Sewell hopes upcoming camp will improve goalkeeping standards
Published:Friday | July 14, 2023 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
NATIONAL under-20 goalkeeper coach, Andrew Sewell, believes his upcoming one-week camp geared towards improving the tactical abilities of local goalkeepers will bear fruit in the near future and help to harness the talents that are in abundance in Jamaica.
The camp which is set to start on July 17 will run until the July 21 and will be hosted at St George’s College’s Winchester Park football field from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. Sewell added that among the various lessons to be taught is positioning in goal.
“National coaches always preach that goalkeepers must be able to use their feet, so we’ll be targeting that because that is the modern-day goalkeeper. A lot of goalkeepers love to dive all over the place so we’ll be helping them to get into the proper position. When you’re in the correct position, there’s no need to dive,” he stated.
The experienced coach believes that while the goalkeeper position isn’t entirely attractive, he hopes after the camp players will have a greater respect for the role. He also pointed out that the senior men’s captain, Andre Blake, should be the model that local goalkeepers study.
“Of late, if I have to be honest, we’re lacking in the goalkeeping area. Because everyone wants to be a Ronaldo or Messi, no one wants to keep goal any more. So, we (coaches) want to make players enjoy it, which is what I’m hoping to achieve from the camp. Andre Blake’s standard is very high, right now he’s the standard that goalkeepers should aspire to,” Sewell pointed out.
Among the goalkeeper coaches will be on board to assist with the one-week camp are Robert Beckford, coach at Kingston College, Arnett Gardens and Dinthill Technical, and Everdean Scarlett, who coaches at Excelsior High and Cavalier. Leon Gordon, former national goalkeeper, and Kemar Foster, who is the current goalkeeper at Waterhouse Football Club, are also expected to be at the camp. Sewell stated that he intends to focus on ages 10-25, and based on the goalkeepers’ level of competence, they will be divided into different groups.
“We’ll be having some Jamaica Premier League goalkeepers that have asked to join. So, there will be groups and based on your level of competence, you’ll be placed into one of these groups,” said Sewell, who added that there has been a long history of solid goalkeepers like Clive ‘Spider’ Wedderburn, Warren Barrett and now Blake.