The 4th session in 2015 of the Girls Goalkeeper Camp began on 26 August, as the total of 20 players assembled from all over the country from Hokkaido to Nagasaki including three players selected out of the selection camp in July. 

This session was held specifically for the generation of junior high school. Under a chilly weather, the training got started with warm-ups and a physical fitness test, which always takes place on the first day of this kind of camp.

Later on, the players were divided into two groups to workout in a match-like situation drills before finishing all the work.

During the evening team meeting, every player made a presentation in front of everybody on four different topics: a goalkeeper they want to be, their own strength, weakness and what they do every day to be the goalkeeper they want to be. From next day, they are scheduled to be in two groups again and have two-a-day training. While the weather is cool and easier for the players to practice, they aim to finish a more focused training. 

* The camp was formerly called as the Super Girls Project, which was renamed in 2015 as the Girls goalkeeper Camp and is still being continued.

GK Coaches' Comment

ANZAI Kazuyuki, GK Coach (JFA National Training Centre Coach / FC BLOOM)
There is a sense of autumn already in Sapporo and we have everybody here without missing anyone. The first day had a meeting all together, a physical fitness test and then a 4-on-4 with 2 goalkeepers drill.

The fitness test went smoothly because there are a lot of players who have done similar tests before. My overall impression is a lot of players don’t fully utilise their body. I felt they haven’t mastered body movements necessary to raise their performance level, for example using arms when running and bending your knees to squat down first before jumping.

When doing scrimmages, we separated them into two groups. One was mainly for third graders and the other was mainly for first and second graders. The quality of goalkeeping plays has gotten better. We saw many plays like catching as they roll down and also diving front to make sure to get the ball.

On the other hand, there were mistakes like aggressively joining build-ups but losing the ball because of the lack of passing quality and eventually allowing the opponents to shoot. There were also plays where they simply allowed the opponents to shoot very easily. In general, I also thought we need to teach them “understanding football in a way football players are supposed to understand”.

In the team meeting after dinner, everybody made a presentation on her strength, weakness, plays they want to master and so on. They communicated well with each other and the first day finished on a good note.

Players' Comments

AWAYA Rina (Hagi SC Ladies)
I will be careful in making each play and want to be a goalkeeper who is trusted by my team. I am not confident in my plays and I can’t keep my composure. That’s my weakness. But my strength is I can work hard and keep challenging until getting such confidence. To be a goalkeeper that I want to be, I will make each play carefully in everyday practice and I want to be composed enough to make accurate plays.

MATSUKA Moe (AS Elfen Saitama Mari)
My strength is being able to limit the opponents’ shooting options by good coaching and make their shots come to my range of defence even if we let them shoot. And there is also being patient to keep being vocal until the end in any course of matches. What I’m not good at yet is that I tend to panic when I receive passes and that I allow goals from my own mistakes. To get better at this what I have to do is repeating fundamental drills to be able to make good passes with both feet.

YAMAURA Kotone (Albirex Niigata Ladies U-15)
My long arms and legs are my strength, so I want to utilise them with full control to be a player who can catch any ball. I am tall so I am good at catching high balls at a high point up in the air. But what I need to get better at is to catch balls well around my feet and be vocal. I can’t help trying to catch it without making a step, so during and after this camp I will keep it in mind to make a step first and catch the ball. 

KATO Anzu (FC. FERVOR MIMOSA)
The play I am good at is front dives. The goal for me is to be a goalkeeper who can join attacks and at the same time actively give instructions to teammates. What I need to improve is my kicking quality. So I need to work hard for it. To achieve my goal, I will make sure to call out loudly enough for passes, praise them for good plays and help them recover from bad ones. 

Schedule