Project Goalplayer: Frans Hoek is the guest of Gianluca Spinelli

Team

— Jun 6th 2024

3 MIN READING

The goalkeeping area manager of the Club and the Dutch coach held a workshop at the Inter HQ

The role of the goalkeeper has always been delicate and unique in the world of football, different from all others but fundamental for every team. In recent years, this role has undergone a significant evolution. Goalkeepers have become crucial in the build-up phase, and their tasks on the field have increased considerably.

An evolution that represents the fundamental point of the work and study of Frans Hoek, a Dutch coach who has decisively contributed to the revolution of the role. Hoek, after playing professionally for 12 years at Volendam, has been a goalkeeper coach in the staff of Johan Cruyff and Louis Van Gaal, working, among others, for Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, Manchester United, and the Dutch National Team. In addition to his coaching career, Frans Hoek has created the Goalplayer project. Several coaches have joined the program, who collaborate with the most important teams and federations in the world through workshops, masterclasses, and the teaching of new training methods to promote the evolution of goalkeeping, which for Hoek in recent years are no longer to be considered as "Goalkeepers," but as "Goalplayers."

In recent days, the famous Dutch coach, invited by the club's goalkeeper area manager Gianluca Spinelli, held a special workshop at the Inter HQ, which the staff and coaches of the Nerazzurri youth sector had the privilege to attend.

“Frans Hoek is a reference point in our world because he has influenced the evolution of the goalkeeper role and goalkeeper coaching. This day is an opportunity to grow and discuss. Frans was among the first to theorise the involvement of the goalkeeper in the build-up play, a concept that seemed a bit absurd a few years ago but has now become the norm. Game understanding and decision-making have become fundamental qualities in high-level goalkeepers. Thanks to the work of Inzaghi and his staff, goalkeepers are inserted into a virtuous context rich in both individual and collective principles. Through daily training, they develop the ability to create relationships and connections within the group. Training with the team has become fundamental.”

Gianluca Spinelli - Responsabile Area Portieri Inter

“Since 1992, the role we knew as Goalkeeper has changed enormously. I now prefer to call it Goalplayer. It's no longer just about defending the goal, but also about building play. The goalkeeper is becoming increasingly important, and the game has developed in this direction. Before 1992, goalkeepers trained in isolation, but now the goalkeeper must work with the entire team even in training. From separate training sessions, we have moved to a much more integrated role with the whole group. This happens because it's essential to understand the development of the game and to solve various situations together. There's only one team, no longer a team within the team: everyone is important together. Mentally, you can't work alone. In victories and defeats, you have to work together. The mental aspect is fundamental in the Goalplayer project. We also collaborate a lot with specialists to increase the goalkeepers' mental strength to thrive in this psychologically demanding game.”

Frans Hoek