Dave Whalley – Inglewood Soccer Club
Goalkeeping has been a way of life for Dave Whalley as far back as he can remember. From taking the gloves at school to a twenty-year playing career in England, coaching juniors as well as with Perth Glory Women to establishing the Goalkeeper Centre of Excellence, the 49-year old has a greater understanding of the specialist role more than anyone in Western Australia.
Whalley is now sharing his wealth of knowledge and years of experience with Inglewood United by taking on the new challenge of coaching in the National Premier Leagues. “I’m really enjoying things at Inglewood,” said Whalley, part of Taki Nicolaidis’ team. “The club had a very collaborative coaching team; all coaches are valued and considered to be an important part of the team.”
“I’m responsible for training the goalkeepers and then on match day I’m having input during the game and at half-time. Ultimately, Taki has the final say but I like the fact that the coaching staff on the bench have a chance to give their opinion. I’ve always enjoyed being part of match day, it reminds me of the good old days when I was playing.”
Whalley’s primary focus is on getting the best out of Alex Dunn, Scott Wallis, Rhys MacFarlane and Luke Hutcheson. “We have some good young goalkeepers at the club – and I include Dunny in that bracket – and all of them have good techniques but each have identified aspects of their game that they want to improve,” he explained.
“As a group they are open to new ideas and performing with a good intensity. We work on the technical side of things on a Tuesday, then Thursday try to work on game scenarios. Sessions involve the players having to make decisions on a consistent basis, for example, if we’re doing a shot stopping session does the goalkeeper catch the ball or parry it to a safe area?”
“It’s a bit of a cliché but how you train is how you play. My goal is for Inglewood’s goalkeepers to develop themselves so that their decision-making on match day is natural and instinctive, they don’t need to think about what they are going to do. Long-term, I would to see young goalkeepers coming into senior football with the correct techniques and tactical understanding.”
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