Goalkeeper
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article is about the sports position. Goalkeeper is also a close-in weapon system
In many team sports, a goalkeeper (termed goaltender in some sports) is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. Such positions exist in association football (soccer), Gaelic football, International Rules Football, handball, field hockey, netball, water polo, lacrosse, floorball and a number of other sports. In ice hockey he or she is referred to most commonly as a goaltender or "netminder".
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Overview
Usually special rules apply to the goalkeeper that do not apply to the other players. These rules are often instituted to protect the goalkeeper, being an obvious target for dangerous or even violent actions. In addition, in certain sports like ice hockey, goalkeepers are required to wear special equipment like heavy pads and a face mask to protect their bodies from impact from the play object (e.g. a puck).
Examples
Association football (soccer)
In association football (soccer), each team's goalkeeper defends his team's goal and has special privileges within the game. Most notably, the goalkeepers are the only players who may handle the ball with their hands or arms during open play, however they are restricted to doing so only within their penalty area, (a box of dimensions 16.5m x 40.3m, commonly referred to as the "18 yard box"), however, they may not do so if the ball has been received direct from a throw-in or deliberate pass by a team-mate. The laws also state that the goalkeeper may not hold the ball for more than 6 seconds, however, this is open to the referee's interpretation as to when to start the count, so this offence is rarely committed in top level football.
Football goalkeepers must wear jerseys that distinguish them from the rest of their team, as well as the opposition's outfielders and the referee. Wearing gloves is almost universal amongst goalkeepers, as the gloves often have soft palms which allow the goalkeeper to gain a better grip on the ball, as well as protecting the goalkeeper's hands from most minor injuries and (in certain gloves) some major injuries (a good example being the Adidas "Fingersave" range of gloves).
Goalkeepers mostly do a very different job to the rest of the team but it is usually considered of equal or greater importance. A goalkeeper's main priority is to keep a clean sheet (let no goals in), but, if circumstances dictate, the goalkeeper can leave his/her box and act as an outfield player. It is a common misconception that goalkeepers cannot leave their area, but this is false. Although goalkeepers are able to handle only in their box they are still part of the team and can play as outfield players where necessary. This is a very rare situation however and usually happens when a goalkeeper needs to leave his/her box to intercept a pass or if the goalkeeper's team is in a do or die situation and desperately needs to score a goal. (Such a situation could occur if a team is 1-0 down in a knockout competition in the final minute of the match - the goalkeeper may come up to the opposition box during a set piece in order to try and score, knowing that even if his team fails to score and the opposition scores in the empty net, his team are still going out of the competition, as at the start.)
Famous goalkeepers (past and present)include:
- Oliver Kahn - The world's first goalkeeper to win the adidas Golden Ball for best player of a World Cup
- Gordon Banks - Goalkeeper for the 1966 England World Cup winning team
- Gianluigi Buffon - The world's most expensive goalkeeper, costing Juventus FC £37 million from Parma.
- José Luis Chilavert - Highest scoring goalkeeper of all time with 62 goals
- Dida - AC Millan goalkeeper and Brazilian first choice goalkeeper
- Dino Zoff - Legendary Italian World Champions at 41 years old
- Brad Friedel - Most capped US goalkeeper
- Peter Schmeichel - Danish goalkeeper who was the first to score a goal in the FA Premier League
- Peter Shilton - The most capped goalkeeper in English history
- Bert Trautmann - Manchester City's post-war German goalkeeper who continued to play in an FA cup final with a broken neck
- Lev Yashin - Legendary Russian goalkeeper
- Walter Zenga - Another great Italian goalkeeper, the only one that won for 3 consecutive years the World Best Goalkeepr Award with Inter F.C.
- David Seaman - England/Arsenal goalkeeper in late 90s and early 2000s.
- Ricardo Zamora - Legendary Spanish goalkeeper.
- Iker Casillas - Specialized and hard-to-score Spanish goalkeeper.
- Petr Cech - Czech goalkeeper known for his speed and jumping ability.
- Pepe Reina - Spanish goalkeeper known for saving penalties.
- Jens Lehmann - Arsenal's German goalkeeper also known for his speed and ability to stop powerful shots.
- Edwin Van Der Sar - The highest rated Dutch goalkeeper.
Field hockey
In field hockey, the goalkeeper generally wears extensive protective equipment including helmet, face and neck guards, chest and leg padding, gloves, lower leg guards (known as pads) and shoe covers (known as kickers). Only the helmet is compulsory, as is a shirt of a different colour from any of the other players. The goalkeeper is allowed to use any part of their body to deflect the ball, although they can't obstruct its play (for example by lying on top of it), and they can only do so within the goal circle (or "D").
Gaelic football
In Gaelic football, the goalkeeper's main task is to prevent a goal from being scored against their side by directly defending their goal. A goal occurs when the ball passes through the goal; the attacking team is awarded 3 points. The goalkeeper is the only player who may handle the ball on the ground, and only inside the small rectangle.
Hurling
In hurling, the goalkeeper's main task is to prevent a goal from being scored against their side by directly defending their goal. A goal occurs when the ball passes through the goal; the attacking team is awarded 3 points. The goalkeeper has no special rules pertaining to him, although he still wears a different colour jersey.
Ice hockey
See main article: Goaltender
International rules football
In International rules football, a hybrid game between Australian rules football (which does not have a goalkeeper) and Gaelic football, the goalkeeper's main task is to prevent a goal from being scored. A goal occurs when the ball comes off any part of an attacking player and passes through the goal; the attacking team is awarded 6 points.
Lacrosse
In men's Lacrosse, once a goalkeeper makes a save and has control of the ball in his crosse (stick), he may only remain in possession of the ball inside the protective crease for four seconds (the length may depend on the level of play). Before the four seconds is up, the goalkeeper must either pass the ball or leave the crease. After leaving, he may not reenter the crease with possession of the ball.
While inside the crease (nine feet in diameter), offensive players may not make contact with the goalie or his stick. Doing so is declared "interference with the goalie" and is penalized by a free clear to the half field line. In addition, a goalie is allowed to make contact with the ball with his hand, although he is not allowed to control it or pick it up.
In women's Lacrosse, once a goalkeeper makes a save and has control of the ball in her crosse, she may remain in possession of the ball inside the crease for ten seconds. The interference rule is similar to men's lacrosse; unlike in the men's game, a woman goalkeeper is allowed to control or even pick up the ball in her hand.
In both men's and women's lacrosse, goalkeepers are required to wear a helmet and 4-point chinstrap, a throat protector, gloves, and a chest protector. (Use of a protective cup is, for obvious reasons, required in the men's game.) Many goalkeepers elect to wear optional protective equipment, including elbow and shoulder pads, thigh pads and shin guards, and long sweat pants.
Interestingly, in international competition, American and Canadian goalkeepers seem to only wear a minimum of protective equipment, while European goalkeepers "bundle up". Asian and Australian goalkeepers tend to split the difference. Humorously, Canadian Chris Sanderson, starting goalie for the Canadian team in the 1998 and 2002 World Games, plays with a "bulls eye" target painted onto his chest protector.
Netball
A netball goalkeeper is one of two players who are permitted to remain within their defensive shooting third, and is restricted to the defensive third of the court.
Water polo
Goalkeepers in water polo are granted three special privileges when inside the four metre area:
- The ability to touch the ball with two hands.
- The ability to touch the floor of the pool.
- The ability to strike the ball with a clenched fist.
However, they have one limitation that field players do not have: they may not cross the half-distance line.
See also
da:Målmand de:Torwart es:Guardameta eo:Golulo it:Portiere he:שוער nl:Doelman ja:ゴールキーパー no:Målvakt nn:Målmann pl:Bramkarz pt:Goleiro ru:Вратарь simple:Goalkeeper fi:Maalivahti sv:Målvakt