Goakeeper is the position in women’s football that has improved the most rapidly in recent years, with players reaping the rewards of the professional era by training with specialist coaches to unlock the potential and ability that was there all along.
These days, young talents have had thousands upon thousands of hours of practice with a dedicated coach, the like of which wasn’t the case even 15 years ago.
Thanks to that development, this summer’s World Cup is set to feature the widest group of top class goalkeepers the tournament has ever seen.
A handful of superstars between the sticks won’t be there. Christiane Endler has been consistently world class for a number of years, but her Chile team were stunned by Haiti in the final set of qualifying playoffs, highlighting the growing depth in international football. Barcelona’s Sandra Panos is also absent from the Spain squad amid ongoing issues between the players and federation.
But even a couple of major absences don’t dampen the quality of the goalkeepers on display in Australia and New Zealand over the next few weeks.
READ MORE ON THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
