Coach Education: final weekend module of the "Uefa Goalkeeping B" course

The final module of the "Uefa Goalkeeping B" course programme, organised for the first time in its history by the San Marino Football Federation through its Technical Sector and Coach Education Department, will take place next weekend (14-15-16 December). A total of 82 teaching hours, split into five three-day modules (in addition to activities carried out at the respective clubs), during which highly topical subjects and content are being addressed. Several areas are covered: from Psychology and Communication to the Laws of the Game, from Fitness Preparation to key concepts of Technical and Tactical football. All this, of course, alongside the core topic: "The goalkeeper in modern football". The real innovation of the course lies in the integrated approach implemented by the instructors at Uefa’s instigation, which involves their simultaneous presence for most of the course sessions. Alessandro Danti, FIGC specialist instructor and Uefa goalkeeping consultant, has contributed all his experience by working constantly alongside Carlo Chiarabini, instructor and head of the FSGC Coach Education Department. This integrated delivery has raised the overall quality of the activities, maximising the value and potential of the coach-students enrolled on the course. At the end of the upcoming module, participants will also be given “homework”, in the form of a project they will have to prepare and present during the exam scheduled for the end of January 2024. This will require the utmost commitment and will be only the final act of a journey in which assessments have been carried out along the way, following an educational approach and not merely a summative one tied to the final exams. During the November module, the course participants were visited by one of Uefa’s leading experts in goalkeeping, Patrick Foletti, who made a decisive contribution to the work by observing classroom sessions and on-field activities, following the work of the micro-groups and stimulating the participants with reflections and insights. Drawing on his experience, Foletti (coach, among others, of Yann Sommer with the Swiss national team) was able to see first-hand how FSGC courses are run, highlighting the high qualitative standards in the way activities are structured, and offering suggestions for further improvement. It was an exceptional opportunity for our organisation, confirming that we are on the right track and fully aligned with Uefa’s requirements on the subject.

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