How tall is your Goalkeeper?

L

LifeOfSoccer

SILVER
Just out of pure curiosity, how tall is your goalkeeper? We transitioned to the "big net" as my 12 year old daughter calls it and she is 4'11". Even when jumping she can't reach the crossbar. Maybe I'm thankful this year is a no go. Anyway, fingers crossed for some growth!!!
 
LifeOfSoccer said:
Just out of pure curiosity, how tall is your goalkeeper? We transitioned to the "big net" as my 12 year old daughter calls it and she is 4'11". Even when jumping she can't reach the crossbar. Maybe I'm thankful this year is a no go. Anyway, fingers crossed for some growth!!!
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At some point they need to grow. Early on none of the GKs can stop high shots. However as they grow they get better at the high shots. If a kid stops growing and is short, GK is not the position for them.
 
LifeOfSoccer said:
Just out of pure curiosity, how tall is your goalkeeper? We transitioned to the "big net" as my 12 year old daughter calls it and she is 4'11". Even when jumping she can't reach the crossbar. Maybe I'm thankful this year is a no go. Anyway, fingers crossed for some growth!!!
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I've seen some shorter keepers but they tend to make up for it with athleticism and reflexes. One that comes to mind is Cascapera at ASU. Her height isn't listed but she feels short. That said, pretty decent shot stopper... but I agree with DH... at some point she needs to have a growth spurt. Good luck with that.
 
17 year old daughter is gk and she is 6’ 2”, I would say most female gks are at least 5’ 9” or taller.
 
LifeOfSoccer said:
Just out of pure curiosity, how tall is your goalkeeper? We transitioned to the "big net" as my 12 year old daughter calls it and she is 4'11". Even when jumping she can't reach the crossbar. Maybe I'm thankful this year is a no go. Anyway, fingers crossed for some growth!!!
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Niece is 5'10". Any shorter and not sure she would be effective in goal. May want to start transitioning her into another position now if she wants to play at a high level in the future. If you put all of your eggs in one basket and the bottom falls out, what do you have left?
 
Desert Hound said:
At some point they need to grow. Early on none of the GKs can stop high shots. However as they grow they get better at the high shots. If a kid stops growing and is short, GK is not the position for them.
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Yeah, but this is a development problem, not for the goalkeeper but for the field players. California coaches teach players to shoot it high over the goalkeeper when we know they should be learning to either shoot it high into the corners or low towards the post. Partially this is a problem of coaches wanting to put winning over teaching them properly, but really the development of attacking players would be better served staying in smaller but wider goals longer.

The first year in the big goal is the worst for the GK. It's why I'm not necessarily sad if my guy misses it. He's 12 and can just touch the cross bar now on a jump from ready stance. Since that's with his finger tips, there's still a lot of room for it to go over him, particularly if shot slightly to the side since they can't jump as high laterally as straight up.
 
My daughter is 5'10" and was always tall as a u-little which helped her up top and in goal. In the women's game, you are going to see college GKs at a lot of different heights but I'm guessing most P5 and top mid-majors have their primary GKs at 5'8" to 6'. There will be some that are shorter - the Colorado GK who graduated last spring (I think) was not tall (a number of years ago I saw a Fullerton GK play a 1st round tourney game v Stanford and their GK was 5'4" (I remembered her at 5'5" but just checked)) - and there will be some who are taller but think of the libero in volleyball - she looks "short" in a top program but they are usually around the same height as soccer GKs and the 6'4" middle blockers do not become GKs b/c as much as we want to think that covering the upper V is so important, far more shots require GKs to get down quickly (defend the low corner shot, 1v1s, etc.) and that is tougher as they get taller. Men's GKs have become enormous but the position is played differently and the athleticism is different.

Hope Solo? 5'9". Naeher? 5'9" Jane Campbell? 5'9". Abby Smith? 5'9". Ashlyn Harris? 5'9" (I did not know all of this, except for Hope and Jane, before searching)
 
dk_b said:
Men's GKs have become enormous but the position is played differently and the athleticism is different.
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Tifo football did an interesting study on GK heights in the Premier League. The clubs are recruiting ever taller goalkeepers. GK height has increased over the decades. But the ideal height for a goalkeeper (presumably female as well) is between 6'1-6'3''. Any taller, and it impacts greater the reaction time to get to low ground balls. It's one of the reasons you see so many of these world class goalkeepers bobbling shots to their feet (including De Gea famously in the last world cup, though technique also plays a role in that story).

I'm surprised soccer hasn't come to the realization that water polo has: you probably want a goalkeeper that is tall but not overly tall, but has an unnaturally long wing span. But at least the English clubs seem wedded to their idea of ever taller, stick like goalkeepers which aren't supported by the statistics. Eventually as the science gets moneyballed, I think we'll see a change in this (but it may take awhile)....goalkeepers also changed from the big huge brutes of the 70s/80s to the slender giants we have now with time.
 
Grace T. said:
Tifo football did an interesting study on GK heights in the Premier League. The clubs are recruiting ever taller goalkeepers. GK height has increased over the decades. But the ideal height for a goalkeeper (presumably female as well) is between 6'1-6'3''. Any taller, and it impacts greater the reaction time to get to low ground balls. It's one of the reasons you see so many of these world class goalkeepers bobbling shots to their feet (including De Gea famously in the last world cup, though technique also plays a role in that story).

I'm surprised soccer hasn't come to the realization that water polo has: you probably want a goalkeeper that is tall but not overly tall, but has an unnaturally long wing span. But at least the English clubs seem wedded to their idea of ever taller, stick like goalkeepers which aren't supported by the statistics. Eventually as the science gets moneyballed, I think we'll see a change in this (but it may take awhile)....goalkeepers also changed from the big huge brutes of the 70s/80s to the slender giants we have now with time.
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remember this guy? 6'-8"

pantilimon_3564013b.jpg
 
Grace T. said:
Tifo football did an interesting study on GK heights in the Premier League. The clubs are recruiting ever taller goalkeepers. GK height has increased over the decades. But the ideal height for a goalkeeper (presumably female as well) is between 6'1-6'3''. Any taller, and it impacts greater the reaction time to get to low ground balls. It's one of the reasons you see so many of these world class goalkeepers bobbling shots to their feet (including De Gea famously in the last world cup, though technique also plays a role in that story).

I'm surprised soccer hasn't come to the realization that water polo has: you probably want a goalkeeper that is tall but not overly tall, but has an unnaturally long wing span. But at least the English clubs seem wedded to their idea of ever taller, stick like goalkeepers which aren't supported by the statistics. Eventually as the science gets moneyballed, I think we'll see a change in this (but it may take awhile)....goalkeepers also changed from the big huge brutes of the 70s/80s to the slender giants we have now with time.
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I'd be interested to see how the study looks at women GKs b/c unless we also start to see really tall liberos, I think the "sweet spot" will remain 5'9" to 6'0" and not much more (with the exception being the otherworldly athletic player) because the skill set is not just height but getting down and lateral, using your feet, timing and agility against an attacking player, etc. And keep in mind about Moneyball - it was about how the A's took advantage of undervalued skills b/c Billy Beane was operating with a smaller budget. If he had an endless budget, his approach would have been different. The current state of shifts on defense in baseball and going for broke on all swings (so no tempering on 2-strikes, less working of counts) are data driven in a way that is universally-applied. But that was not the Moneyball premise. If the data showed that a 6'5" woman keeper is the target, we will see more players transition from volleyball but we are a long way off from that (in my very subjective opinion).
 
Eagle33 said:
remember this guy? 6'-8"

View attachment 9086
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There are always exceptions. Nick Rimando for instance. But it doesn’t detract from the physics. All other things being equal it will be harder for a short keeper to get higher balls shot out of reach. All other things being equal it will be harder for a very tall keeper to get the lower balls, if at the minimum because it simply takes more space to get to ground. It may not make a difference on any individual shot. But over time and over a number of shots even small discrepancies get magnified.
 
dk_b said:
My daughter is 5'10" and was always tall as a u-little which helped her up top and in goal. In the women's game, you are going to see college GKs at a lot of different heights but I'm guessing most P5 and top mid-majors have their primary GKs at 5'8" to 6'. There will be some that are shorter - the Colorado GK who graduated last spring (I think) was not tall (a number of years ago I saw a Fullerton GK play a 1st round tourney game v Stanford and their GK was 5'4" (I remembered her at 5'5" but just checked)) - and there will be some who are taller but think of the libero in volleyball - she looks "short" in a top program but they are usually around the same height as soccer GKs and the 6'4" middle blockers do not become GKs b/c as much as we want to think that covering the upper V is so important, far more shots require GKs to get down quickly (defend the low corner shot, 1v1s, etc.) and that is tougher as they get taller. Men's GKs have become enormous but the position is played differently and the athleticism is different.

Hope Solo? 5'9". Naeher? 5'9" Jane Campbell? 5'9". Abby Smith? 5'9". Ashlyn Harris? 5'9" (I did not know all of this, except for Hope and Jane, before searching)
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Good points. I would have thought Hope Solo to be 2-3" taller than Jane Campbell and was surprised to see she isn't. Perception. And for me, being able to touch the crossbar isn't nearly as important as being able to take command on crosses and corners... which is just as much about leaping ability and timing, but again... 5' 9" is a pretty good height for females in general.

As a kid, I remember Tino Lettieri being only 5' 8" but convinced, and playing like, he was 6' 3". And I don't believe Nick Rimando is 5' 10".
 
DD is 13 and just under 5’8...she may have an inch or two left in her. 2006 Birth Year, played DA and now ECNL...kids still shoot high over the smaller keepers as mentioned. Getting beat overhead is the Achilles Heel for most female keepers...just saw last Dickey from NC get scored on from an corner kick...Nat’l team player and got caught out of position. It happens to many just watch college or NWSL...The more you watch height is a factor, but in my mind it’s 20% Shot Stopping 40% Leadership, Communication, Organization, and 40% Footwork and Distribution...Keepers touch the ball a lot more with their feet these days, more than with their hands in many cases. Bottom line in my mind you need be athletically talented enough to make the plays regardless off height...see it all the time small players playing big and big players playing small.
 
LifeOfSoccer said:
Just out of pure curiosity, how tall is your goalkeeper? We transitioned to the "big net" as my 12 year old daughter calls it and she is 4'11". Even when jumping she can't reach the crossbar. Maybe I'm thankful this year is a no go. Anyway, fingers crossed for some growth!!!
Click to expand...
While many are answering from a college perspective, I am not sure that is what you were looking for. There are many goalkeepers at various levels that aren't considered tall especially at 12 years old. The girls are at all different stages of puberty so their height is all over the place. The taller keepers have an easier time getting on the higher level teams. Shorter Keepers have to be substantially better than a taller Keeper.

My daughter trained with Melissa Weck who is 5'4" a few years back and she could fly like crazy! I swear sometimes I saw her parallel to the ground while in the air. She played for West Coast FC ECNL and the Slammers ECNL team that won the championship a 4 years ago and she played at FGCU for college and received numerous accolades. https://fgcuathletics.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/melissa-weck/6936

There was also another Keeper that was 5'2" that played for Chapman University a few years back. I can't remember her name. She received many accolades.

I have been watching women's college soccer in the last week and noted there were several Keepers that were below 5'8". I was surprised.
 
LifeOfSoccer said:
Just out of pure curiosity, how tall is your goalkeeper? We transitioned to the "big net" as my 12 year old daughter calls it and she is 4'11". Even when jumping she can't reach the crossbar. Maybe I'm thankful this year is a no go. Anyway, fingers crossed for some growth!!!
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Your asking the wrong questions. You are worried about her projected height andthe field/goal size. Not how she sizes up now. Look at your spouse and come up a potential height.
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My dd just turned 15 and is 6’. Keepers are similar in some respects to field players. Size and speed matters, more so at the young age, but as they get older technical skills win out. Foot work, hands, decision making, knowledge of the game, commanding the field and her voice are as equal of attributes as her physical size.

Keepers come in all shapes and sizes and all different types of abilities. Advice given to me is to look at the potential schools your dd wants to attend and look at the type of keeper they have. Different coaches have preferences on which keepers’ skills and styles they like. Some like tall trees others like jumpers and divers. Although having both of those abilities and skill sets never hurts but is rarer.
 
Watched 6 different women's teams from ACC and SEC last couple weekends. 5' 6" - 5'9" were the starting 6 keepers. That is top D1 soccer. Still leaves D2, D3, and NAIA and some keepers run as short a 5' 4" so don't fret if they want to play college and they are shorter.

Mine is now 5' 9", will finish at 5' 10". Remember also that wing span and jumping ability play major rolls as well. Throw in speed and quickness, hands and foot skills, and you can see why D1 takes keepers that are under 5' 7".
 
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