A blend of theoretical and practical sessions aimed at elevating goalkeeping coaching standards, the inaugural day saw participants receive a glimpse into an array of concepts such as reality-based learning and the evolving role of the goalkeeper into that of a “Goal Player” — someone who not only protects the net but actively contributes to the team's build-up play.

They also received expert advice on subjects such as teams’ playing system and style of play, player positioning and movement which, in turn, empowered them to analyse game scenarios with greater precision.

Other key topics for classroom discussions included cooperating with the Head Coach and their staff, the growing significance of tutors, and the evolution of practice methods.

Meanwhile, the practical sessions included activities which aimed to help participants understand the dynamics of on-field management and structuring of training sessions specific to the goalkeepers.

At the end of the programme, the AFC experts and participants engaged in an interactive discussion to review the learnings over the past four days and share their feedback for further refinement of their own goalkeeping coaching programmes.

The course was led by renowned goalkeeping coach and tutor Frans Hoek from the Netherlands, formerly of Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the national teams of Netherlands, Poland and Saudi Arabia.