The VCF Academy have carried out the first of several training days set to be run on a periodical basis, in which they provide input to the different football schools that form part of the VCF Escoles project.

This first session was entitled “Function and Dynamics of Goalkeeping” and was presented via video call by Aitor Bas, Head of Methodology for the goalkeeping department of the VCF Academy; and Manolo Sampedro, 8-a-side Goalkeeping Specialist. Participating were the goalkeeping coaches and coordinators from each of the schools involved.

In the training day, the structure and operation of the goalkeeping department at the VCF Academy was explained. The club have a goalkeeping specialist for each of the 11-a-side teams of a professional dynamic (VCF Mestalla, VCF Juvenil A and VCF Juvenil B) and a goalkeeping specialist for VCF Cadete A/VCF Infantil A, the Fundación Cadete and Fundación Infantil teams -as well as Sampedro in 8-a-side football.

“The structure of the department is defined according to the needs of each stage of a player's development. In 11-a-side there is a more exhaustive control over training and competition for goalkeepers, whilst in 8-a-side the focus is mainly on the training process,” explains Bas.

“We are aware that long-term competition serves as a tool for measuring the effectiveness of the training process. However, in the early stages of development we are convinced that competition is just another means of learning, and in no case do we value it by itself as a determining variable in the training process, ” he concluded.

The VCF Escoles project encompasses 37 schools in the Valencia region and in Murcia.