great asset to the goalkeeping community in Oceania.
“He’s committed to New Zealand and committed to the development of goalkeepers in our country.”
New Zealand has a strong crop of goalkeepers at international level led by the likes of Wellington Phoenix gloveman Stefan Marinovic and Michael Woud who is playing in the Dutch second division with Almere City.
There’s also Nik Tzanev who is on the books of League One club AFC Wimbledon in England and Max Crocombe who plays for Brisbane Roar in the A-League.
In the women’s game, the Football Ferns boast Erin Nayler, Victoria Esson and youngster Anna Leat.
“There’s plenty of depth in the goalkeeping stocks across the international spectrum for New Zealand’s national sides, which bodes well for the future,” Bannatyne said.
“If OFC and New Zealand Football continue to work together to provide more goalkeeper coach development opportunities, we will be able to produce more great goalkeepers in the future.”
