THE MAGAZINE FOR THE GOALKEEPING PROFESSION WINTER 2020 Featuring: Bill Hamid Alex Smithies Aaron Ramsdale Rob Elliott Frans Hoek Andy Dibble New Order Analytics Kid Gloves CRAIG GORDON - #NurturingChampions Welcome to The magazine exclusively for the professional goalkeeping community. Andy Evans editorial Welcome to the winter 2020 This edition also supports the Black Lives Matter movement and edition of the GK1 Magazine - the we are delighted to feature DC United and USA national team goalkeeper specialist magazine for ‘keeper Bill Hamid. It is imperative that football continues to the professional goalkeeper market. make the necessary strides to equality across all aspects of the game. GK1 is produced by GK1 Management, the goalkeeper In an ongoing player/ coach feature, we focus on Cardi" City’s speci!ic division of World in Motion. Alex Smithies and Andy Dibble; and discuss the role played by Frans Hoek in the development of goalkeeping and coaching. This is the !irst edition of the magazine to be published since This edition’s statistical angle explores in detail aspects of Andy Evans - Chairman of World in Motion / GK1 the Covid pandemic has brought Aaron Ramsdale’s game and highlights the pioneering work we unprecedented disruption to everyday life in general and to pro are doing in the way data and statistics can be used to assess sport in particular. It is remarkable how well our goalkeeper clients goalkeeping performance. have responded to the ‘new normal’ and to playing the sport they love without the passionate support they are accustomed to. Here’s hoping that football will have returned to some normality prior to the release of our next edition of GK1 Magazine in the We sincerely hope the New Year brings the resolution to this Spring. crisis that impending vaccines promise. Andy Evans (Chairman of World in Motion / GK1) C O N T E N T S Welcome to GK1 3 GK1 Management Chancery House Bill Hamid 4 1 Lochaline Street London, W6 9SJ Alex Smithies 8 Kid Gloves 12 +44 (0) 20 8741 6060 www.gk1.co.uk New Order Analytics – Aaron Ramsdale ‘Deep Dive’ 14 Publisher Coaching – Frans Hoek 20 World in Motion Ltd Coaching – Andy Dibble 24 Editor-in-Chief Essential Equipment 26 Andy Evans Outside the Box 36 Deputy Editor Ben Read Meet the Team 38 Graphic Design Tim Alexander Your future in safe hands WINTER 2020 3 SUPPORTING BLACK LIVES MATTER Over the last six months or so, Hamid has thrown his backing and status as a professional footballer behind a number of social movements, predominantly Black Lives Matter. The work he is doing o" the !ield and away from training and matches right now is as important to him as football. It is an approach which is to be applauded. Hamid is striving for change. “What I do o" the !ield is just as important as my job,” Hamid said. “Your career comes and goes and that’s the same for everyone. What is more important is what do you stand for as a person? What do you stand for as a human being?” “Are you the sort of person who turns a blind eye to the craziness which is going on in this world at the moment? Or do you want to try to help make a change and make the world better? “Whether you are male or female or whatever race, I think it’s important we try and make a change for now and for the future. If you have children, you should want to make a change for them too. “Do we not want our kids to live in a better world than we did when we’re old and grey or after we have moved on? We have to try to build that, and it starts now.” The grotesque killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May of this year saw people across the globe protest. The Black Lives Matter mantra was everywhere. Floyd passed away after he was allegedly arrested for using counterfeit money. He was arrested by police o#icer Derek Chauvin who restrained Floyd by kneeling on his neck. Floyd complained to Chauvin he could not breathe, but the o#icer did not release his grip and the consequences were fatal. Chauvin was charged with murder. The consequent outpouring of grief, rage and demonstration touched not only the “The video highlights the inequality we As a black man whose parents came from USA, but the whole world – the game of have in this world and urges people to Sierra Leone, Hamid is hugely passionate football included. vote so they can have a say in society. about his beliefs and the picture of We’ve also partnered with the National him taking a knee in goal before DC’s Players across the globe have taken the Football League.” knee before matches. In the Premier League, squads had the Black Lives Matter “We’ve created after school and We slogan on the back of their shirts. Hamid mentorship programmes. Our aim is has gone even further. to make a di!ference at grassroots want to level. In partnership with the US Soccer THE BLACK PLAYERS FOR Foundation we have opened !ields for CHANGE PROGRAMME kids to go after school. They are !ive-a- make the side pitches like basketball courts and He explained: “I’m involved with a number we are going to create 15 around the world a of senior Major League Soccer players country. We want to make a di!ference in creating the Black Players For Change by encouraging young men and programme. We’ve signed a contract women.” better with the National Basketball Association players’ association and made a video “We want to make the world a better place. with some huge players from that sport.” place.” WINTER 2020 5 game with New England Revolution in for him. Something wasn’t right. He had “We’re back in stadiums now. We watched September was a powerful one. freedom and happiness once he let go. the Premier League and Bundesliga do To see the sort of thing which happened it a certain way. Cases are skyrocketing Hamid also saw signs of progression in US to him going on in this world is terrible. here, but the MLS has created a safe football at the start of October when San That sort of thing doesn’t even matter on environment,” he said. Diego Loyal players and their manager a football pitch. On the !ield we’re all equal Landon Donovan walked o" the pitch regardless of belief, race, or whatever. It “It’s allowed us to continue our season. It’s in protest after an alleged homophobic doesn’t matter who you are.” been good. Some stadiums are open to slur was directed at gay mid!ielder Collin fans which is positive as it shows we are Martin. “All power to Landon. I played with him for transitioning back to normality. Finding many years and my respect for him has places to train without the police shutting “Colin came from DC United’s academy. now gone even further. I’m very proud of you down was the hardest thing about His !irst professional contact was with DC Colin too.” lockdown. The DC training faculty was and I played with him for many years,” chained up by the city government. They Hamid said. POST!LOCKDOWN shut down everything including parks and !ield. “He has lots of love and great personality, WITH DC UNITED so it was a shame to see that happening to On the !ield, Hamid has returned to action “I couldn’t even !ind a pitch to train on, him. I didn’t know he was gay, but he came with DC after lockdown but Covid-19 still just areas of grass. At DC we started out as time went on and I was so happy continues to have a big impact in the USA. the season and then everything shut 6 WINTER 2020 down. It’s taken a while to get everything shot stopper, a presence, and an organiser Roberts was the goalkeeper coach. He is together. with good communication. One thing I’m a great guy and I learned a lot from him working on is my feet. My passing has got a and Lukasz Fabianski. I still look back at “We lost a couple of key players including lot better and I have focused on that. I play videos of those training sessions. Swansea Wayne Rooney. A lot of eyes were on him at a club which likes playing football.” is a great club with great facilities and they and I think he showed his !lair, hunger have the same owners as DC. and quality. He shone through. When you “It’s important to be good with your feet come to a new league you want to show now and I’d love another opportunity in “I’m always trying to see what could something and not just fall by the wayside. England. If I went back I’d be two, three, or happen and want to continue growing as DC is not one of the clubs who had four times more successful. a goalkeeper. With the USA we have a lot signed big names in the past. I still think of games coming up and we are playing Wayne chose DC for the same colours as “I had a trial with West Brom when I was Wales next month. Manchester United!” 21. Roy Hodgson was the manager at the time and Dean Kiely the goalkeeper coach. “It’s a big opportunity and my goal is the Hamid added: “I’ve been at DC virtually my I was very excited by the opportunity.