Every Saturday, I want to make this space about YOU — the parents of goalkeepers. When I was chasing my dream of becoming a professional goalkeeper, I saw first-hand how difficult it could be for my own father to know what to say, what to do, and how best to help me. And after more than 25 years of helping thousands of goalkeepers and their parents, I have seen the same struggles again and again. Parents often have to deal with things like: - Hearing their child being criticised from the sidelines - Watching teammates blame the goalkeeper for goals - Seeing their confidence disappear after a mistake - Not knowing what to say after a bad game - Feeling frustrated with coaches or team selection - Watching their goalkeeper want to give up - Simply not knowing whether to push, support or step back And sometimes, as a parent, you can feel completely helpless. That is why Saturdays are now going to become PARENT ZONE. If you are struggling with something involving your goalkeeper child at present, tell us what is happening below and ask for help, advice or another point of view. I will help where I can, and I am sure other experienced parents in this community will also share what has worked for them. And I would also LOVE to hear from the goalkeepers in here too. How would YOU like your parent to support you? What helps? What makes things worse? What do you wish parents understood more about being a goalkeeper? And this is the most important part: Now you have found the J4K TOTAL GOALKEEPING community — YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE. We are all here to help each other make the goalkeeper journey better for both the goalkeeper and the parent. So parents — what are you struggling with right now? Comment below and let’s help each other. Your friend, Ray Newland